As media outlets that regularly report on newsworthy events, we, the undersigned, vigorously condemn the recent arrests of journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort. 

Lemon and Fort were arrested after covering a January 18 protest at a church in Minneapolis. They were conducting the constitutionally protected activities of a working journalist: observing, recording and documenting a newsworthy event and attempting to obtain quotes from participants. 

Their arrest on charges of allegedly obstructing a place of worship, and even worse, under federal conspiracy law, alarms all of us who believe in the First Amendment and seek to do our jobs without fear of obstruction by law enforcement or retaliation by agents of the government. 

The principle of a free press animated the founding of the United States of America 250 years ago, and countless Americans have fought valiantly for it. We cannot allow colleagues to be subjected to spurious and unwarranted arrest for committing acts of journalism.

We call on federal authorities to drop all charges against Lemon and Fort and to publicly affirm their unqualified support for the work of professional journalists in this critical time.

SIGNATORIES:

Wisconsin Watch

Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service

Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting

Block Club Chicago

Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism

CalMatters

Capital B

Cardinal News

Center for Investigative Reporting

Dallas Free Press

Documented

East Lansing News

ecoRI News

El Paso Matters

Epicenter

FaVS News

Florida Trident

Grist

InDepthNH.org

Injustice Watch

Invisible Institute

La Voz Chicago

Lookout News

New Bedford Light

New York magazine, part of Vox Media LLC

NY Focus

Philadelphia Hall Monitor

San Francisco Public Press

South Side Weekly

The 19th

The Cityside Journalism

Initiative

THE CITY

The Guardian US

The Intercept

The Jersey Bee

The Jersey Vindicator

The Journal of Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater

The Lens

The Marshall Project

The Providence Eye

The Trace

The TRiiBE

The Xylom

Vox Populi

Wasau Pilot and Review

Wisconsin Watch joins media outlets in condemning arrests of journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.