Committee to Protect Journalists – Defending Journalists Worldwide.

CPJ: Authorities must allow journalists to safely cover US campus protests

Pro-Palestinian student activists face off with New York Police Department officers at Columbia University during an April 30 police raid on campus. A person with a shirt bearing a “student press” label is in the background. (Photo: AP/Seyma Bayram)

With tensions over pro-Palestinian protests escalating on college campuses across the United States, the Committee to Protect Journalists calls on university authorities and law enforcement agencies to allow reporters to freely cover the demonstrations.

“Journalists – including student journalists who have been thrust into a national spotlight to cover stories in their communities — must be allowed to cover campus protests without fearing for their safety,” said CPJ U.S., Canada and Caribbean Program Coordinator Katherine Jacobsen on Wednesday. “Any efforts by authorities to stop them doing their jobs have far-reaching repercussions on the public’s ability to be informed about current events.”

Since the Israel-Gaza war began on October 7, the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker – a CPJ partner – has documented at least 13 arrests or detentions and at least 11 assaults of journalists covering protests related to the conflict.

Those arrested include FOX 7 reporter Carlos Sanchez, who was shoved to the ground on April 24 while covering a protest at the University of Texas at Austin. He is currently facing two misdemeanor charges.

World Press Freedom Day

As World Press Freedom Day is celebrated on May 3, CPJ Director of Development and Outreach John Weis writes that keeping journalists safe ensures that we can make informed decisions in a rapidly changing world.

“This year, as half the world heads to the polls, as protest movements grow, and as climate risks intensify, we need journalists and journalism more than ever,” he notes in a special edition of CPJ’s Insider newsletter.

In Chile, CPJ joined 11 press freedom and journalistic organizations in adopting the Santiago +30 Declaration urging states to protect journalists and ensure they can work safely without restrictions.

The declaration also advocates for concerted efforts among governments, intergovernmental organizations, technology companies, and the journalism community to promote freedom of expression and freedom of the press as a fundamental human right and a cornerstone of informed and democratic societies.

Journalists Attacked

Hamza Al Dahdouh

MURDERED

Hamza Al Dahdouh, 27, a Palestinian journalist and cameraman for the Qatari-based broadcaster Al-Jazeera, was killed alongside freelance video journalist Mustafa Thuraya in an Israeli drone strike on January 7, 2024.

On the day of the attack, Al Dahdouh and Thuraya joined a group of more than 10 journalists to report on the aftermath of an Israeli strike on a home that occurred on January 6. As they were returning from the assignment for Al-Jazeera, the strike targeted the two journalists’ car in Nasr village, known locally as Moraj, northeast of Rafah in southern Gaza.

Al Dahdouh is the son of Gaza’s Al-Jazeera bureau chief, Wael Al Dahdouh, who had previously lost four other family members in Israeli attacks.

Learn more about Al Dahdouh