The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker found 48 cases of journalists being detained or arrested in 2024 alone. The Tracker also chronicles incidents of assaults on journalists. The recent list includes accounts of a TV reporter in Colorado being tackled and choked outside the station, a California reporter being aggressively grabbed by a sheriff’s deputy while covering a county board meeting, a sports columnist being shoved by a professional basketball player over an unfavorable article, and the list goes on. In Nevada, investigative reporter Jeff German was horrifically murdered by an elected public official who sought revenge for German’s reporting.
Leonard Woolsey knows how these physical and online threats can take a toll on a news organization. Woolsey is the president of Southern Newspapers, the president and publisher of The Daily News in Galveston, Texas, and the president of America’s Newspapers for 2024-2025. “Recently, we had a public official send us a photo of our newspaper with a handgun sitting across our front page,” he told E&P. “We get threats against our reporters, editors and newspapers in volumes never experienced before — and always the result of us reporting truthful facts. And, in each case, our team comes together, takes care of each other, and forges on in the name of our service to the community.
“This happens when your newspaper is engaged with the community and is committed to telling hard truths versus happy news all the time,” he continued. “Our duty is to inform our community, even if those in power find it uncomfortable. At the end of the day, we hold our heads high, knowing our calling as truth-tellers is critical for our communities and nation. Journalists who uphold the tradition of service to their community and use the truth as their beacon are rock stars in my eyes.”
Though Southern Newspapers hasn’t had any reporters arrested or detained by police, Woolsey is ready should that happen. “We work closely with an attorney who has ink in his blood. His dad was a former newspaper publisher, and this makes all the difference,” he said.
At Trib Total Media, based in Tarentum, Pennsylvania, the staff has ongoing discussions about how to defend its journalists who may be unlawfully arrested or detained — and about the personal safety of the newsroom team. Jennifer Bertetto, president and CEO, said they have a meeting coming up where they’ll talk about the complexities of crime scenes and “high-pressure situations.” She wants to ensure that the team understands their rights, best practices when interacting with law enforcement and appropriate responses to threats of arrest.
Safety is paramount for their reporters, Bertetto stressed.
“A significant concern among our staff is the potential for being identified as members of the media in public, both on and off duty,” she added. “Many have opted to avoid wearing company attire to minimize the risk. To enhance safety measures, we’re implementing a buddy system to cover potentially volatile events, like protests or demonstrations. This ensures reporters and photographers work in pairs, minimizing the risk of isolating someone.”
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Fortunately, in the communities we report in, we have very few problems, even in our search for the truth. But, sometimes, we are on the receiving end of threats (both physical and online) as we recently experienced in one of our communities.
We have taken steps in the last few years to strengthen our security in the office. If you have been by any of our offices, you know you have to ring the doorbell to gain entrance because our doors remain locked during business hours. We still welcome our guests, but we have more control over who enters.
Our reporters are not afraid of being identified outside of work – we proudly wear our nametags and branded items out and about. We are just more aware of our surroundings.
And we wholeheartedly agree with Leonard Woolsey when he says, “God help us if the truth is suppressed by our fear…” We will continue to report the truth without fear of retribution or attack. It is our currency, it is our duty and it is the cornerstone of our reporting. We won’t stand down.
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