In August, the Alliance joined the Reporters Committee’s amicus letter in support of journalist April Ehrlich. Last year, Ehrlich was arrested in Oregon for not staying in a designated media area that disallowed her from actually viewing and reporting on the police working on a homeless de-encampment. The Alliance joined an earlier letter asking the City of Medford not to press any charges against Ehrlich. The city has refused to drop the charges against Ehrlich. The case is now going to trial, and the Reporters Committee is submitting the letter in support of Ehrlich. The Alliance condemns the City of Medford for prosecuting a journalist who was engaging in news gathering without interfering with police. The Alliance will continue to support efforts to protect journalists’ First Amendment rights to gather the news and record law enforcement—a cornerstone of government accountability in our democracy.
Members of the News/Media Alliance staff have contributed to this post.
