NC journalists found guilty of trespassing
In December 2021, Asheville Blade reporters Matilda Bliss and Veronica Coit were arrested while covering a Christmas night homeless encampment sweep in North Carolina. Despite calls over the years from press freedom organizations to drop the charges, a bench trial was scheduled for the pair for September 2022, then delayed until January 2023 before being postponed yet again for this month. Bliss told the Tracker before the trial that the facts were being called into question, too. “It also appears that the prosecutor will attempt to prove that we were not acting as journalists, which is just absurd,” Bliss said.
 On April 19, Judge J. Calvin Hill found both journalists guilty, and ordered them to pay a $25 fine and court costs. An appeal was immediately filed, which means the case now goes to a jury trial. Blade Editor David Forbes told Freedom of the Press Foundation that the sentences are on hold pending the results of that appeal, scheduled for May 1.
FPF Advocacy Director Seth Stern called the outcome disappointing, and that he hoped Asheville’s citizen jurors would uphold the First Amendment when the trial comes to them. “Whether it’s a mainstream outlet or one that public officials like is entirely irrelevant. They’re journalists under any definition of the word and entitled to the full protection of the First Amendment."
Support the database
Here at the Tracker, we’ve published more than 280 arrests — which means tracking ones like in Asheville for more than 16 months — and nearly 200 subpoenas — including organizing them by relevance, like “election 2020.” Your donation directly supports this long-term detailed work. Support the Tracker today.
Best,
Kirstin McCudden
Managing Editor, U.S. Press Freedom Tracker
|
