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Welcome back to your newsletter around press freedom violations in the United States. Find archived editions here, and get this newsletter directly in your inbox by signing up here.

‘A measure of justice’ for Jeff German

At the end of August, a 12-person jury in Las Vegas, Nevada, found a former county official guilty of first-degree murder for the 2022 killing of Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German. German had previously reported on the official, Robert Telles, and was in the middle of another investigation on him when he was slain. Telles maintained his innocence throughout the two-week trial. He’s now facing life in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 16. 

The Review-Journal remembered German’s 40-plus years as an investigative reporter with incredible accolades for his tenacious work. In a statement after the verdict, the outlet’s executive editor, Glenn Cook, said German’s murder remains an outrage, but the verdict “brought a measure of justice for slain journalists all over the world.”

The case itself, which the Tracker has reported on closely since German’s September 2022 murder, had far-reaching implications for press freedom protections in the state, helping reinforce Nevada's shield law after German's electronic devices were seized posthumously by police.

For purposes of the Tracker database, German’s murder was documented in the Assault category and tracked over time through updates. The legal case surrounding the devices was similarly documented and tracked over the years in the Equipment Search and Seizure category.

Charges continue for Capitol rioters who harmed journalists

On Sept. 12, two brothers were arrested and charged with felony offenses for the alleged assault and robbery of New York Times photojournalist Erin Schaff during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol. 

In an account published by the Times the day after the riot, Schaff recounted how inside the rotunda, a group of people became angry when they saw her press pass read “The New York Times.” “They threw me to the floor, trying to take my cameras. I started screaming for help as loudly as I could. No one came. People just watched. At this point, I thought I could be killed and no one would stop them.”

One of Schaff’s cameras was stolen and the rioters broke the lens on the other. Her congressional press credentials were also stolen in the attack.

Since 2021, the Tracker has documented 18 journalists assaulted during the riots and tens of thousands of dollars of news equipment damaged. As of this month, the Department of Justice has charged more than 1,500 people for illegal activities at the Capitol that day; 14 of those are in direct connection with assaults of journalists or destruction of their equipment.

For a full overview, read our updated analysis: Charges — and punishments — for J6 rioters who hurt journalists, damaged news equipment

Also in the Tracker

Here are some other notable recent updates:

• LA settles suit against journalist over release of photos: Reporter Ben Camacho and the City of Los Angeles have now settled a suit the city filed in April 2023 in an attempt to claw back photographs of police officers it had released to him. The city will pay Camacho and an activist group $300,000 in legal fees. “The City of Los Angeles attempted to make an example out of me by going against bedrock press freedom rulings like the Pentagon Papers,” Camacho told the Tracker. “It did not work this time but it does not mean they won’t try again.”
• Two sentenced to prison for stalking New Hampshire journalists: Two of four men charged with conspiring to harass and intimidate New Hampshire Public Radio journalists Lauren Chooljian and Dan Barrick have been indicted and sentenced to prison. The two other men charged have pleaded guilty and are scheduled to be sentenced this fall. In April and May 2022, Chooljian’s current and former residences, her parents’ home and Barrick’s home were vandalized with the spray-painted word “CUNT” and bricks and rocks thrown through the windows. Chooljian’s home was also spray-painted with the words “JUST THE BEGINNING.”

A landmark for press freedom reporting

Finally, a remarkable milestone: We published the 2,000th incident in the Tracker database earlier this month. And we kept reporting. That means there are now more than 2,000 incident write-ups across the Tracker’s 11 categories. It’s important to remember, however, that the number is only one way to quantify what we do; there are way more than 2,000 journalists captured in the database. Sometimes a Denial of Access shuts out multiple media outlets. Our Other category can synthesize multiple journalists’ viewpoints from fast-moving events. Sometimes a politician seemingly threatens all journalists with violence in the Chilling Statement category. For the full range of what our database catalogs, explore our Analysis section, with  more than 100 in-depth dives into what all the incidents mean for the state of press freedom in the U.S. 

Still, a remarkable milestone.   

More in the Tracker

For the 2,000-plus incidents and the latest on press freedom aggressions across the U.S., explore the database and follow the Tracker on social media — we’re on X and Instagram. Your support, as always, is crucial to this work; donate today.

Best,
Kirstin McCudden
Managing Editor, U.S. Press Freedom Tracker