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** OPINION
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** Journalists were injured — and maybe even targeted — while covering immigration protests in Los Angeles
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Protesters confront a line of U.S. National Guard in the metropolitan detention center of downtown Los Angeles on Sunday. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

One particularly disturbing moment was caught on camera over the weekend during the media coverage of the immigration protests in Los Angeles. A television reporter from Australia was shot by someone in law enforcement using nonlethal rubber bullets. It’s not clear which agency the officer was with.

Lauren Tomasi, a correspondent for 9News, was doing a live report when the officer standing behind her clearly took aim at her and shot her in the leg. (Here’s ([link removed]) the video.) Tomasi, holding a microphone and talking into a camera, was clearly a journalist.

After being hit in the leg with the bullet, Tomasi jumped and yelped in pain, while an unidentified voice yelled, “You just (expletive) shot the reporter!”

Another voice asked Tomasi if she was OK, and she responded by saying, “Yeah, I’m good. I’m good.”

The Associated Press’ Keiran Smith reported ([link removed]) that Tomasi later said on air, “I’m OK. My cameraman Jimmy and I are both safe. This is just one of the unfortunate realities of reporting on these kinds of incidents.”

Smith wrote, “​​9News is part of Nine, one of Australia’s largest media companies, which operates across television, radio, print and digital channels. Its major platforms include free-to-air Channel Nine and leading newspapers like The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.”

In a statement ([link removed]) , Nine said, “Lauren Tomasi was struck by a rubber bullet. Lauren and her camera operator are safe and will continue their essential work covering these events. This incident serves as a stark reminder of the inherent dangers journalists can face while reporting from the frontlines of protests, underscoring the importance of their role in providing vital information.”

Meanwhile, 9News’ Sean Thompson reported that an Australian senator, Sarah Hanson-Young, has urged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to bring up the incident with President Donald Trump.

Hanson-Young said, “US authorities shooting an Australian journalist is simply shocking. It is completely unacceptable and must be called out. The prime minister must seek an urgent explanation from the US administration. As Albanese is preparing for his first meeting with President Trump, the first thing he must tell the president is to stop shooting at our journalists. Freedom of the press is a fundamental pillar of a strong, functioning democracy.”

A MESSAGE FROM POYNTER
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** There was more
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Tomasi wasn’t the only journalist injured while covering the events in Los Angeles.

A British photojournalist based in LA was injured and needed emergency surgery after being struck in the leg by what he believed to be a nonlethal bullet fired by law enforcement, according to The Guardian’s Edward Helmore ([link removed]) .

Photographer Nick Stern told Helmore, “I’m walking around taking photos and was untouched until around 9 p.m. (on Sunday). I was walking across the road when I felt a mighty pain in my leg. I put my hand down and felt a lump kind of sticking out the back of my leg.”

Stern said, “People came over to help and got me on the curb. A medic was called, who cut off my clothes. In my leg was what felt like a five-centimeter hole with muscle hanging out of it and blood all down my leg. The medic put a tourniquet on it, and a journalist I was with took me to ER.”

Stern added, “It hurt so much that I thought they might be firing live rounds. I’ve been with nonlethal rounds before. They hurt like hell but generally don’t break the skin. But the blood made me think it was a live round.”

Meanwhile, The New York Times' Ali Watkins reported ([link removed]) , “A New York Times reporter was struck with a nonlethal round by officers late Sunday in downtown Los Angeles. The reporter was assessed at a hospital but not seriously injured.”

And this post on Bluesky ([link removed]) reports several other incidents of reporters being physically targeted by law enforcement.

Barrett Media also reported ([link removed]) that reporters from two news/talk radio stations in Los Angeles were hit by tear gas while covering the protests.


** About the protests
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U.S. National Guard members stand in line in the metropolitan detention center of downtown Los Angeles on Sunday. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

As disgusting as it was to see a journalist doing her job being purposefully shot, that was far from being the worst thing seen during the Los Angeles protests. Many would argue that the worst thing was Trump sending in the National Guard in the first place. (And, as an update, on Monday, Trump sent 700 Marines to LA.)

California Gov. Gavin Newsom called Trump sending in the National Guard “illegal and immoral.”

In fact, California officials said on Monday that they would file a federal lawsuit, saying Trump is overstepping his federal authority and violating the U.S. Constitution.

The Los Angeles Times’ Laura J. Nelson and Kevin Rector wrote ([link removed]) , “California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta said the lawsuit will accuse Trump and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth of violating the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which spells out the limits of federal power.”

In a statement, Bonta said, “Federalizing the California National Guard is an abuse of the President’s authority under the law, and not one we take lightly.”

However, many feel that Trump is getting exactly what he wants from this.

The New York Times’ Tyler Pager wrote ([link removed]) , “It is the fight President Trump had been waiting for, a showdown with a top political rival in a deep blue state over an issue core to his political agenda. In bypassing the authority of Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, a Democrat, to call in the National Guard to quell protests in the Los Angeles area over his administration’s efforts to deport more migrants, Mr. Trump is now pushing the boundaries of presidential authority and stoking criticism that he is inflaming the situation for political gain.”

Pager points out that local and state authorities did not ask for federal help, and that the temperature and number of protesters were turned up because of the presence of the National Guard.

In fact, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass went on CNN on Monday and said the presence of soldiers was making things worse, asking Trump to “please dial this back” and adding, “This was not necessary and has created a sense of fear. It feels deliberate, like they are deliberately trying to create chaos in the city.”

The New York Times editorial board wrote a strong editorial published Sunday: “Trump Calling Troops Into Los Angeles Is the Real Emergency.” ([link removed])

The board wrote that Trump sending the guard into LA was “both ahistoric and based on false pretenses and is already creating the very chaos it was purportedly designed to prevent.”

Meanwhile, Trump further inflamed matters when he endorsed the idea of Newsom being arrested. Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked Trump, “Gavin Newsom is daring (border czar) Tom Homan to come and arrest him. Should he do it?”

Trump answered, “I would do it if I were Tom. I think it’s great. Gavin likes the publicity, but I think it would be a great thing.”

Newsom responded on social media with ([link removed]) , “The President of the United States just called for the arrest of a sitting Governor. This is a day I hoped I would never see in America. I don’t care if you’re a Democrat or a Republican this is a line we cannot cross as a nation — this is an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism.”

On Monday, after Trump sent Marines, Newsom called it a “provocation.” ([link removed])


** The doctor is … in?
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CNN’s Brian Stelter reports ([link removed]) that Dr. Phil McGraw, better known as Dr. Phil, was embedded with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during their immigration raids last week that have sparked the protests in Los Angeles.

According to his conservative television channel, MeritTV, Dr. Phil was there “to get a first-hand look at the targeted operations.” He also had exclusive access to Homan, the border czar, and interviewed him before and after the raids.

Stelter wrote, “McGraw’s presence on the ground in L.A. reinforces the made-for-TV nature of Trump’s immigration crackdown. The former daytime talk show host was embedded with ICE officials in Chicago back in January, when some federal agents were told to be camera-ready for a show of force at the very start of President Trump’s second term.”


** Splitting up
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Warner Bros. Discovery will be split into two public companies by next year. One will feature the streaming and studios company, including HBO Max, and the other will include TV networks, including CNN, TNT Sports and Discovery

CEO David Zaslav will be in charge of “Streaming & Studios,” while CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels will lead “Global Networks.”

In a statement released by the company ([link removed]) , Zaslav said, “By operating as two distinct and optimized companies in the future, we are empowering these iconic brands with the sharper focus and strategic flexibility they need to compete most effectively in today's evolving media landscape."

Wiedenfels said, “This separation will invigorate each company by enabling them to leverage their strengths and specific financial profiles. This will also allow each company to pursue important investment opportunities and drive shareholder value. At Global Networks, we will focus on further identifying innovative ways to work with distribution partners to create value for both linear and streaming viewers globally while maximizing our network assets and driving free cash flow.”

So what does this all mean?

CNN’s Brian Stelter wrote ([link removed]) , “Monday’s announcement is Warner Bros. Discovery’s answer to investor pressure and intensive industry-wide change. As the cable television business contracts in the streaming era, Zaslav is offering shareholders a way to invest in the growing HBO Max part of the business without exposure to cable. That said, the networks that are part of the second company continue to boast strong profits and global audiences.”


** Dickie V signs extension
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A special shoutout to ESPN’s Dick Vitale. The college basketball analyst has been signed to a contract extension through the 2027-28 season. The announcement was made Monday, which was Vitale’s 86th birthday.

Vitale returned to the air in February after being out for two years while fighting cancer for the fourth time. He has been with the network almost since its start in 1979, and has called more than 1,000 games.

I’ve known Vitale for years. He’s a good man, and his enthusiasm for college basketball is both genuine and important to the game. In addition, his tireless efforts fighting pediatric cancer have been consequential and admirable.

The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch wrote ([link removed]) , “Whether you thought Vitale was too over-the-top or too beholden to his favorites — both of these points have merit — his passion for college basketball has always been clear. His commitment to fighting cancer has been noble. It’s nice to see ESPN extend him for a couple of years. I hope he gets to go out — whenever that is — on his own terms.


** Making ends meet
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(Courtesy: CBS News)

The “CBS Evening News” will launch a three-part series tonight called “The Cost of Living.” It will include three first-person, day-in-the-life stories about making ends meet in America. The profiles will include a 37-year-old Minnesota teacher delivering food after school; a 29-year-old Connecticut police officer chasing homeownership; and a 70-year-old New Mexican woman searching for work after losing her job.

The “CBS Evening News” airs at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time.


** Media tidbits
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* The Washington Post’s Erik Wemple with “Did legacy media fail in its Biden coverage? Not if you ask them!” ([link removed])
* Speaking of Wemple, he did an online chat with readers on Monday: “Can Trump stop ABC, CBS or NBC from broadcasting? I answered your questions.” ([link removed])
* NPR’s “Morning Edition” and host Steve Inskeep spoke with Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy in “Dave Portnoy on Trump, the ‘manosphere’ and ‘Barstool conservatism’.” ([link removed]) Portnoy said, “If you told me I'd be on NPR and in a political leaning podcast like five years ago, I'd be like: You're crazy.”
* For Vanity Fair, Issie Lapowsky talks to journalist Megan Greenwell about Greenwell’s new book in “‘We’ve Been Sold a Story That Isn’t Remotely True’: How Private-Equity Billionaires Killed the American Dream.” ([link removed])
* Mark Caro, writing for Northwestern University’s Medill Local News Initiative and republished by Poynter: “AI is giving local news a second chance. Will it be ready this time?” ([link removed])
* The New York Times’ Katie Robertson with “Judge Dismisses Justin Baldoni’s Suits Against Blake Lively and The New York Times.” ([link removed])
* Semafor’s Max Tani with “Netflix buys Daily Beast TV pilot as it races against YouTube.” ([link removed])
* Mediaite’s Sarah Rumpf with “Orlando Sentinel Defiantly Responds to DeSantis Admin’s ‘Attempt to Bully Our Newsroom’: ‘Happy to Report That It Has Failed’.” ([link removed])


** Hot type
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* The Atlantic’s Elizabeth Bruenig (with art by Peter Mendelsund) with “Inside America’s Death Chambers. What years of witnessing executions taught me about sin, mercy, and the possibility of redemption.” ([link removed])
* The Tony Awards were Sunday night. Writing for Time, Melissa Locker has “The Most Memorable Moments of the 2025 Tony Awards.” ([link removed])


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* New reporters: Get essential reporting techniques, effective storytelling methods, and newsroom navigation skills. Register today ([link removed]) .

Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .

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