Capitol riots and the long tail of justice for journalists
Earlier this month, Pennsylvania man Alan William Byerly was sentenced to nearly three years in prison after pleading guilty to multiple charges during the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021. Among the charges was the assault of Associated Press photographer John Minchillo, who was pushed, shoved and dragged over a stone wall.
Like many of us, I distinctly remember what I was doing when the Capitol doors were breached. It was the last day of a long vacation. Well-earned, I felt, following a year where the Tracker team documented a record number of press freedom violations and I watched and read and edited so much pain and vitriol hurled at U.S. journalists. That Jan. 6, I tucked in for one last day of rest when my phone chirped a special alert reserved for press freedom colleagues — a very particular bat signal — vacation was over.
In the days following, the Tracker documented 18 journalists who were assaulted while covering the J6 riots. Tens of thousands of dollars worth of media equipment was damaged, with most destruction occurring when rioters stormed a media staging area. As of now — 21 months later — the DOJ has charged 900 people with crimes from that day. For 10 of them, those charges include assaulting a journalist or damaging media equipment. Notably, Byerly is the first whose sentencing involves the assault of a journalist.
I highly recommend Tracker Reporter Kio Herrera's breakdown of crimes against the media — and accountability, where it exists — from the insurrection. (Bookmark it, too. It will be updated as the cases move through the justice system.)
Read: Charges — and punishments — for J6 rioters who hurt journalists, damaged news equipment
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