Journalism Is Not a Crime

The South Seattle Emerald stands alongside our colleagues across the United States and the world in condemning the arrests of Don Lemon and Georgia Fort as well as the physical and verbal attacks by federal agents on Nick Valencia, Anthony Vazquez, and other journalists.

As journalists, it is our constitutional obligation to bring the facts of an event to the public’s attention, especially as they relate to the operation of our government at every level. The First Amendment of our nation’s Constitution guarantees journalists the freedom to go where the story is, gather information, and report to the public. Mr. Lemon, Ms. Fort, Mr. Valencia, and Mr. Vazquez were doing their jobs. We support and defend their right to do so without government harassment or retribution.

When journalists reporting on authoritarian governments around the world have been jailed and murdered, our national media has traditionally rallied to their defense and worked with the U.S. State Department for their protection. Yet here we are, having to defend our own constitution against the power of the very government tasked to protect us.

As an independent media organization, the South Seattle Emerald is committed to defending the constitutional rights of our team and our colleagues. We call on our local and national political leaders to actively curtail the actions of the current runaway Department of Justice.