Journalist Don Lemon’s Arrest Marks Escalation Of Attacks On Press Freedom In U.S.
By Committee to Protect Journalists Photos: YouTube Screenshots\Georgia Fort Washington, D.C., January 30, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) strongly condemns the arrests and extraordinary felony charges of journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort for their reporting on a protest in Minnesota, marking a serious escalation of attacks on the press in the United States. “This is an egregious assault on the First Amendment and on journalists’ ability to do their work,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg. “As an international organization, we know that the treatment of journalists is a leading indicator of the condition of a country’s democracy. These arrests are just the latest in a string of escalating threats to the press in the United States — and an attack on people’s right to know.”Both Fort and Lemon’s arrests were in relation to their coverage of a protest at a Minnesota church led by local activists against immigration enforcement operations in the state. “As a journalist who has worked in media for more than 17 years, I leave this federal courthouse today with one question, ‘Do we have a Constitution?’” Fort said to reporters following her release from federal custody. “Documenting what is happening in our community is not a crime,” she added. In a Friday morning press conference, Fort’s 17-year-old daughter spoke out in support of her mother, saying, “My seven- and eight-year-old sisters woke up today without a mom. My father woke up today without his wife.” Lemon was held in a federal facility in downtown Los Angeles and was released without bond on Friday afternoon, U.S. west coast time. According to a copy of the indictment, the Justice Department has charged Lemon and Fort with the felony of conspiring to deprive others of their civil rights and of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act by allegedly obstructing access to a house of worship, a misdemeanor charge. It is highly unusual for a journalist to be charged with a felony in relation to their reporting. READ MORE … Journalists covering Minneapolis ICE operations and protests are at higher risk of arrest and detention. CPJ safety experts have compiled the following guidance to help journalists on the ground protect themselves.
Black News 
By Committee to Protect Journalists
Photos: YouTube Screenshots\Georgia Fort
Washington, D.C., January 30, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) strongly condemns the arrests and extraordinary felony charges of journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort for their reporting on a protest in Minnesota, marking a serious escalation of attacks on the press in the United States.
“This is an egregious assault on the First Amendment and on journalists’ ability to do their work,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg. “As an international organization, we know that the treatment of journalists is a leading indicator of the condition of a country’s democracy. These arrests are just the latest in a string of escalating threats to the press in the United States — and an attack on people’s right to know.”
Both Fort and Lemon’s arrests were in relation to their coverage of a protest at a Minnesota church led by local activists against immigration enforcement operations in the state.
“As a journalist who has worked in media for more than 17 years, I leave this federal courthouse today with one question, ‘Do we have a Constitution?’” Fort said to reporters following her release from federal custody. “Documenting what is happening in our community is not a crime,” she added. In a Friday morning press conference, Fort’s 17-year-old daughter spoke out in support of her mother, saying, “My seven- and eight-year-old sisters woke up today without a mom. My father woke up today without his wife.”
Lemon was held in a federal facility in downtown Los Angeles and was released without bond on Friday afternoon, U.S. west coast time.
According to a copy of the indictment, the Justice Department has charged Lemon and Fort with the felony of conspiring to deprive others of their civil rights and of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act by allegedly obstructing access to a house of worship, a misdemeanor charge.
It is highly unusual for a journalist to be charged with a felony in relation to their reporting.
READ MORE …
Journalists covering Minneapolis ICE operations and protests are at higher risk of arrest and detention. CPJ safety experts have compiled the following guidance to help journalists on the ground protect themselves.
