SPJ/LA Celebrates Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Signing of Senate Bill 98

The Greater Los Angeles chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists welcomes the decision by Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign Senate Bill 98, which seeks to ensure that journalists can carry out their First Amendment-protected duties at protests without law enforcement interference.

Earlier this year, SPJ/LA came together with 20-plus journalism organizations, media unions and advocacy groups to establish the Los Angeles Journalists Coalition and present a united response to police mistreatment of reporters, photographers and others in the news media. The coalition spent months informing state legislators of the need to enact SB 98 and safeguard press freedoms in California.

Media organizations have documented more than 50 incidents of journalists being injured, detained or arrested over a 12-month period. SPJ/LA viewed SB 98 as a necessary step to safeguard coverage of demonstrations, by ensuring that journalists may continue reporting in an area after an unlawful assembly has been declared.

SPJ/LA intends to continue working with the coalition on policies and strategies that ensure that journalists on the ground are successful in getting the story and providing critical information to the public.

CONTACT: SPJ/LA Vice President Ashanti Blaize-Hopkins ashanti.blaize@gmail.com

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