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A police officer near the White House slams a riot shield into a cameraman’s chest. The authorities in Minneapolis fire projectiles at a TV crew, prompting a reporter to cry, “stop shooting at us.” A black journalist is encircled by riot police and arrested live on the air.
Attacks against journalists covering demonstrations against racial injustice have prompted foreign governments to call on American authorities to respect press freedom and protect reporters, both local and foreign.
For the United States, it is a role reversal.
The attacks bear a striking resemblance to police brutality against journalists around the world over the years — ones that have been swiftly condemned by officials in the United States, where press freedom is guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution.
But this week, it was the governments of Germany, Australia and Turkey condemning attacks on reporters in America.
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