Photography Intern Arrested While Covering Pro-Immigration Protest
A photography intern and the journalist he was shadowing were arrested while covering a pro-immigration protest in Cincinnati and reportedly “just doing their jobs.”
Photography intern Lucas Griffith and reporter Madeline Fening were arrested on July 17 while covering a protest on the Roebling Bridge in Cincinnati for the news and entertainment outlet CityBeat Cincinnati.
The demonstration, which blocked traffic on the bridge connecting Cincinnati and Kentucky, was organized after ICE detained Imam Ayman Soliman, an Egyptian immigrant and former Cincinnati Children’s chaplain, on July 9.
According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Covington police arrested Fening and Griffith while they were reporting on the protest, despite video that reportedly shows Fening telling officers she was a journalist. Both were charged with first-degree rioting, a felony, along with several misdemeanors.
National journalist advocacy groups condemned the arrests. In a statement to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Society of Professional Journalists Executive Director Caroline Hendrie says the organization supports the reporters and urged authorities to drop all charges.
“We are deeply concerned that their First Amendment rights are being violated as we speak and that in effect, they were arrested for doing their jobs,” Hendrie says.
The ACLU of Kentucky, which represents Griffith and Fening, also says the pair should never have been arrested.
“A free press is critical to a functioning democracy, and those members of the press who, like our clients, merely cover a story enjoy the full protection of the U.S. and Kentucky constitutions to do so,” staff attorney William Sharp says in a statement. “We look forward to zealously defending them in court.”
Following pressure from national journalist advocacy groups, the felony charges against Fening and Griffith were dismissed. Cincinnati Enquirer reports that prosecutors dismissed the felony rioting charges with prejudice during a preliminary hearing in Kenton County District Court on July 23, meaning they cannot be refiled. The charges carried a possible five-year prison sentence.
However, Fening and Griffith still face multiple misdemeanor counts, including failing to disperse, obstructing emergency responders, criminal mischief, and disorderly conduct. In a statement on Instagram, CityBeat says it would “fully support” Fening and Griffith.
“Their commitment to journalistic integrity and professionalism is emblematic of the press freedoms the First Amendment is designed to protect, and we fully anticipate a complete vindication of their rights,” CityBeat says.
Fening and Griffith are scheduled to appear in court again on August 14. Covington Police Chief Brian Valenti previously said that Fening did not have press credentials or anything identifying her as a member of the media while covering the protest.
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.
