In the weeks following the arrests of reporters Don Lemon and Georgia Fort, a wave of First Amendment concerns have been at the forefront of journalist’s minds. 

On Jan. 29, Lemon and Fort were detained by Department of Homeland Security agents after livestreaming anti-ICE protests at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. 

DHS alleges the two journalists participated in the “mob” intimidating and threatening the congregation and pastor. Lemon and Fort face charges of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which prohibits the use of force to interfere with religious practice and conspiracy to violate someone’s constitutional rights.

Lemon, who pleaded not guilty and has maintained his position as a reporter, was heard on the stream saying, “I’m just here photographing, I’m not part of the group … I’m a journalist.”

The situation has sparked national discussion and headlines, but for many this is not new.

Brandon Pope, president of the Chicago chapter of National Association of Black Journalists,  sees it as a reality deeply tied to this country.

“Black journalists are often restricted, discouraged or even punished for shedding light on race in this country,” Pope said. “The institutional silencing of voices has been long standing.”

Pope, who has worked in the industry for over a decade, has seen many journalists face similar restrictions. 

“I remember when Omar Jimenez was arrested during the George Floyd protests and even further back when Wesley Lowery was,” Pope said.

In both cases, those journalists had their rights infringed while trying to report on public outcry. For Chicagoans, this is a reality that goes all the way back to figures like Ethel Payne, who was assaulted by Chicago police after defending loiterers who were being arrested. 

“Think about the godmother of the Black press, Ethel Payne, think about Ida B. Wells, The Chicago Defender, The Chicago Crusader and how pivotal they were,” Pope said. “They were pivotal in telling our story when our people didn’t have outlets to hear them.” 

Olivia Obineme, a multimedia journalist and founder of Third Nook, says it’s especially important to protect Black women in this space.

“I started Third Nook as a kind of olive branch for other Black women and femmes in this field,” Obineme said. “So often I’m hearing from other Black women that they’re lost or that they just got laid off or they can’t find a foothold in the industry.”

This month, The Washington Post laid off over 300 people. In the past two years, The Post has been reduced by roughly a third of its staff size. 

Through Third Nook, Obineme provides services and guidance to other Black women, free of charge. She aims to provide security not just from outside forces but also from industry pressures. 

For Obineme, journalism is a crucial public service at the intersection of art, innovation and storytelling. In recent years, though, the industry hasn’t always fulfilled its mission.

“I remember I had an issue at one of my first news jobs and I had to complain to HR about my boss,” Obineme said. “I was promised confidentiality, only to get scolded by my boss, who happened to be white.”

Both Pope and Obineme feel the industry doesn’t do enough to protect Black voices.

“In the wake of George Floyd, when everybody was posting their black squares, we saw newsrooms hire reporters and form news units dedicated to telling Black stories,” Pope said. “Within four years we saw so many of those units laid off and shuttered. That’s demoralizing.”

This is a national trend across industries, as many of the diversity officers hired in 2020 were out of jobs by early 2023. 

Though it is unclear exactly what the future holds, services like Third Nook will continue to hold space for Black voices, and Pope says NABJ Chicago is working on offering legal services.

“I think it’s important that we do the most to empower Black journalists to tell these stories and protect their First Amendment rights,” Pope said. “It’s especially important we encourage the next generation of Black journalists and ensure the story doesn’t end with you or me,” Pope said.

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