Overview
- Federal agents arrested Don Lemon in Los Angeles and released him without bail after he covered a protest at a Minneapolis church, with a court appearance set in Minneapolis.
- Georgia Fort was taken into custody the following morning in connection with the same protest coverage, highlighting rare federal actions against working journalists.
- Before the arrests, a magistrate and Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz rejected Justice Department efforts to detain Lemon and his producer, saying prosecutors showed no evidence of criminal conduct and needed a grand jury indictment.
- The CPJ board issued a statement warning that the arrests and a search of a Washington Post reporter’s home represent a dangerous escalation and urged leaders to speak out for press freedom.
- Press freedom trackers documented dozens of arrests or detentions of journalists in 2025, many at immigration-related protests, alongside recent reports of assaults on reporters in Minneapolis.