Eric Swalwell, a liberal Democrat from California’s 15th District in the U.S. House of Representatives, stated on Monday, February 5, that he was introducing a measure designed to “make a federal crime of certain attacks on those reporting the news.”
As part of his announcement, Smalwell blamed the need for the bill, entitled the "Journalist Protection Act," on Republican President Donald Trump.
During his campaign and since taking office, President Trump has created a climate of extreme hostility to the press by describing mainstream media outlets as “a stain on America,” “trying to take away our history and our heritage” and “the enemy of the American People.”
Such antagonistic communications help encourage others to think, regardless of their views, that violence against people engaged in journalism is more acceptable.
In addition, the California Democrat noted that “Trump tweeted a GIF” “of himself body-slamming a person with the CNN logo superimposed on that person’s face.”
Smalwell also charged that the Republican federal official “re-tweeted a cartoon of a ‘Trump Train’ running over a person with the CNN logo as its head.”
He then continued: “Such antagonistic communications help encourage others to think, regardless of their views, that violence against people engaged in journalism is more acceptable.”
As further evidence of the need for this measure, Smalwell indicated: “In April, the international organization Reporters Without Borders lowered the United States’ ranking in its annual World Press Freedom Index, citing President Trump’s rhetoric.”
Trump’s campaign and administration “have created a toxic atmosphere,” the Democrat from California added: “It’s not just about labeling reports of his constant falsehoods as #FakeNews -- it’s his casting of media personalities and outlets as anti-American targets, and encouraging people to engage in violence.”
Last March, he continued, journalists with the weekly newspaper in Orange County, California -- known as the OC Weekly -- said they were assaulted by demonstrators at a Make America Great Again rally in Huntington Beach, California.
Then in August, “a reporter was punched in the face for filming anti-racism counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia,” and one month later, “a Joplin, Missouri, blogger was similarly attacked for his providing information about the community.”
In an attempt to make himself still sound reasonable, Smalwell admitted: “Not all attacks on journalists this year have been committed by Trump supporters, but the fact remains that rhetoric emanating from the world’s most powerful office is stoking an environment in which these attacks proliferate.”
“We must send a loud, clear message that such violence won’t be tolerated,” the Democrat stated.
As a result, he continued, the Journalist Protection Act would make it a federal crime “to intentionally cause bodily injury to a journalist affecting interstate or foreign commerce in the course of reporting or in a manner designed to intimidate him or her from news-gathering for a media organization.”
Smalwell also asserted that the measure “is supported by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and by News Media for Open Government,” which he described as “a broad coalition of news media and journalism organizations working to “protect freedom of the press, open government and the free flow of information in our democratic society.”
“This is a dangerous time to be a journalist,” he quoted Bernie Lunzer, president of "The NewsGuild, a division of the CWA," as saying.
“At least 44 reporters were physically attacked in the U.S. last year, and angry rhetoric that demonizes reporters persists,” Lunzer noted. “The Journalist Protection Act deserves the support of everyone who believes our democracy depends on a free and vibrant press.”
“Broadcast employees assigned to gathering news in the field often work alone, or in two-person crews,” stated Charlie Braico, president of the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians, also a CWA division.
“With their expensive and cumbersome equipment, they are easy and tempting prey for anti-media extremists and thieves,” Braico added.
As NewsBusters previously reported, this is certainly not the first time Smalwell has sided with liberals on issues involving the mainstream media.
On the first day of this month, the Democratic official joined the MSNBC Hardball program to slam the release by Republicans of a highly anticipated intelligence memo, which host Chris Matthews described as “an all-out war.”
Just one day later, Smalwell was a guest on the weeknight Fox News Channel program Tucker Carlson Tonight, when he accused the host of harming national security by reading the House Intelligence Committee memo released earlier in the day.
Judging from his announcement, the California Democrat should have called his measure the "CNN Protection Act" since that television channel is the only one mentioned in his legislation.
