After journalist arrests, state legislation aims to protect reporter access to protests

Freedom of information advocates and journalists have criticized a number of instances in which law enforcement officers arrested, detained, or even injured reporters at work covering protests in California. In response, state Senator Mike McGuire authored SB 98, which aims to codify journalists’ right to access demonstrations. As the proposal makes its way through the legislature, David Snyder, executive director of the First Amendment Coalition, discusses the context for the bill and some of the ways in which current protections for journalists fall short.