The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press released an open letter to leaders of police forces in Ferguson, Missouri in light of two journalists being arrested. Wesley Lowery of the Washington Post and Ryan Reilly of the Huffington Post were arrested while at a McDonalds recharging their phones. They were told to stop recording the police activity inside the fast food restaurant, which is illegal, and to leave the building. The two were then arrested and held for over fifteen minutes, according to Lowery’s account in the Post. The two employers both released statements criticizing the police action as unfounded. Now, other organizations are also criticizing the action. The open letter was signed from organizations ranging from CNN to Fox News, NPR, the New Yorker, and Vice, among others. The full letter is available. The letter argues that the action violated the First Amendment rights of the reporters and calls on the police to make sure that leaders are aware of journalists’ rights and those rights are not impeded.
