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The  Maynard Institute condemns arrests of Georgia Fort and Don Lemon for reporting on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota

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White text over a dark blue background reads: "The Maynard Institute condemns arrests of Georgia Fort and Don Lemon for reporting on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. The First Amendment exists to protect precisely this work." Photos of Georgia Fort, a Black woman with light eyes and dark hair wearing a magenta lip color and a chocolate brown leather jacket over a white blouse, and Don Lemon, a Black man with short hair and a button down shirt holding a microphone and gesturing while speaking.

The arrests of journalists Georgia Fort and Don Lemon for reporting on a protest set a dangerous precedent for press freedom. Bearing witness is not a crime. Reporting at moments of civic tension — especially where government power and community response intersect — is core to journalism’s role in a democracy, and the First Amendment exists to protect precisely this work.

Through our Fault Lines® framework, we know the risk is not evenly shared. Journalists working at the intersections of race, immigration, power, and community — often independent or community-based reporters — are the first to feel the chilling effect when newsgathering is criminalized.

If they are pushed out, the voices and communities journalism has worked to include are pushed out too. We stand with the National Association of Black Journalists and the wider journalism community in condemning these arrests and calling for the protection of journalists’ constitutionally protected rights.

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