SPJ of Central California proudly joins its parent chapter and other press freedom groups in rallying behind legal action against the city of Modesto for an ordinance that prohibits face coverings and personal protective gear at protests.
The lawsuit, Pacific Media Workers Guild v. City of Modesto, was filed by the ACLU of Northern California and argues that the ordinance violates the rights of journalists and protesters alike.
In recent years, journalists in California who have covered the 2020 protests sparked by the death of George Floyd and, more recently, protests against immigration raids have faced the deployment of tear gas and projectiles such as rubber bullets.
Personal protective equipment, such as helmets, masks and breathing devices mitigate the risks of reporting in these dangerous situations. This ordinance puts journalists in the intolerable position of being forced to cover protests without personal protective gear.
“The ordinance cannot be allowed to do indirectly what law enforcement officers cannot do directly—prevent journalists from fulfilling their statutory function of covering protests,” the lawsuit states.
Recently, our parent chapter, SPJ of Northern California, joined an amicus brief filed by the First Amendment Coalition, supporting the plaintiff’s call for a preliminary injunction preventing the enforcement of the ordinance.
SPJ of Central California is a satellite chapter of SPJ of Northern California, and we have members who live and work as journalists in Modesto. We join our parent chapter and the other press freedom groups in opposing this ordinance and support the call to prevent the ordinance from being enforced.
Journalists often cover protests and police response to them and deserve to protect themselves while doing so. We stand with our members in Modesto and the rest of Central California and support their right to do their jobs while staying safe.