Rubber bullets, pepper spray and tear gas
On June 1, 2020, MEAA wrote to the US Ambassador to protest the attacks on journalists while carrying out their duties. MEAA cited its concerns that Australian media personnel had been assaulted by police while reporting in Minneapolis.
· On May 30 a Seven news reporter was hit in the arm by a projectile.
· On May 31 a Nine news crew were pulled over at gunpoint, handcuffed and searched — even though they had shown their media credentials.
MEAA wrote: “It is apparent that across the US, law enforcement agencies have used the protests to attack the media. On many occasions the incidents have been videoed and in many cases the media is some distance away from the active protests, and sometimes even standing behind or within police lines.
“The videoed incidents show police deliberately targeting the media. Working journalists, clearly identifiable, have been shot at with a variety of munitions. There are reports that two journalists may have lost their sight after being shot in the head with rubber bullets.
“These dangerous actions by law enforcement have also been echoed among protesters. One assaulted a reporter and tried to seize her microphone while she was live on air. In Washington DC, a news crew was forced to flee after a large crowd discovered the network they worked for. In Atlanta, the CNN headquarters was subject to physical attack by a large crowd.
“It appears from these incidents that the media in the US is seen by many as a legitimate target to attack. This attitude is likely attributable for the most part to the comments made almost daily by President Trump, by members of his administration and family, and members of the Republican Party. The US President has used the microblogging website Twitter to name media outlets that he regards as ‘fake news’, including… CNN, MSDNC (sic), the New York Times and the Washington Post.
“The relentless verbal assaults, particularly the President describing ‘Fake News’ outlets as the ‘Enemy of the People’ — a phrase he used again on Sunday — have dangerous consequences.
“The 48 hours of protests show that journalists are being routinely demonised, harassed, targeted, shot at and arrested. This war on media freedom and journalists’ rights must stop.”
After MEAA’s letter was sent, more incidents took place involving Australian media personnel.
· On June 2, a Seven news crew was attacked in Washington when the then US Attorney-General William Barr ordered Lafayette Square to be cleared of protesters for a photo opportunity.
· On June 3, a Nine news reporter was assaulted in London while reporting on the protests (albeit in an unrelated assault).
· On June 4, a Nine news crew had to flee from protesters in London.
After the degree of violence being directed at journalists by police and protesters, the weapons arrayed against them and the failure to respect the media as observers carrying out their duties but being caught between the two groups, MEAA wrote to Australian TV news directors on June 6, 2020. MEAA said it had observed some media crews were improperly equipped and were not taking steps to ensure their safety. MEAA urged Australia’s news networks to ensure their crews were provided with the same level of training, equipment and support that they receive when reporting on bushfires and other natural disasters; were properly equipped with PPE including gas masks, flak jackets and helmets; and provided with ongoing support and counselling. MEAA also pointed members to the resources for journalists on covering riots and civil unrest provided by the DART Centre for Journalism and Trauma.[i]
On the ground and under fire
The protests in the US (which spread to other parts of the world) following the death of George Floyd and the related #BlackLivesMatter campaign arose out of an act of police brutality towards a person of colour. The protests were on such a scale that the police response in many locations only reinforced the scale of the police brutality issue and the impunity enjoyed by police departments who were captured targeting not just protesters but reporters who were clearly identified as working journalists.
Australian news crews, like many others, were sometimes caught trying to cover and report as protesters and police jostled for territory and control. It was often the actions of police that caused the most concern. Police would open fire with rubber bullets and other projectiles without due care of who was hit, use pepper spray directly in journalists’ faces, use truncheons and riot shields to batter journalists and arrest journalists who they deemed were in the way. Indeed, identifying as a journalist sometimes appeared to provoke police into action against reporters.
The image that captured the world’s attention was the US Park Police charge on protestors in Lafayette park, opposite the White House in Washington DC. Under orders from the then US Attorney-General William Barr who wanted the area cleared so that the then President Donald Trump could have a photo opportunity. Seven News’ US correspondent Amelia Brace and cameraman Tim Myers were attacked as police charged the protesters. While seeking shelter, live footage showed Myers being hit with a riot shield and then his camera lens was punched by the officer; Brace was clubbed with a truncheon.
“Brace said they were both hit by rubber bullets prior to the altercation, as police used batons and tear gas to push hundreds of protesters back away from the White House. Brace shouted, ‘We’re media!’ as officers targeted her and Myers.”[ii]
Brace said she and her crew were targeted at 6.30pm — half an hour before the curfew was due to come into effect, despite media being exempt.[iii]
“We were at some distance, expecting a crackdown at curfew time… but their surge took everyone by surprise. We sheltered behind a tree and then ducked for cover behind a building that had been burning just 12 hours before. Our expectation was that the police would pass by in a wave as we’d seen them do as the last curfew was enforced. Pushing protesters back. Aggressively. But not violently. It was to no avail, so we ran. Feeling the thwack of a baton across the back of my neck and the sting of rubber bullets. Next came the tear gas. Burning our lungs as we tried to run.”[iv]
Brace reported live that riot police aren’t differentiating between protesters and media. “You heard us yelling that we were the media, but they don’t care. They’re being indiscriminate.”[v]
“Minutes before the vision was filmed, Brace and her crew were shepherded out of the thick of the protest after they were hit with tear gas and rubber bullets. ‘We just had to run a block as police moved in. We’ve been fired at with rubber bullets, my cameraman has been hit, we’ve seen tear gas used… We are surrounded. They do not care who they’re targeting at the moment… You just saw how they were with my cameraman. Quite violent.’”
Seven’s director of news and public affairs Craig McPherson described the police actions against Brace and Myers as “nothing short of wanton thuggery”.[vi]
Prime Minister Scott Morrison instructed Australia’s embassy in the US to investigate the assault. Cabinet minister Greg Hunt said the federal government was always concerned about the wellbeing of Australians overseas.[vii]
The US ambassador to Australia Arthur B Culvahouse Jr said the embassy took the mistreatment of journalists seriously, “as do all who take democracy seriously”.[viii]
“Freedom of the press is a right Australians and Americans hold dear. We take mistreatment of journalists seriously… We remain steadfast in our commitment to protecting journalists and guaranteeing equal justice for all.”[ix]
It was reported that two of the US police that were involved in the assault had been “stood down” and placed on “administrative leave”.[x]
Brace subsequently testified for two-and-a-half hours before a US House Committee on Natural Resources. She recounted the incident. “Suddenly the police lines surged forward. We moved back along with many protesters. Police lining the park used automatic weapons to fire non-lethal rounds. As a reporter I have no interest in becoming the story but over recent weeks many of us have been left with no choice.
“As I began reporting live, the line of police suddenly and without warning began charging forward at a sprinting pace, knocking protesters to the ground. A park police officer who was passing us stopped, turned towards Tim, and rammed him in the chest and stomach with the edge of his riot shield, causing Tim to keel over and drop down. The officer then took a step back, paused, then punched his hand directly into the front of Tim’s camera, grabbing the lens. As this happened, Tim and I were both repeatedly shouting the word ‘media’.”[xi]
“‘A second officer appeared to intervene, giving us the opportunity to move. As I was running away a third officer pushed through the group, going out of his way to strike me with a truncheon.’ Brace told the committee she was shot in the legs and backside and Myers was hit in the neck by non-lethal rounds from a police automatic weapon. A “chemical irritant” also filled the air.”[xii]
Democrat congressman Ruben Gallego asked Brace: “When you were attacked by this police officer, were you resisting?” Democrat congressman Ruben Gallego asked Brace. “No,” she replied. “Was your cameraman resisting?” Gallego asked. “No,” Brace replied. “You had your back to them, as I remember, and you were fleeing?” he asked. “That’s correct,” she replied.[xiii]
Brace told the hearing: “I’ve been shocked to see how many journalists have been attacked, beaten and detained just for doing their jobs. Covering protests does carry unavoidable risks, but the media’s role is essential. We don’t just have a right to be there, we have an obligation.”[xiv]
The incident in Washington D.C. was not the only one where Australian news crews were assaulted by police. 7News’ US bureau chief Ashlee Mullany and cameraman Cam Wallis were fired upon as they stood with other media. Mullany told the cameraman she had been hit in the arm with a projectile. On May 28, 2020, Mullany crossed to the Sunrise newsroom. Footage showed the journalist duck for cover as a stun grenade was fired in her direction by police officers who descended on the protest.
On May 30, 2020, 9News US correspondent Tim Arvier, and his crew detained and searched by police at gunpoint in Minneapolis while reporting on the riots. Although the city was in lockdown, media were exempt from the curfew. Arvier said he and his crew, including a cameraman and security guard, heard gunfire nearby, they approached a police blockade by car. As their vehicle approached, the trio yelled out that they were press. Police drew weapons and ordered the trio out of the car and searched them and their car.
“You have to stop, put your hands out the window and show your credentials. We were yelling out we were press. One police officer freaked out, pulled his gun out and got us to get out of the car. They pulled out our camera man hand cuffed him, pulled out the security, handcuffed him. They pulled me out of the car, sat me down, they searched me.”
Arvier tweeted: “Just been detained and searched by #Minneapolis Police. They cuffed my cameraman and our security but were respectful and have now let us go.”[xv]
The Black Lives Matter protests that had begun with the killing of George Floyd spread overseas. On June 6, 2020, In London, 9News Ben Avery London correspondent and cameraman Cade Thompson were doing a live cross when a group of men approached the pair and started making threats and pushed the camera.
“Avery pulled back but had his microphone stolen, while a security officer hired by the network to shadow the reporters held off the aggressive group of about 15 men. ‘The crowd grew to about 50 or 60 people standing there and the only thing between them and us was this line of police which had arrived.’
“The Nine crew was escorted to their nearby car and left the scene rattled but unhurt.
“Avery said he felt sympathy for the peaceful protesters whose message had been overshadowed by the violence of a minority. ‘We had been following that protest all day today. It was really peaceful and occasionally you would get a few comments from people who were anti-media. There was no pushing, no shoving, no aggro, and that was despite there being thousands of people. But there was this one group that hung around and caused the trouble.’”[xvi]
The previous day, Nine’s Europe correspondent Sophie Walsh was reporting in a live cross from a Black Lives Matter protest but in an incident unrelated to the protesters, she was assaulted in London’s Hyde Park by a man shouting “Allahu Akbar” and making stabbing motions.
“Walsh initially feared the man may have been wearing an explosive vest and was trying to kill her on what was the third anniversary of the deadly London Bridge terrorist attack. ‘I pushed him off me but one of the scariest things was the fact that he was super calm. Normally when someone confronts you, you scream, and they sprint off. But he was lingering and saying Allahu Akbar. He had his hand in his pocket and I was just thinking ‘do you have a knife, are you going to go on a stabbing spree, or do you have a suicide vest under all of that and are you going to blow us all up?’”
Walsh’s cameraman Jason Conduit chased the man and, with bystanders, detained the man until police arrived. He was arrested on suspicion of making threats to kill and possession of an offensive weapon — believed to be a screwdriver.
“Walsh said the twin incidents demonstrated how exposed television reporters are when they are performing a live cross in the public. ‘You are completely vulnerable and sometimes you forget that. Your eyes are trained on the camera, you are thinking about what you are saying, and you don’t really have that peripheral vision because you are thinking about how to tell the story to the viewers.’” [xvii]
Walsh’s assailant was sentenced to two years and four months jail.[xviii]
The attack on the US Capitol building
A mob of insurgents spurred on by a concerted campaign of misinformation from then President Donald Trump and other senior Republican Party figures, stormed United States Capitol building in Washington DC on January 6, 2021. In a statement, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its American affiliated member union, said they deplored these barbaric attacks against journalists and stand in solidarity with journalists protecting citizens’ right to know.
The statement said: “A violent mob assaulted a media crew when they were reporting on the attack on the US Capitol during the certification of the Presidential vote perpetrated by supporters of outgoing president Donald Trump. Assailants destroyed media equipment and made a noose out of camera cables and hung it from a tree while screaming ‘get out of here’ and ‘we are the news now’.
“A spokesman for The Associated Press confirmed that its equipment had been stolen and destroyed, adding that none of its staff members had been injured.
“A CBS News journalist reported that a protester had told him that law enforcement officers would not protect journalists and denounced the lack of protection. ‘There were no police around us, we were on our own. We high-tailed it out of there.’ He described the mob as ‘absolutely, ferociously angry at the media.’
“While journalists outside the Capitol were threatened and surrounded, media workers inside the Capitol were forced to shelter in secure locations for hours as violent protesters entered the building. One of them wrote ‘murder the media’ in a door inside the Capitol.
“More incidents against media workers were reported in Canada, where a CBC News photojournalist was assaulted at pro-Trump protest in Vancouver, according to media reports.”
“The NewsGuild, an IFJ affiliate, called on its members who were covering the unfolding events at the capital to please stay safe and be in communication with them and offered any kind of support or assistance if needed.”
The IFJ general secretary, Anthony Bellanger, said: “We are appalled by the violent attacks against media workers who were just doing their job. This is the final result of a long process of demonisation and hate-speech narrative against the media in the United States by Donald Trump. We stand in solidarity with our American colleagues. You are not alone”. [xix]
Australia
There are also confrontations with police in Australia when journalists try to identify themselves as working media carrying out their duties. In Melbourne on February 20, 2021 Sunday Herald Sun reporter Olivia Jenkins and senior photographer Jake Nowakowski were handcuffed and escorted from an anti-vaccination protest.
The pair were wearing facemasks, carrying their Sunday Herald Sun accreditation cards in open view and identified themselves as journalists. They were detained by police and given a notice that they may be issued with a $1652 fine for failing to comply with the Chief Health Officer’s directions. They were detained for about 10 minutes while their identities were verified.
A subsequent Victoria Police statement said the force was “very sorry” the two were caught up in the incident and confirmed they would not be fined. “In the past 12 months, Victoria Police has seen an increase in hostile and at times violent protests throughout the state.
“To be clear, it is not our intention to arrest journalists who are simply doing their job. We understand and appreciate the important role media play reporting on news events such as this and we are generally only too willing to assist them with their request,” the police statement said.
“However, the reality is we have seen an increased number of protesters claim to be media in order to actively avoid police enforcement. We are very sorry the journalist and photographer got caught up in this incident. Our focus is always to keep the community safe and maintain public order. We have since spoken to the relevant media outlet to explain why the police action occurred and reaffirm those involved would not be fined.
“Our police do a great job day in and day out, often in difficult circumstances, but on occasion issues like this arise and we must learn from them to maintain the balance between individual rights, enforcing health directions and media reporting on these issues.”
Jenkins told the Sunday Herald Sun: “I was really shocked they arrested us knowing we were from the media. The officers who arrested us weren’t rough. But it was very confronting. We were there to cover the protest — to do our jobs — just as the police were there to do theirs.”
Nowakowski added: “Police started clearing protesters from the park. We found ourselves in one of these police encirclements. Once we presented to police, we were media they let us out. Almost immediately afterwards we found ourselves in another cordon with a handful of protesters. There wouldn’t have been more than seven of us. Specialist police started coming in and arresting individuals. At no time were we given the option to leave. The police knew we were media. We had our identification out. Olivia and I were the last left in that cordon. They just came in and arrested us. They handcuffed us and they took us away for processing.”
“Police have powers of discretion; they can tell the difference between a protester and a journalist and the intentions of an individual. They could have just let us off with a warning and said try not to congregate in groups of more than 20 people, which is what the charge was. It was obvious that we weren’t protesting, we were media who found ourselves in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Nowakowski said there was a lot of anger and abuse from the protesters directed towards the media and TV networks. He said they had also filed a police report after a female protester tried to punch Jenkins because she took offence to her wearing a face mask.[xx]
The Sunday Herald Sun editor Nick Papps said the actions of police were unacceptable. “We understand police have a job to do but the arrest of Olivia and Jake is an appalling misuse of power by Victoria Police. Our reporter and photographer were just doing their jobs and made it clear they were members of the press. Yet they were handcuffed, frogmarched and then issued with notices. This is not how democracy operates and this is not how Victoria Police should uphold the right. We will be making our views clear to Victoria Police and ensuring we stand up as we always stand up for the freedom of the press.”[xxi]
This incident echoes an earlier issue that MEAA examined in its 2020 press freedom report.[xxii] On October 30, 2019, during an Extinction Rebellion protest in Melbourne, a Seven News reporter was manhandled and pushed while he was attempting to join other TV media representatives as they were filming the protest.
MEAA wrote to the then chief commissioner of Victoria Police Graham Ashton about the incident: “We write to express concern over the actions of police against journalists during the protests at this week’s International Mining and Resources Conference at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre… We are particularly concerned that subsequent police statements do not convey the reality of events that have been recorded on video. During the demonstrations this week, journalists have been hit by pepper spray which has been wildly streamed into a broad swathe of the crowd without due care and regard for non‐protesters including journalists who were affected. On another occasion, video recorded media outlets’ camera operators being pushed away by a police member who pointed pepper spray container directly into their faces.
“In a well‐publicised incident, a Channel 7 reporter was assaulted by police… He was clearly recognisable as a working journalist. He was holding a Channel 7 microphone in his hand. He was dressed in a suit and tie. He was standing with other media and proceeding to where other media were already working. Many others repeatedly identified him as a journalist — indeed the video was taken by a reporter from The Australian who loudly and repeatedly identified him as a journalist.
“Despite all this, the assaults by police members only ended when he reached the very location that he had been walking towards — next to the camera operator. The journalist later said: ‘Incredible. I was obeying their direction to move to another area. I’m stunned.’
“We believe a Victoria Police statement misrepresents what took place. The statement said: “It is unfortunate that members of the public, including journalists, are not following instructions by members of Victoria Police. In this case the reporter did not follow police instructions… This was a safety issue and Victoria Police believes an appropriate amount of force was used to move the reporter from the area. We have given media repeated advice to be mindful of their surroundings to ensure their safety to avoid risk of injury.
“MEAA would contend that the safety of this journalist and other media reporting on this event have been put at risk by the actions of Victoria Police. We believe it is important that Victoria Police members receive training that acknowledges and respects the role of the media in reporting public events. We believe it is important that guidelines are designed to protect members of the media as they carry out their duties as well as ensuring that police members can also carry out their responsibilities — it is a two‐way street.”
In the wake of the February 2021 anti-vaxxer protest incident, Victoria Police went further, deciding to issue its own media accreditation. MEAA became aware of the practice on April 4, 2021 and immediately wrote to the acting Police Minister Danny Pearson.
MEAA wrote: “… at no stage has MEAA been consulted about this move. It also appears that Victoria Police have only contacted a small number of major media organisations, ignoring hundreds of journalists working at smaller media outlets, working as freelance journalists and also student journalists.
“It is MEAA’s view that such a move by Victoria Police is an outrageous overreach and represents a fundamental assault on press freedom as well as a dangerous measure that threatens people’s right to protest. In essence, it allows Victoria Police to choose who can attend a protest and goes further by allowing Victoria Police to select which journalists and which media outlets will be permitted to report on newsworthy events. The regulation by a government agency over the ability of the media to carry out its fundamental duties is a dangerous step.
“As demonstrated on February 20, journalists already carry accreditation from their employer. MEAA’s journalist members also have their membership card which carries their photograph.
“MEAA cannot accept that a government agency should be able to regulate the media by granting itself the ability to select who can report on stories of public interest.”
[i] DART Centre for Journalism and Trauma, https://dartcenter.org/resources/how-safely-cover-riots-and-civil-unrest
[ii] “US police officers are stood down after ‘attacking Australian TV reporter and her cameraman’ as they covered the George Floyd protests outside the White House”, Alana Mazzoni for Daily Mail Australia and Australian Associated Press, Daily Mail, June 4, Daily Mail https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8386225/US-police-officers-stood-attacking-Australian-TV-reporter-cameraman.html
[iii] ibid
[iv] “7News Journalist Amelia Brace speaks out on police attack in Washington while covering George Floyd protest”, Amelia Brace, The West Australian, June 2, 2020 https://thewest.com.au/news/north-america/7news-journalist-amelia-brace-speaks-out-on-police-attack-in-washington-while-covering-george-floyd-protest-ng-b881566048z
[v] ibid
[vi] “US police “on leave” after 7 News attack”, Peter Mitchell, AAP, June 4 2020 https://7news.com.au/news/crime/us-police-on-leave-after-7-news-attack-c-1078132
[vii] “US police officers are stood down after ‘attacking Australian TV reporter and her cameraman’ as they covered the George Floyd protests outside the White House”, Alana Mazzoni for Daily Mail Australia and Australian Associated Press, Daily Mail, June 4, Daily Mail https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8386225/US-police-officers-stood-attacking-Australian-TV-reporter-cameraman.html
[viii] “Australian journalists assaulted as police clear George Floyd protesters outside White House”, Will Jackson and Alex Easton, ABC, June 2, 2020 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-02/channel-7-journalists-assaulted-police-george-floyd-protesters/12312056
[ix] “US police officers are stood down after ‘attacking Australian TV reporter and her cameraman’ as they covered the George Floyd protests outside the White House”, Alana Mazzoni for Daily Mail Australia and Australian Associated Press, Daily Mail, June 4, Daily Mail https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8386225/US-police-officers-stood-attacking-Australian-TV-reporter-cameraman.html
[x] “Australian journalists assaulted as police clear George Floyd protesters outside White House”, Will Jackson and Alex Easton, ABC, June 2, 2020 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-02/channel-7-journalists-assaulted-police-george-floyd-protesters/12312056
[xi] “Australian journalist Amelia Brace testifies before US Congress about being struck by police during Black Lives Matter protest”, ABC/AP, June 30, 2020 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-30/australian-journalist-testifies-us-congress-black-lives-matter/12404958
[xii] “7NEWS reporter Amelia Brace testifies before US Congress over police attack on news crew”, Peter Mitchell, AAP, June 30, 2020 https://7news.com.au/entertainment/tv/aust-reporter-describes-dc-police-beating-c-1133390
[xiii] “Australian journalist tells US inquiry she was beaten by police at BLM protest”, Australian Associated Press, June 30, 2020 https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/jun/30/australian-journalist-tells-us-inquiry-she-was-beaten-by-police-at-blm-protest
[xiv] “7NEWS reporter Amelia Brace testifies before US Congress over police attack on news crew”, Peter Mitchell, AAP, June 30, 2020 https://7news.com.au/entertainment/tv/aust-reporter-describes-dc-police-beating-c-1133390
[xv] “9News correspondent Tim Arvier detained at gunpoint by police in Minnesota”, Sarah Swain, 9News, May 31, 2020 https://www.9news.com.au/national/usa-riots-minneapolis-george-floyd-black-man-death-police/ada0a989-1201-44a2-b9e9-ff2d4a04cb39
[xvi] “Two Australian reporters assaulted and attacked during London protests” Bevan Shields, The Sydney Morning Herald, June 4, 2020 https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/two-australian-reporters-assaulted-and-attacked-during-london-protests-20200604-p54zax.html
[xvii] “Two Australian reporters assaulted and attacked during London protests” Bevan Shields, The Sydney Morning Herald, June 4, 2020 https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/two-australian-reporters-assaulted-and-attacked-during-london-protests-20200604-p54zax.html
[xviii] Tweet, Sophie Walsh, March 2, 2021 https://twitter.com/sophie_walsh9/status/1366504632248197120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1366504632248197120%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.9news.com.au%2Fworld%2Fsophie-walsh-attacker-jailed-over-hyde-park-assault%2F0e608978-0b64-433f-ba9f-88c2036c7ee2
[xix] “United States: Violent mob attacks the media during Capitol assault”, International federation of Journalists, January 7, 2021, https://www.ifj.org/media-centre/news/detail/category/press-releases/article/united-states-violent-mob-attacks-the-media-during-capitol-assault.html
[xx] “Herald Sun journalist, photographer arrested at Melbourne anti-vax protests” Jack Paynet, news.com.au, February 21, 2021 https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/media/herald-sun-journalist-photographer-arrested-at-melbourne-antivax-protests/news-story/370b186f32f58cdecd6040c387a5d24c
[xxi] “Sunday Herald Sun journalist, photographer arrested at anti-vax protest in Fawkner Park”, Sunday herald Sun, February 21, 2021 https://www.heraldsun.com.au/coronavirus/sunday-herald-sun-journalist-photographer-arrested-at-antivax-protest-in-fawkner-park/news-story/8d4f1fa2f973d084d01b18667ca573f0#:~:text=A%20Sunday%20Herald%20Sun%20reporter%20and%20photographer%20were,anti-vaccination%20protest%20at%20Fawkner%20Park.%20Picture%3A%20NCA%20NewsWire
[xxii] “The War on Journalism — The MEAA Report into the State of Press Freedom in Australia in 2020”, MEAA, May 3, 2020 https://pressfreedom.org.au/journalist-safety-at-work-cfd48e4d3b4d
