The Nation: Arrest of Journalists & Filmmakers Covering the Dakota Pipeline, a Threat to Democracy [View all]

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https://www.thenation.com/article/the-arrest-of-journalists-and-filmmakers-covering-the-dakota-pipeline-is-a-threat-to-democracy-and-the-planet/

The Arrest of Journalists and Filmmakers Covering the Dakota Pipeline Is a Threat to Democracy—and the Planet

Deia Schlosberg, Amy Goodman, and Shailene Woodley are among those who have been arrested while covering demonstrations against the Dakota Access Pipeline.

By Josh FoxTwitter

On October 11, Deia Schlosberg, the producer of my new film, How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate Can’t Change, was arrested in Walhalla, North Dakota, while reporting on a climate-change protest. She was held for 48 hours before being allowed to speak to a lawyer. The authorities confiscated her footage. She is now charged with three counts of felony conspiracy and faces a possible sentence of up to 45 years.

The First Amendment and the Constitution are at stake in this case. If we lose it, we lose America too.

Deia isn’t alone. The arrest of journalists, filmmakers, and others witnessing and reporting on citizen protests against fossil-fuel infrastructure amid climate change is part of a worrisome and growing pattern. Last month in North Dakota, a warrant was issued to arrest Amy Goodman, award-winning host of Democracy Now!, after she covered Native American–led protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline. Her footage of security guards attacking peaceful protesters with bloody-snouted dogs was viewed over 14 million times. She elected to go back to North Dakota this week to face the charges. Actor Shailene Woodley was arrested and jailed this week while leaving a protest at a construction site for the Dakota Access Pipeline. She was singled out, the police told her, because she was well-known and had 40,000 people watching live on her Facebook page. Other filmmakers shooting protest actions along the pipeline have also been arrested.

All this should send chills down the spine of every documentary filmmaker and journalist.

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