Portland Police declare reporters not protected

Just breaking news from the Portland Police regarding official policy toward the press. Coverage of police actions no longer exempts reporters from general orders of unlawfull assembly.. Under the new policy, the verbiage appears to strip the media of their right to report the news without risking force tactics. They took to Twitter to release a statement by video.

This follows weekend incidents and unrest in which police clashed with protestors at a social justice demonstration. Increasing tensions after the death of George Floyd touched down into the Portland last week. The city successfully divided the areas into smaller pockets of resistance, east and west. The east side appears to be the focus of the brunt of more force based operations by law enforcement in recent days.

The transcript of the video appears below the tweet. This information was released 23 hours ago. We provide it here for your opportunity to read it in its entirety.

The establishment of stripping the press and the public’s right to know is shocking. The Bill of Rights plainly carved out the freedom of the press. A direct line from the Federalist Papers clearly stands out as instrumental in the foundation of our republic.

“Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.”
— Thomas Jefferson, letter to Col. Edward Carrington, Jan. 16, 1787

In reaction to the statement, Twitter user Misanthrophile@1misanthrophile posted a response video, shown here.

Governmental bodies without the watchful eyes of the citizenry were never intended in this country. Things fester in the darkness. The press illuminates the stories and events of our times. This development, and actions by human rights watch groups, bears monitoring. The Portland Police can be reached by phone at 503-823-3333 for further inquiries.