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On Aug. 6, independent journalist and videographer Samuel Seligson was assaulted, arrested and charged with a felony hate crime. The journalist had accompanied a group of young pro-Palestinian activists and documented them as they vandalized the home of the director of the Brooklyn Museum. Seligson, who sells news content to Reuters and ABC, did not participate in any of the vandalism himself, yet police pressed ahead with the felony case against him. Seligson’s case highlights complicated political debates involving First Amendment rights, private property rights and U.S. foreign policy, but it also highlights the dangers that journalists themselves face as they seek to document the actual events behind those debates.
Watch the above video as Straight Arrow News contributor Adrienne Lawrence reviews Seligson’s case, dives into the debate, and argues that we, as Americans, must do a better job of protecting our journalists and defending the Fourth Estate.
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The following is an excerpt from the above video:
Many anti-war protesters exercising their speech rights are being unfairly labeled antisemitic simply for speaking out against Israel or showing solidarity with Palestinians. And notwithstanding freedoms of press, a number of journalists have been arrested for simply documenting police handling of those protesters.
As a professor of media law, I can confirm that our society is on the First Amendment struggle bus, and it is careening toward utter chaos. The charges recently filed against New York City video journalist Sam Seligson is case in point. In early August, prosecutors charged Seligson with criminal mischief plus a felony hate crime enhancement. And why? Well, because he was present when pro-Palestine protesters graffitied people’s homes. The credentialed independent videographer filmed a small group of people when they spray painted anti-Zionist slogans on the home of a Brooklyn museum director and others associated with the museum, who is being accused of mistreating pro-Palestinian protesters.
But Seligson didn’t spray paint or vandalize property, nor is he being accused of doing so. On that June night in NYC, Seligson just did his job. He documented the events as a journalist. The fact that he’s facing prosecution with a hate crime enhancement should have anyone who cares about fighting antisemitism or protecting free press up in arms. If we don’t stop unjustified weaponization of antisemitism and unwarranted prosecution of journalism, our society as a whole will suffer.
