United States: Pro-Palestinian Protestors Harass Olivia Reingold at New York Demonstration
Women Press Freedom condemns intimidation of reporter who was surrounded and attacked while covering protest
Location: United States, New York
Date: June 12, 2024
Olivia Reingold, a reporter for The Free Press, faced intimidation tactics from protesters who labeled her a "Zionist." This harassment hindered her ability to report on demonstrations in New York. Women Press Freedom has documented numerous attacks on journalists covering protests related to the war in Gaza in the United States, indicating an increasingly hostile environment for the press covering these demonstrations. This situation threatens both individual reporters and the broader integrity and freedom of the press. Women Press Freedom condemns the harassment of Olivia Reingold and urges the New York Police Department to investigate and hold those responsible accountable swiftly.
WPF welcomes the judgment of the Fair Work Commission that found that broadcaster Antoinette Lattouf was fired by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) following a social media post by Lattouf sharing a Human Rights Watch claim about Israel's actions in Gaza.
WPF is deeply concerned for the safety of press workers in Georgia following the disputed elections marred by violence, allegations of vote rigging, and claims of electoral misconduct. Throughout election day, journalists reporting at polling stations faced assaults, intimidation, and obstruction, highlighting the growing dangers for independent media covering politically sensitive events in the country
Women Press Freedom stands resolutely in solidarity with Arzu Yıldız, an investigative journalist from Turkiye forced into exile after facing persistent threats and persecution for her work. Yıldız's experience is emblematic of the broader crackdown on press freedom under President Tayyip Erdoğan's regime, where dissent is aggressively stifled. We unequivocally condemn the targeting and persecution of journalists by President Tayyip Erdoğan's government.
On June 12, 2024, journalist Olivia Reingold faced hostility while covering a protest against the war in Gaza in New York City's Union Square. The demonstration was in response to the recent Israeli military operation in the Nuseirat Camp region of Gaza, which led to the freeing of four Israeli hostages and the killing of at least a hundred Palestinians, including both Hamas combatants and civilians.
Reingold is a reporter with The Free Press, an outlet known for its pro-Israeli stance. During the protest, she was identified and targeted by a man wearing a neck gaiter and sunglasses, who accused her of being a Zionist. This incited a group of protesters to surround and harass her.
According to Reingold, protesters boxed her in, shouted at her, and used air horns close to her ears. A protester grabbed her notebook, destroyed it, and scattered the pages. The reporter also says that protesters yelled profanities and demanded she leave the scene.
Following the incident, Reingold filed a harassment report with the New York Police Department.
My notebook after I was surrounded by an anti-Israel mob, blowing an air horn in my ears while shouting “blood on your hands.” A girl took my notebook, bent the metal spine apart and stomped on all my notes.
— Olivia Reingold (@Olivia_Reingold) June 10, 2024
I’ve filed a harassment report with NYPD. pic.twitter.com/XSCdflGgBW
This incident is part of a wider trend of escalating aggression at protests against the Israel-Hamas war across the United States in recent months. Demonstrations at college campuses have resulted in the arrest, detentions, and physical assaults of multiple journalists.
Recent demonstrations in New York have seen episodes of vandalism targeting the homes of Jewish officials of the Brooklyn Museum and the Palestinian Mission to the United Nations.
Since October 7, 2023, Women Press Freedom has documented numerous incidents of women journalists globally facing threats for speaking publicly on the war in Gaza. Muslim and Jewish journalists, in particular, have faced worrying harassment for their public stance or perceived stance on the war in the Middle East.
Women Press Freedom vehemently condemns the harassment and intimidation of journalists reporting on demonstrations concerning the war in Gaza. The targeting of Reingold, alongside similar occurrences at protests and demonstrations across the country, highlights the growing risk journalists face in the field. We urge all demonstrators to stop targeting members of the press covering protests. The police must investigate and hold accountable those responsible for harassing Reingold.
Women Press Freedom stands in solidarity with photojournalist Fedorova, who was among three journalists arrested and charged with disorderly conduct during a protest in front of the Israeli Consulate on the second day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Independent journalist Alissa Azar was found guilty of riot and second-degree disorderly conduct in connection with a 2021 riot in an Oregon City park. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on a third charge related to her alleged use of mace
White House reporter Jennifer Jacobs, dismissed by Bloomberg News following controversy over breaking embargo on prisoner swap.
WPF is delighted that Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva has been released from prison in Russia and is finally, after ten grueling months, able to return home to family in Prague.
In a stark affront to press freedom, a Russian court has convicted American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva in a secret trial, sentencing her to six and a half years in prison.
This termination is deeply concerning, especially given the Wall Street Journal's historic awareness of the significance of press freedom, underscored by the cases of their own journalists, Daniel Pearl and Evan Gershkovich.
Women Press Freedom is deeply alarmed by the recent revelations of extensive surveillance and harassment conducted by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) against journalist Cerise Castle.
The recent $235,000 settlement awarded to former Marion County Record reporter Deb Gruver represents a significant recognition of the injustices she endured during the unlawful raid on the newspaper’s office and her home.
The International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) has decided to revoke the 2024 Courage in Journalism Award from freelance Palestinian journalist Maha Hussaini.
WPF expresses our deepest solidarity with Linda Tirado, a courageous photojournalist who was gravely injured by Minneapolis police while covering the George Floyd protests in 2020.
WPF expresses solidarity with journalists, including Laura Guido from The Idaho Press, who were arbitrarily denied access to cover the biennial Idaho Republican State Convention.
Olivia Reingold, a reporter for The Free Press, faced intimidation tactics from protesters who labeled her a "Zionist."
A Mississippi court has issued a controversial mandate requiring journalist Anna Wolfe and her colleagues at Mississippi Today to reveal their confidential sources in a defamation case by former Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant.
WPF commends court's ruling in support of Amy Silverman, who faced obstruction from the Department of Economic Security in accessing records related to vulnerable adults.
WPF announces that we have joined the Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) and 122 other organizations and individuals in a unified call to Senator Dick Durbin to advance the PRESS Act.
WPF applauds the recent settlement in a groundbreaking lawsuit brought by investigative journalist Brittany Hailer against Allegheny County Jail.
WPF stands in unwavering solidarity with the Media Matters for America (MMFA) team affected by recent layoffs, as the media watchdog attributes legal pressures, including a lawsuit from Elon Musk, as a contributing factor in the decision to let go of a dozen of its employees.
WPF is gravely concerned by the escalating arrests, assaults, detentions, and obstructions faced by predominantly student journalists covering protests on campuses across the United States.
WPF stands in full solidarity with the journalists and contributors of Knock LA in their pursuit of editorial independence and fair treatment.
WPF stands in support of Sandra Fish, an experienced political journalist with the Colorado Sun, who was ejected from the state Republican party assembly by the party chairman for ‘being biased.’
Although state agencies are not admitting wrongdoing, WPF celebrates the recent $1.2 million settlement reached by journalists Carolyn Cole and Molly Hennessy-Fiske with the Minnesota State Patrol as a pivotal moment in the ongoing struggle for press freedom and journalist safety in the United States.
WPF vehemently condemns the libel lawsuit filed against Laura Belin, editor of Bleeding Heartland, and contributor Marie Gleason.
WPF condemns the Russian government's recent imposition of personal sanctions on more than 200 American citizens, including government employees, academics, and notably, journalists — citing what it perceives as unjustified and hostile actions by the United States government.
WPF expresses deep concern over the alarming and aggressive rhetoric employed by Member of Parliament Zahid Oruc towards prominent US-based journalist Sevinj Osmanqizi and her fellow exiled colleagues from Azerbaijan.
WPF stands in full support of Amanda Moore, whose journalistic rights were blatantly infringed upon during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).
WPF voices deep concern about the ongoing significant layoffs in the 2024 journalism job crisis, including recent significant staff cuts at NowThis and The Intercept.
Comment section of the podcaster's video about her infant son’s open heart surgery flooded with demands she speak out about the Israel-Hamas war.
WPF stands in unwavering solidarity with Phyllis Zorn, a reporter for the Marion County Record, who has filed a federal lawsuit against her hometown and several local officials.
New Hampshire Public Radio journalist Lauren Chooljian was ordered to hand over unpublished notes and transcripts in a libel case brought against the journalist by Eric Spoffard.
Women Press Freedom is an initiative by The Coalition For Women In Journalism
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.
WPF strongly condemns the forceful expulsion of Caroline Haskins from the MindTheTech conference in New York City on March 4, 2024.