United States: CFWIJ Condemns The Attack On Journalist Jennifer Joas And Her Crew

Location: United States
Date: July 8, 2021

Jennifer Joas, a correspondent for NBC Connecticut, and her cameraman were attacked by an unidentified woman. Jennifer was in the parking lot of the Hartford police department to record a segment on the recent rise in violence in the area. The attacker reportedly walked up to the journalist unprovoked and started smashing the recording camera. Fortunately, Joas and her cameraman stayed in their vehicle and were not injured during the attack. They managed to record the incident before driving off. CFWIJ condemns the attack on Jennifer and her crew. We demand the police to investigate and apprehend the assailant.

The woman walked away after repeatedly smashing the camera onto the pavement. Then, she came back and struck the camera into the side of the media van while Jennifer and her cameraman were in the vehicle. They called the police to inform them about the incident, and the authorities arrived within ten minutes.  She provided the police with video evidence and pictures of the incident. So far, police have not arrested anyone.

Jennifer shared the details of the incident on her Facebook account stating, "This happened at 4:43 this morning - all while I was sitting right on the other side of that glass. My photographer and I had no idea why… I'm not much of a sharer about this kind of stuff and hesitated to share this with you, but I want you to know that the past few years have been difficult as journalists. We not only have to deal with People being rude and trashing our reputation/business, but also this." She further added, "This is the third time in two months that a person has become agitated for unknown reasons and prevented me from doing my job."

In response to her post, several friends and social media users voiced their anger about the incident and expressed their support for the journalist. Jennifer Joas is an award-winning journalist. She has worked at Pennsylvania and North Dakota stations before joining NBC Connecticut.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the attack on Jennifer Joas and demands police to conduct an immediate inquiry. We stand in solidarity with the journalist and hope the police will apprehend the assailant.  No journalist should have to endure violent attacks in the field.

The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.

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