If you didn’t pay attention to the news on Friday (Jan. 30), you missed the latest example of President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice finding a new way to be as un-American as possible while claiming to act in the name of protecting America. Independent journalist and Root 100 honoree Don Lemon was arrested by federal authorities in Los Angeles on Thursday in connection with his reporting on an anti-immigration and anti-ICE protest that took place inside Cities Church in St. Paul, Minn.
Suggested Reading
Maybe you’ve been snowed in, and you’re so happy just to be out of the house that you haven’t given this much thought. Let me make it plain why you absolutely should.
Lemon was not following the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s example of engaging in nonviolent, peaceful protest while at the church. He was not throwing banana peels at David Easterwood, a staff member of the church who moonlights as the acting field office director for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the city.
Those actions — while understandable — would have been illegal and therefore grounds for arrest. But Lemon was doing none of those things.
He interviewed activists about why they were protesting. He interviewed church members about how they felt about the protest taking place inside their place of worship. He took pictures, filmed the event, and recorded audio of what was happening. In other words, Lemon was covering the protest as a journalist. For that, he was charged with conspiracy to deprive civil rights and violation of the FACE Act.
I’m going to restrain myself and simply say this is one of the most f**ked-up things to happen under Trump’s watch. Let me tell you why.
In the United States, the First Amendment doesn’t just protect speech—it explicitly protects a free press. (“Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom… of the press”).
Historically, this has been understood to mean that journalists have the right to gather news and information, even in controversial situations. That’s why Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein were not thrown in jail for reporting on the misdeeds of President Richard Nixon. Arresting or charging a journalist for doing their job — especially when their conduct consists solely of reporting or observing — is a direct infringement on this right. Lemon’s arrest sends a clear and dangerous message: news coverage itself has become a legal risk.
Without a free press, it’s not a question of if people in high places will abuse their power—it’s a matter of when. Hell, even with journalists doing their jobs, elected officials routinely break the law. Imagine what they would do if no one were holding their feet to the fire. Without an independent press, it becomes impossible for regular people like you and me to know whether our government is acting in our best interest.
So we should absolutely care about the fact that Don Lemon was arrested. Because when reporting the truth becomes a crime, democracy isn’t under threat — it’s already in retreat.
Straight From 
Sign up for our free daily newsletter.