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Tracking statements from local, state and national organizations supporting press freedom in Minnesota
Published on 2026-01-31 by Benjamin Toff
After federal agents arrested independent journalists Georgia Fort and Don Lemon for their coverage of a protest at a St. Paul church service, statements defending press freedom began pouring in from colleagues across the industry and beyond. The Minnesota Journalism Center and the Silha Center for the Study of Media Law & Ethics has joined a growing coalition of dozens of news organizations and other statewide and national partners in signing a joint statement condemning the arrests and defending press freedom. Many national and international press freedom organizations have also posted their own statements. The MJC Ecosystem Mapping Project is compiling the growing list of signers here as well as cataloguing additional responses from a wide range of organizations.