The Wall Street Journal is demanding answers from the Phoenix Police Department after an officer detained and handcuffed one of its reporters outside a Chase Bank — an incident that press freedom advocates say raises First Amendment concerns and mirrors a larger, growing hostility from local law enforcement toward journalists across the country.
The incident between The Journal reporter Dion Rabouin and the Phoenix officer occurred in late November, but just became public this week after ABC affiliate KNXV reported on the matter.
In a statement, The Journal said that it is “deeply concerned” with how its reporter was treated and has asked the Phoenix Police Department to conduct an investigation.
“No journalist should ever be detained simply for exercising their First Amendment rights,” The Journal said.
Representatives from the bank approached him and asked what he was doing and Rabouin said he identified himself as a journalist.
The video shows Rabouin repeatedly identified himself as a reporter for The Journal, but the officer did not appear to care.
A representative for Chase told me Thursday that the bank did apologize to Rabouin over the incident. »
