Index on Censorship condemns the attack by Republican congressional candidate Greg Gianforte on the Guardian’s reporter Ben Jacobs.
The Guardian reported that Ben Jacobs, a political reporter, was asking Gianforte about the Republican health care plan when the candidate “body-slammed” the reporter.
Gianforte has been charged with misdemeanour assault after slamming the reporter to the floor on the eve of Montana’s special election, breaking his glasses and shouting, “Get the hell out of here.”
The attack on Jacobs is the latest in a string of incidents in which journalists have been physically or verbally targeted in the United States. A recent report by Index – It’s Not Just Trump: US Media Freedom Fraying at the Edges – showed how widespread the threats to a free press have become in the country.
