SPJ Oregon Statement on Justin Yau Assault

Recently a freelance journalist was physically assaulted at a demonstration in Portland.

On April 16, Justin Yau was pushed to the ground and repeatedly struck by a demonstrator demanding that he put his equipment away. Yau came away from the incident physically injured and with broken glasses and equipment.

Assaulting journalists and demanding that they refrain from documenting events in public spaces runs counter to the ideals of our democracy. The Greater Oregon Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists stands by journalists’ First Amendment right to cover incidents and demonstrations and to provide clear documentation of these events to keep everyone informed.

This more recent incident comes months into escalating anti-press rhetoric from protestors and physical attacks on journalists in Oregon by both police and protestors. Our goal as journalists is to document events to help people stay educated and informed, an essential component of our democracy. 

We ask that demonstrators remember the human behind the lens. We care about the health and safety of the people we cover. We are not “just doing our jobs” — we are doing what we know is right, what we are passionate about: informing people about things happening in their neighborhoods, and chronicling history for future generations. 

— SPJ Oregon president April Ehrlich, on behalf of the board