Women Press Freedom condemns intimidation of reporter who was surrounded and attacked while covering protest

Location: United States, New York
Date: June 12, 2024

Olivia Reingold, a reporter for The Free Press, faced intimidation tactics from protesters who labeled her a "Zionist." This harassment hindered her ability to report on demonstrations in New York. Women Press Freedom has documented numerous attacks on journalists covering protests related to the war in Gaza in the United States, indicating an increasingly hostile environment for the press covering these demonstrations. This situation threatens both individual reporters and the broader integrity and freedom of the press. Women Press Freedom condemns the harassment of Olivia Reingold and urges the New York Police Department to investigate and hold those responsible accountable swiftly.

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On June 12, 2024, journalist Olivia Reingold faced hostility while covering a protest against the war in Gaza in New York City's Union Square. The demonstration was in response to the recent Israeli military operation in the Nuseirat Camp region of Gaza, which led to the freeing of four Israeli hostages and the killing of at least a hundred Palestinians, including both Hamas combatants and civilians.

Reingold is a reporter with The Free Press, an outlet known for its pro-Israeli stance. During the protest, she was identified and targeted by a man wearing a neck gaiter and sunglasses, who accused her of being a Zionist. This incited a group of protesters to surround and harass her. 

According to Reingold, protesters boxed her in, shouted at her, and used air horns close to her ears. A protester grabbed her notebook, destroyed it, and scattered the pages. The reporter also says that protesters yelled profanities and demanded she leave the scene.

Following the incident, Reingold filed a harassment report with the New York Police Department.

This incident is part of a wider trend of escalating aggression at protests against the Israel-Hamas war across the United States in recent months. Demonstrations at college campuses have resulted in the arrest, detentions, and physical assaults of multiple journalists. 

Recent demonstrations in New York have seen episodes of vandalism targeting the homes of Jewish officials of the Brooklyn Museum and the Palestinian Mission to the United Nations. 

Since October 7, 2023, Women Press Freedom has documented numerous incidents of women journalists globally facing threats for speaking publicly on the war in Gaza. Muslim and Jewish journalists, in particular, have faced worrying harassment for their public stance or perceived stance on the war in the Middle East.

Women Press Freedom vehemently condemns the harassment and intimidation of journalists reporting on demonstrations concerning the war in Gaza. The targeting of Reingold, alongside similar occurrences at protests and demonstrations across the country, highlights the growing risk journalists face in the field. We urge all demonstrators to stop targeting members of the press covering protests. The police must investigate and hold accountable those responsible for harassing Reingold.

Women Press Freedom is an initiative by The Coalition For Women In Journalism

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.