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September 23, 2025September 22, 2025 – USA –
Journalists Madeline Fening and Lucas Griffith, arrested while covering a July protest opposing the detention of Egyptian journalist Ayman Soliman, are facing jury trials in Kenton County, Kentucky — a rare and alarming legal move against news coverage.
Although felony rioting charges were dropped earlier, Fening still faces misdemeanor counts, including disorderly conduct, obstructing an emergency responder, failure to disperse, unlawful assembly, and obstructing a public passage. Griffith is charged with the same offenses plus resisting arrest.
A coalition of press freedom groups and journalism educators has petitioned the county attorney, Stacy Tapke, urging the dismissal of all remaining charges before trial begins (scheduled for September 30 and October 2). They argue that prosecuting journalists for routine newsgathering sets a dangerous precedent, chilling press freedoms essential in a democracy.
Advocates warn that police and prosecutors may use criminal cases to discourage scrutiny of their actions during protests. Seth Stern of the Freedom of the Press Foundation emphasizes that even temporary detention of reporters suppresses critical reporting, while Mickey Osterreicher (NPPA) and Anne Marie Tamburro (SPJ) call the prosecutions “un-American” and demand dismissal.
University of Cincinnati journalism professors also rallied behind the journalists. Alfred Cotton, Victoria LaPoe, and Jenny Wohlfarth highlight that if Fening and Griffith are prosecuted for doing their jobs, constitutional protections for the press would suffer.
Historically, journalist trials are extremely rare in the U.S.; the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker has documented only nine such instances. This case tests whether the government will respect the First Amendment or treat press coverage of protest policing as punishable.
With trial imminent, the plea is clear: drop these charges before a jury ever weighs the case.
Refeence –
https://freedom.press/issues/drop-charges-against-cincinnati-journalists-before-upcoming-trial/