Knoxville — The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles Police Department, accusing them of being too physical with reporters during the Democratic Party National Convention.
The suit claims police deliberately fired rubber bullets at journalists while they tried to disperse protesters at a concert during the convention.
A University of Tennessee broadcasting professor said it was unfortunate.
“I don’t know why the police would resort to firing shots against representatives of the news media,” said Dr. Herb Howard, “but I think it’s a deplorable situation.”
The LAPD said they did not target reporters during the crowd control action.
Howard said the news business can sometimes be difficult.
“A news reporter serves as a representative of the public,” Howard said, “and we know that in certain countries, when reporters go into zones of unruly activity, it can be a dangerous undertaking.”
“But we don’t consider that to be the case normally in the United States,” Howard said.