Al Jazeera America was stunned by an “egregious assault on freedom of the press” as it covered the unrest in Ferguson, MO following the killing by police of teen Michael Brown. Chief correspondent at the Chicago Bureau Ash-har Quraishi said, “We were yelling that we were press. But they continued to fire.” While the crew members are fine, the police action was “clearly intended to have a chilling effect on our ability to cover this important story,” said net president Kate Brian. Other journalists have also reported being harassed and even detained by authorities in the area. President Obama issued a statement Thursday saying, “Police should not be bullying or arresting journalists who are just trying to do their job.”
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