Union launches petition for black journalists who say they’ve been barred from covering protests

A newspaper union in Pennsylvania launched a petition Sunday demanding that the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette reverse a “ban” barring black journalists from covering protests over the death of George Floyd.

The Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh started the petition after a reporter, Alexis Johnson, tweeted several photos last week of a trash-strewn parking lot and joked that they showed “horrifying scenes” from “selfish looters who don’t care about this city!!!!!”

She added that they were actually from a tailgate gathering at a Kenny Chesney concert.

June 7, 202002:36

The Post-Gazette removed her from its protest coverage because “they felt I showed bias publicly,” Johnson said on MSNBC’s “AM Joy.”

Johnson said editors talked with other reporters about their social media use, including a white male journalist who was still allowed to cover the protests.

“I was the only one who was told that I couldn’t cover the protests,” she said.