Trump's 4 Years of Vilifying American Journalists Has Taken a Toll

Journalists have always faced the possibility of violence when covering news events, but after four years of Trump claiming reporters were the enemy of the people it's gotten worse.

Images of angry men and women desecrating "The People's House," was a natural progression after years of Trump's attacks on American institutions.

Alexander Marquardt, CNN's senior national security correspondent watched the riot in horror.

After returning to the U.S. in 2018 after a decade of covering hot spots like Egypt, Libya and Turkey, Marquardt said he never felt so vulnerable than he did on Jan 6th.

It's a sad fact that journalists around the world are facing more threats and intimidation, according to several studies.

It's also true that many American journalists are attacked by the police during demonstrations.

Take Linda Tirado who was covering a protest in Minneapolis. She was shot in the face by police with a "less-lethal" munition.

The incident last summer left her blind in one eye.

She said that she was not the victim of an accident, but a conspiracy, involving city leaders, police, and recently retired union boss (and Trump rally speaker) Bob Kroll to tolerate rank-and-file officers targeting the press.

She filed a court case and the judge has given it the "go-ahead."

Trip Jennings, who has worked for PBS and National Geographic, told Insider last June - just weeks after Linda Tirado was shot - that he believes he was likewise targeted by Portland law enforcement officers with a less-lethal round.

Fortunately for Jennings he was wearing protective eyewear.

As a journalist I can relate to these stories of abuse. It pisses me off that Trump has made things so much worse for my collogues.

It's going to take a lot of court cases and new laws protecting journalists for things to improve.

Meanwhile, keep your heads down my friends, and continue to do your very necessary work.