• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, February 2, 2026

The ongoing debate about press freedoms is getting weirder by the day, especially in the Minneapolis area.

In one bizarre episode, journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort were arrested while covering a demonstration at Cities Church in St. Paul. 

The rationale for indicting them is that they were part of the protest, which they both deny. Pro-media advocates, including the two journalists, see this action as an unprecedented attack on the First Amendment. 

“It may have started with people having their due process rights violated on the streets, violently violated on the street," said Lemon, who formerly was at CNN but now is an independent reporter, speaking on his show, according to NPR. “But now they're trying to silence journalists. And I will not be silenced.”

"As journalists, we never want to be the story,” Fort said on Anderson Cooper 360°, NPR reports. “But unfortunately, I did find myself in a predicament where I felt that I needed to be able to tell my own story, that I needed the world to see that journalism is on trial." 

Then there is this: The Minnesota Star Tribune has filed a lawsuit — its second — against the city, alleging violations of the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act (MGDPA).

The suit, which was filed last Thursday in Hennepin County District Court, charges that Minneapolis has failed to respond to a request to identify individuals who have filed misconduct complaints against Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara. 

Last November, the Star Tribune asked for “the name and all public information of every member of the public who has ever submitted a complaint to MPD about Chief Brian O’Hara.” 

The city has not provided the information.

This apparent refusal runs against a Minnesota Supreme Court precedent that the identities of individuals who file complaints against police officers are public data, the complaint states. 

“Minnesota law is clear: the public has the right to know who files complaints against police officers,” said Kathleen Hennessey, editor of The Minnesota Star Tribune. “When the city simply ignores a lawful records request, it undermines transparency and accountability. This lawsuit seeks to enforce rights that have been settled law for more than 30 years.” 

This suit didn’t even involve ICE.