‘Horrific': Albanese condemns shooting of Nine journalist in US

Sydney Morning Herald

18 hours ago

Tomasi has been covering the unrest in Los Angeles, where 2000 National Guard members and 700 marines have been deployed by the US president to help 'restore order' following a series of protests against immigration raids.
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The protests evolved into riots, with cars set on fire and objects lobbed at police. Police deployed tear gas and fired rubber bullets at demonstrators.
Speaking on Nine's Today show on Tuesday morning, Tomasi said her injuries were minor.
'I have a bit of a bloody big old bruise, and it's a little bit sore, but I am all OK,' she said.
'It's a really crappy thing that's happened. But I really don't want to be the story … it's a really chaotic situation that's unfolding in Los Angeles.'
The day of the shooting, Tomasi went live around 5am LA time after 'thousands of protesters' appeared on the street.
'We felt that presence of the Los Angeles Police Department and law enforcement really ramp up and [we] went live … police started pushing their way up the street. They'd begun firing tear gas canisters and those rubber bullets, and we moved on to the sidewalk, really tried to stay out of the way,' she said.
'I was really focused on the camera and was finishing that report … and I got hit. [Cameraman] Jimmy scooped me up, and we made our way out of there as quickly as possible. It was a bit of a shock.'
The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to Nine it had launched an investigation into the incident. Nine owns this masthead.
British photographer Nick Stern was also hit in the leg by a rubber bullet, and had to be carried away by protesters.
Tasmania Greens senator Nick McKim has called the incident 'shocking' and questioned whether the officer's actions were deliberate.
'It certainly looked deliberately done. And if it was, that's absolutely … a cowardly act,' he said on Today.
'The fact that you've got someone in uniform who appears to take a deliberate potshot at an Australian journalist, that is completely unacceptable. And it needs to be raised at the highest levels.'
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Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Amanda Rishworth said journalists should be safe at work.
'I understand [Tomasi] is OK and she wasn't seriously injured, but Australia absolutely believes in the freedom of journalists to do their job and to do their job safely, and that journalists should be protected. And so this is obviously a very difficult circumstance.'
In a statement on social media, the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance – the union representing Australian journalists – said the 'shocking' footage was 'evidence of the lengths media workers go to report the truth'.
'Tomasi appears to be deliberately shot while she is speaking to the camera. Journalists reporting from the front line of protests and wars fulfil the essential role of bearing witness, and should be accorded the same protections as other frontline workers,' the statement read.
'We are grateful to learn both Lauren and her cameraperson are safe, but this situation highlights the need to centre worker safety. No one deserves to be shot or injured during the course of their work.'