For Immediate Release: January 30, 2026
Contact: media@colorofchange.org

Statement from Nadine Smith, President of Color Of Change, on today’s arrests:

Color Of Change demands the immediate release of journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort and the dismissal of all charges related to their reporting.

They were arrested by federal agents operating under the authority of the U.S. Department of Justice, led by Trump administration Attorney General Pam Bondi. Arresting journalists for documenting government action is a direct violation of press freedom and a dangerous escalation in the criminalization of newsgathering.

Reporting on protests, immigration enforcement, or state conduct is not a crime. It is a core democratic function.

This decision was not accidental and it was not neutral. Federal law enforcement targeted two independent Black journalists working outside the protection of corporate newsrooms. That choice reflects a long-standing pattern in which Black reporters are punished for exposing state power, particularly when their reporting centers Black communities and government abuse.

There is historical precedent for this tactic. Black journalists and publishers have repeatedly been targeted when their work challenged racial violence and official narratives. The newspaper of Ida B. Wells was destroyed after she exposed lynching. During Reconstruction and Jim Crow, Black presses were shuttered, editors were threatened, and reporters were driven out for telling the truth. Federal surveillance and disruption programs later treated Black dissent and journalism as threats to be neutralized.

The pattern is consistent. When the state suppresses Black journalism, it is attempting to control the narrative, intimidate witnesses, and narrow who is allowed to document power.

Color Of Change calls on Attorney General Pam Bondi to publicly disclose who authorized these arrests, what legal justification was claimed, and whether political considerations played any role. We demand an independent review of whether federal law enforcement violated constitutional press protections or engaged in racialized targeting.

A democracy cannot function when journalists are arrested for doing their jobs. This administration must be held accountable.

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Color Of Change is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. We help people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force driven by millions of members, we move decision-makers in corporations and governments to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America. Visit www.colorofchange.org.