×

Many questions remain in reporter’s arrest

My newsroom staff and I spent much of last week working with our sister newspapers in Columbiana County covering the devastating train wreck in East Palestine that threatened people’s homes, health and even their lives.

Every day — every hour, really — something new developed in what very likely someday could become the script for a blockbuster movie. We reported rapidly the developments, repeatedly adding new Breaking News posts at www.vindy.com. Like the entire community, we held our collective breath when crews worked to rid the twisted rail cars of deadly chemicals that easily could have turned this situation from bad to catastrophic.

Throughout the week, our news team met with Gov. Mike DeWine, both in person in East Palestine and via an online Zoom call to discuss this important issue and others affecting Ohioans, which we quickly reported.

What we didn’t do, however, was jump to quick, unverified conclusions.

As I’m writing this, we still aren’t sure what caused the train to derail. We’ve heard much speculation in the community and on social media from those eager to share rumors without proof or verification.

I assure you, our team will continue to demand answers.

As journalists, that’s our jobs.

Unfortunately, one journalist — national correspondent Evan Lambert who was on the scene from NewsNation — was stopped from doing that job when he was ordered to leave the gymnasium where a press conference with the governor was taking place.

When he refused, stating repeatedly that he was a journalist doing his job listening to the press conference, he was forcibly removed. Once he was pushed into the lobby, video footage from the incident shows he was shoved to the floor, cuffed behind his back and arrested. He was taken to Columbiana County jail and is charged with misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest and criminal trespass, according to court records.

The incident began when, NewsNation’s recording indicates, Lambert was giving a live report. He states, on air, that he was being told by law enforcement to be quiet because DeWine was speaking. It appears that Lambert quickly finished his live report.

Now, to be clear, I was not personally at the press conference, and I did not witness the exchange or the arrest.

But I’ve read stories on the arrest with great interest, and I’ve viewed many videos capturing the exchange and the arrest, including those reported by many national news outlets that were covering the national train derailment story.

Video taken of the initial exchange shows Ohio’s commander of the National Guard, Adjutant General Maj. Gen. John C. Harris Jr., arguing with the cameraman as Lambert delivers his live report. Initially there is no audio, making it difficult to verify a statement filed later by Harris. According to Harris’s statement, he told the reporter he was being disruptive during the press conference and began to offer assistance to find a more suitable location. Harris states in his report that Lambert became enraged, so Harris responded by putting his hands on the reporter’s chest.

Shortly thereafter, officers ordered Lambert to leave the gymnasium, and Lambert refused, setting the stage for the arrest.

Later, DeWine said he did not order the arrest.

“It has always been my practice that if I’m doing a press conference, someone wants to report out there and they want to be talking back to the people back on channel, whatever, they have every right to do that,” DeWine said. “If someone was stopped from doing that, or told they could not do that, that was wrong. It was nothing that I authorized.”

The case, initially being handled by the Columbiana County Prosecutor’s Office, now has been transferred to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.

Like the train derailment itself, so many questions remain to be answered, including those about what triggered this arrest and was it necessary, really, or was it an overreaction and overstep?

As Lambert was being placed in the back of a squad car, he said, “It’s tough to do your job in America in 2023, but we’ll keep doing it.”

With that statement, I unequivocally agree.

blinert@tribtoday.com

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

COMMENTS

[vivafbcomment]

Starting at $4.85/week.

Subscribe Today