SAG-AFTRA

Summer 2020

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sagaftra.org | Summer 2020 | SAG-AFTRA 43 Journalists have had to cope with some challenges unique to their profession. It can be a hostile environment in which to do their jobs, as they have been targeted by people across the political spectrum, with accusations that they are everything from "enemies of the people" to tools of the corporate media. In addition, numerous incidents have been reported of law enforcement targeting reporters during the protests. According to pressfreedomtracker.us, which gathers data from major professional journalist organizations, as of July, more than 155 journalists were attacked in the United States, and 51 were arrested. U.S. Press Freedom Tracker also tracked more than 600 aggressions against the press during Black Lives Matter protests. SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris and National Executive Director David White issued a statement calling on police unions to reform their culture and confront racism: "We reject and denounce police brutality and the corrupt systems that for decades supported a culture of racism, injustice and brutality. We stand in solidarity with all who have experienced injustice and violence at the hands of law enforcement. Police organizations must change." The Black Lives Matter movement has also renewed public attention to systemic inequities, from gross disparities in the criminal justice system to the disproportionate way the pandemic has affected Black and brown communities. At the end of June, the CDC reported that the rate of hospitalization for COVID-19 among non-Hispanic Black people was five times that of non-Hispanic white people. Adding to this is a significant income gap and the lack of opportunity for African Americans in many fields. The disparity in the entertainment industry has long been a featured topic at SAG-AFTRA panels and events, and the union has continued the conversation with a series of livestream events featuring high-profile Clockwise from left: Taking a knee in Times Square; a Hollywood Boulevard mural; a boarded-up L.A. storefront; a Portland, Oregon, vigil, July 24; and Texas protesters remember the victims of police brutality. BRANDENJAMES.COM IMAX JEREMY PADILLA ANDREW KIMMEL/@ANDREWKIMMEL ELIAS VALVERDE II

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