How It Became Normal For Public Officials To Attack Journalists
The Los Angeles Times reporter Alene Tchekmedyian had a big scoop: internal documents showed officials in the county sheriff’s office trying to cover up an incident in which a deputy knelt on a detainee’s head. But after her latest article on the flourishing scandal, Sheriff Alex Villanueva called a press conference to vehemently deny the allegations – and target Tchekmedyian. Standing in front of a photo of the reporter, a political opponent and the county inspector general, Villanueva announced that the three were part of a criminal investigation into a leak....