A Colorado man has been arrested and faces charges including bias-motivated crimes and assault after allegedly attacking a television news reporter. The incident, which occurred in Grand Junction, involved the suspect questioning the reporter's citizenship and invoking former President Donald Trump's name.
Patrick Thomas Egan, 39, was taken into custody on December 18th following the alleged assault. According to police reports, Egan approached KKCO/KJCT reporter Ja'Ronn Alex at a stoplight, reportedly questioning his citizenship and stating, "This is Trump's America now!" Alex, who identifies as Pacific Islander, told authorities he believes he was targeted due to his ethnicity.
The arrest affidavit details that Egan, after confronting Alex, allegedly tackled the reporter and placed him in a headlock before "strangling him." Witnesses reported that Alex appeared to have difficulty breathing during the attack, which was also captured on surveillance footage. Co-workers intervened to stop the assault. Egan is scheduled to appear in court on January 2nd for a potential formal charge hearing.
This incident comes amidst a backdrop of increasing hostility towards journalists, with organizations reporting a rise in assaults against members of the press. The Freedom of the Press Foundation has recorded a 70% increase in journalist assaults since the start of the year compared to 2023. A recent survey by the International Women's Media Foundation found that over one-third of journalists have experienced physical violence or threats.
Furthermore, a significant portion of the US public does not view political attacks on journalists as a threat to press freedom. A study by the City University of London revealed that nearly a quarter of Americans don't see such attacks as harmful. This view is reportedly more common among Republican respondents. These findings are in tandem with a separate poll by the Associated Press-NORC center indicating many American adults are feeling "news fatigue" from political coverage.
