Liberty University president Jerry Falwell Jr. on Wednesday said that arrest warrants had been issued for reporters from The New York Times and ProPublica after both publications wrote stories criticizing his decision last month to partially reopen his Virginia-based.
Photos of the arrest warrants for New York Times freelance photographer Julia Rendleman and ProPublica reporter Alec MacGillis, were published on the website of conservative radio host Todd Starnes. The warrant alleges each committed misdemeanor trespassing on campus while gathering information for their respective stories.
Falwell Jr.'s decision on March 24 to reopen the private evangelical Christian university campus as all other universities in the state remained closed amid the coronavirus crisis occurred came nearly two weeks after Gov. Ralph Northam (D) issued a state of emergency, prompting widespread criticism. The move sparked widespread criticism. Five days after the campus reopened, The New York Times reported that, according to the school's director of student health services, nearly a dozen students had reported symptoms similar to those experienced in positive coronavirus cases.
The university said that the reporters committed “trespassing on posted property.”
"The arrest warrants are issued by a magistrate based on information derived from an investigation conducted by Liberty University Police Department, the police agency with primary jurisdiction, based on reports of criminal trespassing on posted property made by Liberty University," the University told The Hill in an email.
Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/media/492015-liberty-university-police-issue-arrest-warrants-for-nyt-propublica-reporters
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