January 6, 2021

Under siege: Reporters and photojournalists witness and capture chaos Journalists from the Associated Press, CNN, POLITICO, McClatchy, Getty Images, NPR, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and other news organizations at the U.S. Capitol this afternoon were under siege as supporters of President Donald Trump crashed into the building, broke windows, hung from the Senate chamber, and disrupted the certification of the 2020 presidential election. POLITICO’s Olivia Beavers has been providing updates from the scene; she was with several other journalists who were evacuated to an undisclosed location for safety, as was Manu Raju while live on CNN. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Tia Mitchell reported from the Capitol; It was Georgia’s election this week that gave Democrats control of the Senate, the House, and the White House after President Elect Joe Biden and the new lawmakers are sworn in later this month. Photojournalists provided eyewitness images from the scene, including these from AP and Getty:

Supporters. Protesters. Rioters. Mob. Anarchists. Insurrectionists. Terrorists.

Journalists faced the daunting challenge of documenting the fast, unfolding crisis Wednesday in Washington, D.C. Stories and headlines updated throughout the day recorded just how swiftly news outlets shifted terminology to accurately report as Trump supporters violently crashed the U.S. Capitol. “Washington Post EIC Marty Baron has told Post reporters to use "mob," not "protesters," to describe people storming capitol, a staffer tells me.” (Ben Smith) "@NYTimes @washingtonpost   @latimes changed to 'mob' while @wsj changed to 'rioters'" (Robert Hernandez)  “NPR guidance: we won’t be calling the people who stormed the Capitol ‘protestors’ - they are ‘pro-Trump extremists’ and what they are doing is ‘insurrection’”  (Lulu Garcia-Navarro) WAMU is referring to the crowd as “insurrectionists.” (Washingtonian) “CNN has begun calling these individuals anarchists and the events an insurrection” (Tal Kopan) "The Sacramento Bee will not refer to this as a "protest" or to those rioting and invading the US Capitol as 'protestors.'" (Ryan Lillis) “If you're using the same words to describe people who peacefully demonstrated against police brutality/killings/systemic racism this summer AND those currently storming the capitol with weapons, reconsider your style guide.” (Aubrey Nagle)

Questions to answer Today’s actions in Washington, D.C., have raised questions that your community will want answered amid the crisis.  How/when will Congress reconvene to certify the presidential election vote results?  Some have called to invoke the 25th Amendment. What does that mean, and what actions can provoke it?  Are Trump’s actions and inaction today impeachable offenses?  Rumors have circulated on social media that Trump might invoke martial law. What does that mean, and does he have the power to do so?  Who commands the National Guard, and why weren’t they activated when the Capitol was breached?  What explains the Trump supporters' ability to breach the Capitol when people at Black Lives Matter rallies and other social justice protests in D.C. last year were blocked off? Who was shot? Has there been any additional violence? Are criminal consequences greater because this is on federal grounds? Should we call this domestic terrorism? What will happen after the 6 p.m. D.C. curfew is enacted? What if protestors don’t leave? How will you find out if protesters were from my state or region?  How will you approach local law enforcement agencies to discuss how they would handle similar protest activities locally?  Has there been a crisis similar to this in other countries? What are examples?  Will there still be a physical inauguration for incoming President Joe Biden?  How can readers reach their members of Congress about this crisis?

Headlines ■ Salt Lake Tribune photographer has been pepper sprayed by people here upset he was documenting the even. (Taylor Stevens)  ■ A bunch of Associated Press equipment had to be abandoned and a crowd is trashing it. "We are the news now!" a man yells. Looks like they're going to try to light it on fire. (Paul McLeod). ■ "Some of the news crews in DC are accompanied by private security, as  @VaughnHillyard  just acknowledged on MSNBC. For obvious reasons, networks are loath to talk about the details of their security measures." (Brian Stelter) ■ Gannett distributes reminder to USA Today staff “not to ‘take a political position’ on social media today (Ben Smith) ■ Chaos in Washington leads news pages around the world (Axios)

This newsletter is written & edited by the National Press Club Journalism Institute staff: Beth Francesco, Holly Butcher Grant, and Julie Moos. Send us your questions and suggestions for topics to cover. Get this from a friend? Subscribe, and view the archives.

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