Petition: Corporate Media Must Stand With Georgia Fort

Journalist Georgia Fort’s arrest while reporting raises urgent questions about press freedom and the protection of reporters covering matters of public concern. When journalists face detention or intimidation for documenting events that affect communities—especially children and vulnerable families—the issue is larger than one individual case. It is about whether reporters can safely do their jobs without fear of retaliation.

Too often, corporate media outlets remain quiet when independent or local journalists are targeted. Silence sends a dangerous signal that press freedom is conditional—defended loudly for major networks but treated as expendable for reporters without corporate backing. An attack on one journalist is an attack on the principle that the public has a right to witness and document government action.

We call on corporate media leaders to publicly stand with Georgia Fort, demand transparency around her arrest, and reaffirm that journalists must be protected—not punished—for reporting. Press freedom cannot depend on network affiliation or corporate scale. Democracy requires solidarity across the profession when any reporter is threatened for telling the truth.