We condemn the Medford Police Department's Sept. 22 arrest of journalist @AprilEhrlich, who was reporting on a homeless camp sweep. We call on the city to drop all charges and make sure this doesn't happen again.

Read our full statement: https://www.spjoregon.com/news/spj-oregon-statement-on-arrest-of-jpr-reporter-april-ehrlich

Requiring journalists to work from a government-approved "staging area" - where they cannot interview campers in a public park or record audio - is an unreasonable restriction in First Amendment-guaranteed press freedom.

Documenting public officials and law enforcement officers doing their jobs in a public place, and conveying that information to the community, is the most basic function of journalism in a free society. Journalists should not face arrest for doing so.

And finally, on a transparency note: @AprilEhrlich is the vice president of our board of directors, but she did not write any part of this statement, give input or read it prior to publication.