Journalist accounts, footage suggest they were targeted in Capitol riot

Several firsthand accounts and footage from journalists who were at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday suggest they were among those targeted by the mob of Trump supporters.

A video shared by journalist Danny Gold and retweeted by NBC News correspondent Tom Winter shows a photographer for The Associated Press being assaulted by rioters.

The 90-second video shows photographer John Minchillo getting shoved, dragged and yelled at by some in the mob. About 40 seconds into the video, Minchillo is pushed over a wall and lands on the ground.

At one point Minchillo is asked if he’s “antifa.” He then showed his press pass.

This is video of an Associated Press photographer repeatedly assaulted, called Antifa (while wearing in plain view and repeatedly showing a NYPD issued press identification that says PRESS in 5 places), and thrown over a wall by an angry mob at the Capitol:

(h/t @DGisSERIOUS) https://t.co/n3Tt9iE7bJ

— Tom Winter (@Tom_Winter) January 8, 2021

In a separate account, a staff photographer at The New York Times described her experience in an article for the newspaper, saying she saw the mob rush an officer who was guarding the doors to the Capitol Rotunda.

“I ran upstairs to be out of the way of the crowd, and to get a better vantage point to document what was happening,” Erin Schaff wrote. “Suddenly, two or three men in black surrounded me and demanded to know who I worked for.”

She said the confrontation turned violent when the mob saw her press pass, which indicated that she worked for The New York Times.

“They threw me to the floor, trying to take my cameras. I started screaming for help as loudly as I could. No one came. People just watched,” Schaff wrote. “At this point, I thought I could be killed and no one would stop them. They ripped one of my cameras away from me, broke a lens on the other and ran away.”

Other video taken showed pro-Trump rioters destroying journalists’ equipment as they were pushed away from the Capitol by police.

ABC News posted a video of some rioters exiting the Capitol as the mob was dispersed. Supporters can be seen looking at the cheering to the camera as they exit.

The video also showed a door with the words “murder the media” written on it. A woman is later seen stopping to take a picture of the door.

Footage shows Trump supporters exiting the U.S. Capitol Building during Wednesday’s riots. https://t.co/CdCNw3wCjb pic.twitter.com/9kaZ6eACls

— ABC News (@ABC) January 8, 2021