A CNN reporter and his camera crew have been released from custody after being arrested on live television while reporting on protests in Minneapolis. The network received a personal apology from the governor.
Early on Friday, CNN's Omar Jimenez was arrested live on the air while he was reporting on protests in Minneapolis over the death of George Floyd in police custody. Jimenez's camera crew was also arrested. "Police are now saying they're being arrested because they were told to move and didn't," CNN's John Berman explained. Video, however, showed Jimenez offering to move.
The network in a statement blasted the arrests as a "clear violation of their First Amendment rights," and later in the broadcast, CNN's Berman reported that the network received an apology from Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D).
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"CNN President Jeff Zucker just spoke with the governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, who says he deeply apologizes for what happened," Berman said. "He is working to have the CNN team released immediately. It was totally unacceptable and totally inadvertent what happened. They clearly had the right to be there."
Jimenez and his crew were soon released, with Jimenez returning to the broadcast to discuss the experience, saying he was thankful that the arrest took place on live TV.
CNN's hosts also noted throughout Friday morning's show that they have a white correspondent, Josh Campbell, also reporting in Minneapolis who wasn't arrested. "My experience has been the opposite of what Omar just experienced there," Campbell said. Brendan Morrow
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