SEEK THE TRUTH AND REPORT IT

Des Moines Register journalist Andrea Sahouri faced trial after reporting on a Black Lives Matter protest this summer. Here’s how the trial went down.

WORDS BY CALEB LILLQUIST | ILLUSTRATION BY AMANDA O’BRIEN

It was a case that few thought would ever see trial. Des Moines Register journalist Andrea Sahouri was acquitted by a jury in a criminal case on March 10. The trial was held at the Drake University Law Clinic and lasted three days.

Sahouri had been charged with failure to disperse and interference with official acts during the summer of George Floyd demonstrations in 2020. The protests occurred in downtown Des Moines near Merle Hay Mall. She and her then-boyfriend, Spenser Robnett, who acted as a co-defendant in the case, were arrested when they were confronted by police at a local Verizon store, where Sahouri was pepper sprayed in the face and zip tied.

Sgt. Wilson, the officer who carried out these actions, failed to use his body camera to record his interactions with Sahouri. Sahouri told the jury at the trial how she was told to “shut up” and “that’s not what I asked” when she screamed she was with the press as she was arrested. Wilson testified that he was not aware of his camera not working and that he could not hear Sahouri because he had a gas mask and tactical gear on. Sahouri was also told “not to come back,” by said officer.

In total, 134 journalists had been arrested and detained during the summer of 2020 according to the US. Press Freedom Tracker. Most charges had been dropped by local prosecutors across the

country, making Sahouri’s case unique in comparison.

After Sahouri was arrested, she says she didn’t want people to tell her how to do her job.

“I experienced more hesitancy than I thought,” Sahouri said when reflecting on the 10 month legal process building up to trial and eventually coming back to her job.

Sahouri was offered two plea deals that entailed dropping one of the dispersal charges and turning it into a deferred prosecution.

“I had no hesitations. I immediately denied, there was not one bone in my body that was going to sign that plea agreement … I think it’s important to stand by your convictions,” Sahouri said. “I literally did nothing wrong.”

Sahouri talked about how she is still recovering mentally from the battle of trial.

“Anxiety is still lingering longer than I have anticipated,” Sahouri said.

She also shared her thought process during the trial.

“A lot of things were going through my mind, but the main thing was frustration—the frustration of hearing lies and to witness the state try so hard to convict you,” she said.

During the proceedings, she had thought that the evidence from the state was really underwhelming, which comforted her knowing that others could see she did nothing wrong.

“I was relieved to tell my part of the story,” Sahouri said.

Sahouri expressed how nervous she felt when the jury read the verdict, where she described her heart pounding uncontrollably and her body filled with adrenaline.

Sahouri’s advice to other journalists is to not let her case deter them. Every reporter should consider their safety and risk assessment when they are out on a beat reporting, she advised. “ “Documenting history and being there to hold people accountable and to seek the truth— without journalists, this country would look completely DOCUMENTING HISTORY AND BEING THERE TO HOLD PEOPLE different,” Sahouri ACCOUNTABLE said. “Don’t forget AND TO SEEK THE the importance of our job, never forget TRUTH— WITHOUT it. Remember that JOURNALISTS, THIS there are a lot of COUNTRY WOULD LOOK people who are out there to tell you how COMPLETELY DIFFERENT to do your job or ANDREA SAHOURI, DES MOINES REGISTER REPORTER that you shouldn’t do it, but always remember why those people are doing it.”

Despite her relief about winning the case, Sahouri touches on the precedent of her case for future journalists covering protests.

“It’s undeniable, the chilling effect of this case,” she said.

Ann Cooper, Columbia University journalism professor and former NPR Russia correspondent, was actively involved with raising awareness on Sahouri’s case.

“Why would this case move forward? She was doing her job,” Cooper said.

Cooper helped Columbia University draft a letter to the Polk County Attorney’s office urging them to drop the case due to freedom of the press conflicts. When it became clear Sahouri was set for trial, Cooper noted that there was a group of staff from the Columbia journalism school, including the university president, who set virtual meetings to create the social media movement “ “#standwithandrea” to raise national awareness of the case. “I think people who paid attention to this case took away the understanding I THINK PEOPLE WHO PAID ATTENTION TO THIS CASE TOOK AWAY of why we need THE UNDERSTANDING journalists, what it OF WHY WE NEED is that journalists do, and why that JOURNALISTS, WHAT IT IS work is important,” THAT JOURNALISTS DO, Cooper said. AND WHY THAT WORK

Allison Enger, a IS IMPORTANT freelance journalist

ANN COOPER, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY JOURNALISM PROFESSOR

who works for the University of Southern California’s journalism school, gave her thoughts on the scenario as well. Enger had been a close colleague of Sahouri, who had helped her throughout her early years of being a beat reporter at the Des Moines Register.

Enger noted that she never would have thought that this case would have gotten so far. She believes that at first, she could understand the confusion of not knowing who Sahouri was when confronted by Des Moines Police. However, Sahouri identified herself multiple times as a reporter, a statement that was corroborated by other journalists at the scene. At that moment, Enger believes that the charges should have been dropped.

Enger said, “It’s a real black mark that Polk County took this beyond what other jurisdictions were doing in the United States.”