LOS ANGELES – SAG-AFTRA today released a statement on the robbery in Oakland of a KPIX news crew and the shooting of their security guard:
The news of the Sunday attack on a KPIX news crew and their security guard is disturbing. With journalists increasingly becoming the targets of violence and harassment, SAG-AFTRA has made safety its top priority. The union has been working with journalists, management and police departments in Oakland, the Bay Area and at other affected areas nationwide to provide additional protections for news crews, including adding enforceable contract provisions concerning safety.
Joe Vazquez, the reporter whose team was attacked, has helped lead union efforts in this area as a shop steward, and we look forward to continuing to work with him to prevent these kinds of incidents. Additionally, CBS, the owner of KPIX, and local management have been partners, willing to confront the issue and work toward solutions.
We will continue discussions about journalist safety at the next Bay Area Safety Summit in Oakland and at our national Broadcast Steering Committee meeting in Los Angeles. Our thoughts are with the guard who was wounded; we wish him a full and speedy recovery.
About SAG-AFTRA
SAG-AFTRA represents approximately 160,000 actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists and other entertainment and media professionals. SAG-AFTRA members are the faces and voices that entertain and inform America and the world. A proud affiliate of the AFL-CIO, SAG-AFTRA has national offices in Los Angeles and New York and local offices nationwide representing members working together to secure the strongest protections for entertainment and media artists into the 21st century and beyond. Visit SAG-AFTRA online at SAGAFTRA.org.