Judge dismisses riot charge against US journalist

CHICAGO: A US judge on Monday rejected a riot charge against a well-known journalist that stemmed from her report on violent confrontations over a major pipeline construction project in North Dakota.
Local judge John Grinsteiner ruled there was no cause to charge the "Democracy Now!" reporter Amy Goodman with "engaging in a riot", according to the county sheriff's department, which said additional charges may be forthcoming.
Goodman – whose daily show reaches hundreds of radio and TV stations and broadcasts online – filmed violent clashes between protestors and security guards in the northern US state in early September.
The confrontation was part of a months-long standoff over the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline that has incited repeated clashes.
"This is a vindication of the freedom of the press, of the First Amendment, of the public's right to know," Goodman told reporters and supporters outside the courthouse.
"We need to be able to report and the state should not interfere."
The Committee to Protect Journalists, a US agency that promotes press freedom, called the charges against the journalist "inappropriate and unacceptable".
"She was clearly doing her work as a reporter," the non-profit's coordinator for the Americas Carlo Lauria said, calling the charges against Goodman an attempt to intimidate journalists.
The pipeline construction has drawn thousands of protestors from Native American tribes, along with environmentalists and other advocates.
The US federal government has twice asked the pipeline operators to voluntarily pause construction near the tribe's reservation while the authorities reconsider the project's route.
The latest request came Monday after a weekend appellate court decision refusing to compel Energy Transfer Partners to halt construction within 32km of the disputed area. — AFP