IOWA CITY, Iowa – A journalist went on trial Monday on charges stemming from her coverage of a protest against racial injustice in Des Moines last year, after Iowa prosecutors defied international pressure to drop a rare effort to punish a working reporter.
Des Moines Register news reporter Andrea Sahouri, who was pepper-sprayed and jailed while reporting on a clash between protesters and police in May, is charged with failure to disperse and interference with official acts.
If convicted on the simple misdemeanor charges, the 25-year-old could be fined hundreds of dollars and will have a criminal record.
A judge could also sentence her up to 30 days in jail on each count, although that would be unusual. Advocates for journalism and human