While reporting on the grand jury decision in Ferguson, the national media has found itself witnessing first-hand the unrest in the St. Louis suburb.
On Monday, a grand jury decision not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of unarmed teenager Michael Brown was met with protests that quickly grew violent as the night progressed. Law enforcement and President Barack Obama asked for peaceful protests, but this has not proven to be the case.
All of the major news networks were in Ferguson, providing live reports and coverage up to and beyond the announcement of the grand jury decision. Before long, they found themselves in the middle of the unrest as the violence escalated.
On MSNBC, Chris Hayes and his crew were forced off the air after gunshots were fired in close proximity. Hayes later returned via telephone. Meanwhile, CNN’s Don Lemon and Chris Cuomo were among those caught in tear gas by local authorities live on television, while a cameraman for Fox News correspondent Steve Harrigan was attacked, and their camera was broken. Harrigan also reported hearing multiple shots fired while broadcasting, ordering his crews to move back.
Since the grand jury decision was announced at 9 p.m. ET, some peaceful protests have since become violent, with reports of looting, police being pelted with rocks and other projectiles, and businesses being looted and in some cases set on fire.