UPDATE, Monday 7:10 p.m.: Getty Images staff photographer Scott Olson, who was arrested Monday afternoon in Ferguson, Missouri, while on assignment, has been released. In a statement issued to TheWrap, Scott said,”I want to be able to do my job as a member of the media and not be arrested for just doing my job.”
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A photographer for Getty Images was arrested Monday while covering the continuing protests in Ferguson, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. Scott Olson was taken into custody across the street from the area where the press had been told to assemble.
Also read: Obama: Freedom of Press and Assembly Must Be ‘Vigilantly Safeguarded’ in Ferguson
Journalist Amy K. Nelson captured the arrest in a video and posted it to Instagram (see below). Olson said that he was being arrested because the media had been told to be in a certain area. Meanwhile, a police officer could be heard repeating the phrase, “Keep moving,” as Nelson walked by filming.
In a statement given to TheWrap, Getty condemned the arrest.
“Getty Images staff photographer Scott Olson was arrested this afternoon in Ferguson, Missouri, while on assignment documenting the events there,” said Pancho Bernasconi, VP of news at Getty.
“We at Getty Images stand firmly behind our colleague Scott Olson and the right to report from Ferguson,” Bernasconi continued. “Getty Images is working to secure his release as soon as possible. We strongly object to his arrest and are committed to ensuring he is able to resume his important work of capturing some of the most iconic images of this news story.”
See video: CNN’s Don Lemon Shoved by Police While Covering Ferguson Protests
Olson’s arrest wasn’t the first incident involving the press and police in Ferguson. CNN’s Don Lemon was pushed by police during a live report earlier in the day. “We’re on national television,” he said on air. “Imagine what they’re doing to people you don’t see on national television.”
Last week, reporters from the Washington Post and Huffington Post were arrested while covering the protests sparked by the death of Michael Brown — an unarmed African-American teen who was shot by a police officer. Both reporters alleged that they were assaulted by officers.