Key Takeaways
- The Australian government has offered aid to a television news reporter shot in LA protests.
- The incident highlights the importance of journalist safety and upholding free media principles.
- The Australian government has raised the incident with the US administration, emphasizing the need for journalist safety.
Canberra: The Australian government has offered aid to a television news reporter who was shot with a rubber bullet while covering protests in Los Angeles (LA).
Penny Wong, Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, said the government has reached out to reporter Lauren Tomasi through the Consulate General in LA. They’re ready to provide any assistance she needs.
Tomasi, the U.S. correspondent for Australia’s Nine Network News, was covering the ongoing protests sparked by immigration raids in LA on Sunday local time when she was shot in the leg with a rubber bullet fired by a police officer.
Wong told Nine Network television on Wednesday that footage of the incident captured a “really awful” moment.
“Australia believes in a free media and journalists should be able to do their job safely,” Wong said on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday said that he had spoken to Tomasi, who he said was OK, and that the government has raised the “horrific” incident with the U.S. administration.
