Don Lemon’s Arrest Is the Ultimate Suppression of the Fourth Estate
Spencer Macnaughton | Uncloseted Media Weekly Newsletter
At around midnight last Friday, former CNN anchor turned independent journalist Don Lemon was arrested in a hotel lobby in Beverly Hills. He says roughly a dozen federal agents took him into custody before he was released later that day on personal recognizance.
Lemon was arrested alongside three other people—including three-time Emmy Award-winning journalist Georgia Fort, who was taken from her home—for attending a protest at a church against a pastor who appears to be the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) St. Paul field office.
While Attorney General Pam Bondi says the journalists involved with the protest were committing a “coordinated attack on Cities Church,” Lemon maintains he was there exclusively for journalistic purposes. And video of Lemon’s reporting shows him following the steps any seasoned journalist would take at a protest: He records a few standups, interviews folks from both sides of the debate (including a pastor from the church), asks tough questions and identifies himself as a reporter.
After the arrests, there was widespread condemnation by nearly every credible journalistic organization, including the National Press Club, PEN America, the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Knight First Amendment Institute, the International Press Institute, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, the National Association of Black Journalists and the Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists (NLGJA).
Despite this, Lemon’s arrest will have a chilling effect on journalism, whether or not we notice it. Since Trump 2.0, much of the mainstream media has become less trustworthy: Fox News, the most-watched cable network in the U.S., is seen as propaganda and right-wing advocacy by researchers and journalistic institutions alike. CBS News is now owned by centimillionaire Davis Ellison, and his appointed editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, has already spiked a 60 Minutes segment that was unfavorable to the Trump administration.
Similarly, Amazon billionaire and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos reportedly stopped the publication from endorsing Kamala Harris for president and just yesterday directed a historic downsizing at the paper, laying off a third of its employees. In addition, many other news outlets, including CNN, are both-sidesing news stories like the Alex Pretti killing as though Americans are stupid enough not to be able to watch a video and determine that a man was fatally shot 10 times in five seconds on a street in broad daylight.
The false equivalencies and kowtows to Trump—who has described Lemon as a “sleazebag,” “washup” and a “failed host” with “no viewers”—were already happening. But what’s nerve-wracking about Lemon and Fort’s arrests is that they were independent journalists who have represented a critical element of truth-telling in America. These journalists, much like Uncloseted Media, are largely immune to political and corporate interference.
So what can the government do if it’s unable to manipulate them with its wallet?
Arrest them.
And that’s what’s happening. In America. In 2026.
While Lemon says he “will not stop” reporting and a judge says the federal government lacked probable cause to arrest him, the unfortunate truth is that these arrests will affect journalism in America. These effects may not make headline news, but they will exist quietly: They’ll impact the stories that get greenlit in newsrooms, the sources editors choose. It will force us to question whether we should be so bold to go after powerful institutions or bad actors. The bottom line is that the ability to tell the truth is stifled by the fear of retaliation.
Up until now, truth-telling has been the most meaningful part of reporting in a nation not run by a dictator.
But today, I’m afraid that that part of the American dream isn’t in the process of crumbling. It’s already shattered.
Don Lemon says agents sent to arrest him despite offer to turn himself in (The Guardian)
Former CNN anchor faces charges over coverage of an anti-ICE protest that disrupted a Minnesota church service.
Washington Post cuts a third of its staff in a blow to a legendary news brand (Associated Press)
The Washington Post laid off one-third of its staff Wednesday, eliminating its sports section, several foreign bureaus and its books coverage in a widespread purge that represented a brutal blow to journalism and one of its most legendary brands.
Renee Good’s brother in congressional testimony: ‘What a beautiful American we have lost’ (The Hill)
House and Senate Democrats on Tuesday listened to the testimonies of U.S. citizens who said they were assaulted, injured or shot by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officers, starting with the brothers of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman shot and killed by a federal immigration officer last month.
44 openly LGBTQ athletes to compete in Milan Cortina Winter Olympics (Washington Blade)
Games to begin on Friday.
‘Do the leg thing’: Mark Carney jokes with Heated Rivalry star on red carpet (The Guardian)
Canadian PM swaps tough talk at Davos aimed at Donald Trump for some fun at a film gala with Hudson Williams
Over the next week, be on the lookout for new Uncloseted reporting:
🆕 SATURDAY: I interview four bisexual women about their experiences, coming out stories, and thoughts on bi representation—and erasure—in 2026.
🆕 TUESDAY: Anti-LGBTQ hate groups are currently fighting at the Supreme Court to overturn state bans on the abusive practice of conversion therapy, and the odds appear to be in their favor. To provide some context to this fight, Nico Dialessandro and hankycode’s Rebecca track the history of the long-discredited practice in the U.S. from 1886 until now.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to email me with questions, complaints and story ideas!
Spencer Macnaughton, Editor-In-Chief — spencer@unclosetedmedia.com
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