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Reporters have long denounced Donald Trump's "war on journalists" given the president's routine Twitter attacks about "fake news," his kind words about authoritarian rulers who have abused the media, and his idea to "open" libel laws so politicians can more easily sue publications. ..."In Donald Trump's America, the mere act of reporting news unflattering to the president is held up as evidence of bias," intoned a 2017 Los Angeles Times editorial. "Journalists are slandered as 'enemies of the people.'" The American Prospect complained last October that "the president is dehumanizing journalists on the campaign trail and priming his base for more assaults on the First Amendment." ... [T]he president hasn't actually done anything to abridge press freedom, even if we fear what he might like to do. It's all words and bluster. Frankly, those concerned about this "war" should hope that Trump doesn't take lessons from several disturbing recent actions against reporters here in California.The latest example came in Democratic San Francisco, but the scene isn't particularly uplifting of the city's oft-touted liberal values. After the unexpected death of the city's elected public defender, Jeff Adachi, a freelance reporter secured a copy of the related police report and apparently sold the information—some of it pretty salacious—to news outlets. The San Francisco Police Department wants to find the source of the leak."Police used a sledgehammer to try to get into (the reporter's) home and office and cuffed him for hours as they searched and subsequently removed dozens of cameras, cellphones, computers and other equipment used to gather news," the Associated Press reported. Police are trying to figure out his role in getting the report. The AP notes that it's not illegal for reporters to receive or publish information, even if it were improperly obtained by a third party. Police reports are supposed to be public records. ...
