What happened on John F. Kennedy Avenue cannot be dismissed as a simple argument in the middle of an accident. A De Último Minuto team went to a public space to fulfill their duty to report and ended up facing threats, hostility, and physical violence. Our cameraman Joel de la Cruz was struck while documenting the events, in an environment where several people were trying to prevent the press from recording. A camera is not a provocation and a journalist working is not an enemy.
The team led by journalist Ana Laura López arrived to cover the accident of a Route 11 bus that had collided with a truck and a motorcyclist, near Los Jardines del Norte. The journalistic coverage ended up becoming news itself when threats were made against reporters and cameramen, including warnings to take away their equipment. It is concerning that, in the face of an event of public interest, the reaction of some is to try to silence the cameras by force. No one has the right to impose their will through violence.
From De Último Minuto we fully support Joel de la Cruz, Ana Laura López, and Edwin Cruz, a photojournalist for this media outlet, as well as every press worker who goes out into the streets every day to seek information. Defending them is not asking for privileges for journalists; it is defending society’s right to know what is happening. Anyone who believes that coverage violates their rights has legal avenues to file a complaint. What cannot be accepted is the abuse of force, much less when several people turn against a worker who is simply doing their job.
It is now up to the authorities to investigate what happened, identify responsibilities, and act in accordance with the law. This episode must not end as just another outrageous video that circulates for a few days and is then forgotten. Violence against journalists, cameramen, or any citizen requires clear consequences, because impunity only invites its repetition. In the Dominican Republic, differences are resolved through legal channels, not by several against one or by blows against someone holding a camera.
