Well, here we go again—another CNN reporter gets a taste of what real-world accountability looks like, and suddenly it’s a full-blown constitutional crisis. This time, Jason Carroll, a national correspondent, found himself gasp momentarily detained during a full-on riot in downtown Los Angeles. The reaction? You’d think the First Amendment had just been run over by a tank.
So let’s get this straight: there’s smoke in the air, businesses being looted, cars on fire, and Marines deploying to stabilize what’s left of downtown L.A., and the headline we’re supposed to care about is that a CNN reporter was politely escorted out of a police-controlled zone after being warned not to trespass. That’s the emergency? That’s the violation of journalistic freedom? Please.
Carroll himself couldn’t quite decide if he was being arrested, detained, or maybe just mildly inconvenienced on his late-night stroll through a riot zone. He was heard repeatedly clarifying for the cameras—because, of course, CNN never misses a chance to center itself—“I am being detained. I am not being arrested, correct?” as if that matters in a city descending into chaos. Then, after being gently walked out and told, “You come back in, you go,” he thanked the officer and even wished him well. Sounds terrifying, doesn’t it? In fact, it almost seemed staged.
But don’t worry, because within 45 seconds, a fellow journo from The New York Times popped out of the woodwork to make sure Jason knew they got it on tape. Because when you’re part of the media echo chamber, capturing a cop enforcing a curfew on a journalist is Pulitzer bait. Forget the stores burning behind you or the fact that ICE offices are under siege. No, what matters is a reporter being told to take a hike for his own safety.
Meanwhile, the CNN anchor back at HQ was absolutely breathless—interrupting live coverage like Jason had just been hauled off to Guantanamo. “Jason! Jason, what am I seeing?” she cried, as if the man had vanished into a black site. Relax. He wasn’t zip-tied. He wasn’t shoved. They took his name and told him to leave. That’s called police doing their job, especially in an area under lockdown during a riot.
JUST IN: CNN crew briefly detained while covering L.A. riots, warned not to come back to the area
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) June 10, 2025
This all went down amid days of escalating anti-ICE protests that, surprise surprise, turned violent. The left will have you believe these are peaceful demonstrations fueled by compassion. In reality, they’ve devolved into vandalism, looting, and open conflict with law enforcement. And who gets the headlines? Not the Marines deploying. Not the shopkeepers cleaning up broken glass. Nope. It’s Jason Carroll getting gently ushered away like he’s Rosa Parks on the frontlines of freedom.
And in typical fashion, the state of California—led by everyone’s favorite wannabe presidential candidate Gavin Newsom—responded not by thanking the feds for helping control the destruction, but by suing the Trump administration for trying to restore order. Yes, while L.A. is burning, Newsom is busy playing constitutional lawyer and crying foul over the presence of the National Guard. Trump, never one to miss a beat, floated the idea of backing Tom Homan if he had to slap some cuffs on Newsom. “I like Gavin,” Trump said, “but he’s grossly incompetent.” Truer words, folks.
Let’s be honest: this isn’t about journalists, justice, or some noble defense of the First Amendment. It’s about optics. It’s about the media painting themselves as martyrs every time the law nudges them for wandering into chaos. Meanwhile, the actual lawlessness, the real threats, the dangerous ideologies and actions being unleashed on American cities get brushed under the rug—because apparently, they’re just expressions of grief and anger.
Well, to quote the left’s favorite phrase: actions have consequences. And if your “reporting” brings you into a restricted area during a federally-assisted riot response, don’t act shocked when a cop tells you to beat it. We’re done pretending that press passes are golden tickets to do whatever you want.
Now, excuse the rest of us while we get back to worrying about things that actually matter—like keeping the streets safe, the borders secure, and the rule of law intact.
