PPE bans not only risk reporters. They risk the public’s right to know

Reporters covering protests in the United States have been shot with crowd-control munitions, sprayed with tear gas, hit with cars, and physically attacked by both law enforcement and demonstrators. So it makes sense that many journalists wear personal protective equipment like helmets, goggles, and gas masks at demonstrations, and that organizations like Reporters Without Borders offer grants to buy PPE that can reduce reporters’ chances of being hurt or even killed while doing their jobs. What doesn’t make sense is when the government tries to stop reporters from taking those basic safety precautions. Yet across the country, jurisdictions are banning safety gear at public protests. Officials often justify these policies in the name of public safety, for example by arguing that masks mak…