MN - Journalist Don Lemon arrested for church protest, Minneapolis, 18 Jan 2026

[Sundog]

Is there a legal definition of "journalist"? And, especially an "independent journalist"?

Lemon is a disgraced former journalist. He now has a social media site and calls himself an independent journalist. Anyone can do the same.

 

[witchway]

And.... "independent journalist"?

An independent journalist is a reporter or writer who isn't tied to a single large media corporation or government, offering unbiased news free from corporate or political influence, often working as a freelancer or through platforms like Substack to report on issues and hold power accountable, serving the public interest directly. They focus on editorial independence, using various digital tools to deliver unvarnished facts and contribute to informed public debate.
Why They Matter

• • Informed Decisions:
    They provide the public with facts needed for informed decisions on important issues.
  • Accountability:
    They hold institutions accountable by challenging authority and exposing wrongdoing.
  • Diverse Perspectives:
    They bring diverse voices and investigative angles to the media landscape, especially in areas with constrained media freedom.

Source

The Art of Balancing Editorial Independence in Journalism

Explore the importance of balancing editorial independence in journalism, its role in society, the challenges faced, and crucial tips for maintaining it.

www.yellowbrick.co

• The Art of Balancing Editorial Independence in Journalism
  Nov 25, 2023 — Editorial independence is the freedom of journalists to report news and express their opinions without interference.

 

[Sundog]

You stated that it may of been worth it to expose and ICE officer (apparently uncool-right?).
.
So, I was just wondering if you felt worship services attended by other possible "uncool" people (IDF members?) would be worth disrupting.

Your post was very clear. Basically some people are trying to justify the storming of the church with their own biases which will have nothing to do with the court case against those arrested, including Lemon.

 

[Sundog]

I am not following this cool/uncool conversation and respectfully disengage. I'm not 12.

jmo

 

[keek]

Lemon is a disgraced former journalist. He now has a social media site and calls himself an independent journalist. Anyone can do the same.

 

[keek]

What disgraced Don Lemon? That's large word that sounds like it means in general to all and of course that's not true. IMO

 

[waldojabba]

There really is not anything out there that I have seen - even after a cursory google - that indicates there is any evidence that this reporter DL engaged in anything but reporting.

Two judges in Minnesota, with far more knowledge of this case than I, came to the same conclusion.
It appears T then ordered PB to have DL arrested ( bc the DOJ "reports" to T it seems ).

DL was arrested and released the same day without bail.
I guess it was not such a "national emergency" since there was no bail associated and the menace DL is free as a lark.

I don't follow DL but I guess he is a big critic of T. Many are crying retribution by T.

The whole thing seems like a petty little drama to me and yet another embarrassment for the admin.
Maybe their strategy was to try and deflect, as the disgusting Epstein FIles( with many in the admin named I am told) were being released the same day.

I also imagine for the admin, their deisire is to stifle the press in any fashion the can. This is just my opinion after watching this admins beyond disrespectful behavior towards the press (in particular towards women journalists).

So altho the admin probably knows they don't have much of a case - if there is a "chance", they are going to pursue it.

Just my opinion





JMO

 

[Inthedetails]

Your post was very clear. Basically some people are trying to justify the storming of the church with their own biases which will have nothing to do with the court case against those arrested, including Lemon.

I haven't justified storming the church.

I myself have stated more than once that I don't support disrupting worship services, but my feelings are tested knowing it's a white nationalist congregation.

It's a difficult topic that challenges me personally and I'm not shy about saying that it is difficult. I'm a church member and it is shocking to me that a church would be white nationalist.

And I'm not shy about my disapproval that a minister of the gospel and ICE member is part of a white nationalist church.

I didn't know anything about the church until the arrests. The DOJ brought a lot of attention to the church. But just because I'm learning about the church and at least one of its leaders does not mean I approve of disrupting worship. It's a big, false leap to assert that.

This case is about whether Don Lemon was at a white nationalist church as a journalist or protest participant. That's the core issue, imo.

jmopinion

 

[Sundog]

I haven't justified storming the church.

I myself have stated more than once that I don't support disrupting worship services, but my feelings are tested knowing it's a white nationalist congregation.

It's a difficult topic that challenges me personally and I'm not shy about saying that it is difficult. I'm a church member and it is shocking to me that a church would be white nationalist.

And I'm not shy about my disapproval that a minister of the gospel and ICE member is part of a white nationalist church.

I didn't know anything about the church until the arrests. The DOJ brought a lot of attention to the church. But just because I'm learning about the church and at least one of its leaders does not mean I approve of disrupting worship. It's a big, false leap to assert that.

The core issue is that Lemon was at a church with a group of agitators and charged with being one of them and not solely there as an independent journalist. A grand jury found probable cause to indict him. We haven't seen the evidence yet. And it has nothing to do with one of the church's pastors or white nationalism. Good luck with that if that is where Lemon is going.

 

[Emerald1328]

No, I’m not going to do the research for you.

That’s a core part of being a part of Websleuths though. If you state something as fact, you must provide a link or make it clear that it’s your opinion. I see this response on a lot of threads here (not just ones that may have strong conflicting opinions) and it always confuses me. If you’re stating something as a fact, you’ve had to have already done the research to be able to articulate it to us. Maybe if you go through your browser history you can find the support for your statement and link it for us?

 

[Sundog]

What disgraced Don Lemon? That's large word that sounds like it means in general to all and of course that's not true. IMO

He was fired by CNN due to his history of misogynistic behavior toward female colleagues and on-air comments as well, the most recent ones at the time of his firing were about women and age.

 

[MrsWatson]

Many pastors have other jobs, they don't all expect to be supported by their congregation. God bless him for his willingness to serve his country and his church.

Faith. Family. Country.

Many pastors, who are not affiliated with a white supremacist Christian nationalist church, have other jobs that are not related to evicting brown people, who may or may not be legal immigrants, from the country they live in.

MOO

 

[witchway]

Your post was very clear. Basically some people are trying to justify the storming of the church with their own biases which will have nothing to do with the court case against those arrested, including Lemon.

I assume this is your opinion?

 

[Sundog]

Many pastors, who are not affiliated with a white supremacist Christian nationalist church, have other jobs that are not related to evicting brown people, who may or may not be legal immigrants, from the country they live in.

MOO

I'm sure they do. This church, however, has a pastor who works for law enforcement at the federal level who deal with the arrests of illegal immigrants in our country. And it has nothing to do with this case of Lemon and company storming a church in the U.S. which is against the law.

 

[Sundog]

That’s a core part of being a part of Websleuths though. If you state something as fact, you must provide a link or make it clear that it’s your opinion. I see this response on a lot of threads here (not just ones that may have strong conflicting opinions) and it always confuses me. If you’re stating something as a fact, you’ve had to have already done the research to be able to articulate it to us. Maybe if you go through your browser history you can find the support for your statement and link it for us?

It is the case that we need to provide links on WS, but there is also the situation where some posters pop in and out of a thread and don't bother to read anything but a current post and then expect posters to start all over again from scratch to inform the person who is popping in and out without informing themself. I see that on a lot of threads, too, and I also see tons of posts where posters assume some common background information and don't post links for that reason. So it's not a clearcut issue, there are grey areas.

 

[MrsWatson]

I'm sure they do. This church, however, has a pastor who works for law enforcement at the federal level who deal with the arrests of illegal immigrants in our country. And it has nothing to do with this case of Lemon and company storming a church in the U.S. which is against the law.

It's okay that a pastor who is affiliated with a white supremacy church is a federal law enforcement officer? That seems very Third Reich to me, but MOO.

 

[Inthedetails]

The core issue is that Lemon was at a church with a group of agitators and charged with being one of them and not solely there as an independent journalist. A grand jury found probable cause to indict him. We haven't seen the evidence yet. And it has nothing to do with one of the church's pastors or white nationalism. Good luck with that if that is where Lemon is going.

His defense will likely be he was there as a journalist not a protest participant. That makes it a core issue.

It's my opinion that the protesters (whether that group included Lemon as protester or journalist) chose that particular church BECAUSE it is a white nationalist congregation with a leader who is with ICE.

They didn't pick a church like mine that is not white nationalist.

So, the type of church is indeed part of the story, as distasteful and likely illegal as it is that a church service was interrupted (which I repeat once again that I don't approve of).

jmopinion

 

[Inthedetails]

It's okay that a pastor who is affiliated with a white supremacy church is a federal law enforcement officer? That seems very Third Reich to me, but MOO.

It's information that the public should know. And thanks to journalists, the wider public does now know.

jmopinion

 

[tricia]

Of course, you are right, there was always going to be a criminal complaint. Congregants were crying, children were crying, people were followed out to their cars, as they sat in their church pews praying and worshipping protesters were in their face, shouting about their beliefs, demeaning them as Christians, etc. It was a violent, loud and nasty protest and Lemon was part of it, now trying to hide behind a first amendment right. Shameful and shows the coward that he is.

Please provide a link that shows Don Lemon was a part of the protest. If not link is provided the post will be removed

 

[otto]

What about synagogues with IDF members. Are they "cool", or "uncool"? If uncool, can they be invaded?

Canada has the Canadian Human Rights Act, which is not the same as the US.

If a religious building was used as a protest site without permission during a religious service in Canada, it could be interpreted as a violation of human rights, discrimination, and intolerance of diverse beliefs.

I suspect that a similar protest at a US synagogue or mosque could be interpreted as discrimination against those who practice their beliefs. In this instance, where protesters objected to the job role of a member of the church, and therefore subjected all members of that church (including children) to fear and harassment, it should fall under discrimination.

That is, one person at the church was targeted for his job role, it was presumed that he holds a specific set of ideological beliefs, it was presumed that everyone in that church shares his beliefs, and therefore everyone in that church is fair game for harassment.

"Mr. Parnell, speaking to the former CNN anchor Don Lemon during the Sunday protest, said it was “shameful to interrupt a public gathering of Christians in worship.”​

​

Kevin Ezell, president of the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, to which the church belongs, said in a statement that “what occurred was not protest; it was lawless harassment.”​

Protest at Minnesota Church Service Adds to Tensions Over ICE Tactics

The Justice Department said it would investigate the protest over a pastor’s apparent role in immigration enforcement in the state.

www.nytimes.com

"For all purposes of this Act, the prohibited grounds of discrimination are race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, family status, genetic characteristics, disability and conviction for an offence for which a pardon has been granted or in respect of which a record suspension has been ordered."​

Canadian Human Rights Act

Federal laws of Canada

laws-lois.justice.gc.ca

~ in my opinion ~