Alissa Eleanor Azar, a well-known Antifa activist, was sentenced to jail recently in Oregon after being convicted of felony riot and disorderly conduct. What is notable about the case was the journalism defense put forward by Azar, who claims that she was not a participant but press. That assertion is belied by not just videotapes of Azar assaulting members of the far-right group The Proud Boys but her long record of violence.

The court rejected the journalism defense after reviewing videotapes showing Azar organizing with Antifa and then engaging in the attacks. Ironically, while arguing for press freedom, her counsel attempted to bar media from the courtroom, seeking an order to block the conservative outlet Post Millennial, which has dedicated much coverage to Antifa.