National Press Club statement on Las Vegas Review Journal reporter Sabrina Schnur

WASHINGTON, Sept. 21 – Following is a statement from Eileen O’Reilly, president of the National Press Club, and Gil Klein, president of the National Press Club Journalism Institute, on the online harassment of Sabrina Schnur, a veteran reporter for the Las Vegas Review Journal.

“The vitriolic hate-filled attacks aimed at Sabrina Schnur, one of the Las Vegas Review Journal’s top reporters, must stop. Sabrina wrote stories based on the knowledge at the time and it was due to her reporting and sourcing that the police realized the truth of what happened. As soon as they realized there was more to the story than a bike crash, she immediately informed the police and her subsequent reporting reflected the new knowledge. We applaud the journalism of Sabrina and others at the Las Vegas Review Journal, without whom we may not have learned the full story of the tragic killing of a former police chief.

Trolls have taken the stories out of order and twisted the facts – and their behavior toward Sabrina and other staff at the Review Journal is unacceptable and must halt at once.”

About the National Press Club

Founded in 1908, the National Press Club is the world’s leading professional organization for journalists. The Club has 3,000 members representing nearly every major journalism organization and is a leading voice for press freedom in the United States and around the world.

About the National Press Club Journalism Institute

The National Press Club Journalism Institute promotes an engaged global citizenry through an independent and free press, and equips journalists with skills and standards to inform the public in ways that inspire a more representative democracy. As the nonprofit affiliate of the National Press Club, the Institute powers journalism in the public interest.