Josie Huang Wiki – Biography

Josie Huang is a reporter with KPCC and LAist, who was arrested on Sunday, September 13th at the Los Angeles Hospital protests, where a group of people was shouting “We hope you die” outside the hospital where two wounded deputies were “fighting for their lives.”

Conflicting information emerged about the events leading up to Huang’s arrest. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputies said Huang ran toward deputies and interfered with the arrest of a man who was protesting, and said she did not identify herself as press and did not have press credentials. Huang captured audio and video of her arrest in which she identified herself as a reporter.

Huang’s LinkedIn page shows she has been a radio reporter in Los Angeles for more than eight years. Before that, she worked as a producer and host in Maine and also held a staff writing position. Her KPCC bio identifies her as an Asian American Communities Correspondent.

“More Asian Americans live in L.A. County than any other county in the U.S. The communities are varied and complex and often invisible in the mainstream media. I tell the stories of recent immigrants and families who have been here for generations to answer the question: How do you navigate the intersection of being Asian and American and what impact does that have on L.A.’s future?” her bio says.

Josie Huang  Age

Josie Huang’s age is unknown.

Charges

Huang was booked on a misdemeanor charge of obstruction of justice and released from jail a few hours later, according to KTLA and Huang’s Twitter account. Huang wrote on Twitter just before 5 a.m. that she was released for the jail and headed home. An earlier tweet showed her coverage of the protest outside the hospital. LAist reported Huang was taken to the women’s jail at the Century Regional Detention Center and released at about 4 a.m.

“Hi, all. I’m out of county jail and am headed home. Thank you for caring. I have seen @LASDHQ tweets and have thoughts and videos to share soon after a little rest,” Huang wrote on Twitter. A few hours later, she shared the videos and an account of her experiences. The video shows her phone clatter to the ground.

“I’m a reporter! I’m with KPCC!” she shouted.

Another video shows her filming the arrest of the first man. She said her phone was on zoom. Deputies told her to back up. She wrote on Twitter she had nowhere to back up. She said she was wearing her press badge. Before her arrest, she said she was covering the shooting.

“One of the deputies is a mom of a 6 year-old. I felt my chest tighten thinking about the little boy,” she wrote on Twitter.

She said she was in her car “tying things up” with an editor when she heard a commotion outside and went to see what it was. She was wearing her press badge, she said. She shared video of the arrest of a man, which was followed by her own arrest.

“Thank you all for the support and to the loveliest colleagues at @KPCC and @LAist. Our newsroom works really hard to cover our community and is proud to exercise our 1st Amendment rights, along with all the rest of you,” her thread concluded.

OK. Here is the very latest on the arrest of @LAist @KPCC Reporter @josie_huang last night in Compton (Yes that is her beneath at least 5 #LASD deputies.) Please be advised she is heard on tape yelling that she is reporter. via @laist.com

— Frank Stoltze (@StoltzeFrankly) September 13, 2020

Arrested

LASD wrote on Twitter she ran toward deputies and interfered with the arrest of a protester. They said she did not have press credentials on her person and did not identify herself as press. A fellow KPCC reporter, Frank Stoltze, disputed that account, saying she captured audio of her arrest and identified herself as a reporter.

Investigation Report

KPCC issued this official statement:

“We offer condolences to the two sheriff deputies who were shot Saturday evening.

“These are challenging and stressful times for everyone, but Josie Huang was arrested while doing her job. The charges should be dropped.

“Her arrest is the latest in a series of troubling interactions between our reporters and some local law enforcement officers. Journalists provide an essential service, providing fair, accurate and timely journalism and without them, our democracy is at risk.”

L.A. County Inspector General Max Huntsman told KPCC’s Frank Stoltze that he is opening an investigation into Huang’s arrest. Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who represents Lynwood, called for an investigation by Huntsman and added that “The Citizens Oversight Commission must convene a special meeting on this matter.”

A statement from the Society of Professional Journalists strongly condemned the arrest and called for the charges to be dropped. The statement noted “this is at least the second time that a journalist of color from this news organization was mistreated and injured while reporting on civil protests.”

Huang, who has covered beats from emerging communities to housing, is one of KPCC’s most identifiable voices. In 2019, Huang wrote an acclaimed story documenting the fight over homeless housing in Koreatown.

She wrote at 4:50 a.m. Sunday she was on her way home and would share more about her experiences.