From the Morning Memo:

Gov. Andrew Cuomo included a proposal in his 2019 budget address drawing journalists into a protected fold.

It elevates the penalty for assaulting a journalist from a misdemeanor, to a class D felony offense.

“Reporters have a tough enough job as it and it is unacceptable and unconscionable that they increasingly have to endure the threat of physical harm for just for doing their jobs,” Cuomo said in a statement. “While the current federal administration is fostering an environment that normalizes and even encourages attacks on the press, New York is taking a stand. It is my hope that other states join us in enacting these protections into law once and for all.”

Cuomo cited the Trump Administration as the proposal’s root cause, noting an increased level of animosity towards reporters and chastising the President’s favored phrase “fake news” bestowed upon certain members of the media and outlets.

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