Journalist Joe Sokol was pushed multiple times by an individual at a demonstration against the Trump administration’s policies in Bangor, Maine, on July 7, 2026.
Sokol, an investigative reporter for the Maine Wire — a digital media outlet and project of the nonprofit think tank Maine Policy Institute — told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he was interviewing people about why they were at the protest, which takes place every Tuesday.
A video of the incident posted by the outlet shows a small group of people with signs standing on the side of a road. Sokol, holding a microphone, briefly interviews one woman. Then, a man holding a large sign saying “healthcare 4 all” walks up to Sokol and pushes him with the sign.
“That’s assault,” the reporter says. “Why would you just assault me?”
A woman apologizes to Sokol, and the man says he didn’t see him and walks away.
The video goes on to show Sokol trying to ask someone else questions when the same man appears to deliberately back up, bump into and elbow him; the woman apologizes again.
Sokol said he told the man that he was going to file a police report, and went with his photographer to a nearby police station. There, they reviewed video footage of the assault with an officer.
They then went with the officer back to the protest and the man was detained, Sokol said.
Fox News, citing the Bangor Police Department, reported that the man — identified as Ronald Staples — faces an assault charge.
Bangor Police Department did not respond to a request for comment.
Sokol said that Maine Wire journalists had been targets of violence, and he didn’t wear anything with the outlet’s name on it when reporting. He said he didn’t know for sure whether the man who assaulted him knew he was from Maine Wire, but “I would bet a good chunk of money on it.”
This content originally appeared on U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: Incident Database and was authored by U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: Incident Database.