I am Matthew Rodier, a photojournalist who covered the storming of the United States Capitol on January 6th, 2021.

Looks like we are about to enter the part of this AMA where it is just wild conspiracy theories and accusations made against me for no reason. I don't get paid for this and have no interest in arguing with strangers on the internet so I'll probably just stop responding to questions soon. I wish we could have a reasonable discussion about what happened that day, but that's usually impossible with any controversial topic in modern day America.

Welcome to Reddit, unfortunately. Sometimes it's best to leave AMAs for a couple of hours and have the upvotes/downvotes get rid of the worst stuff before answering.

Still, I've read most of your answers so far and your insight has been genuinely interesting and informative. I could tell how good a journalist you are simply because you avoided speculating too much and focused on relaying what you experienced that day.

That might be a better strategy. On that note I'm gonna go get some pizza.

You are morally obligated to provide us all pizza.

Sounds legit.

Yeah, people always want speculation. "What do you think Mike Pence's protective detail was thinking as they chanted about hanging him?" So many of these questions can be answered by "I have no idea and report on what I see."

This is a total shame (your basically being chased away like this). Thank you so much for your time!

I'll still answer questions here and there. Just got weird for a minute and I don't want to waste my time.

Sorry mate. Internet is a rough place. Wish it was a better experience for you.

It's alright. I figure a lot of people are just angry about their own lives and it is easier to direct that anger towards a stranger on the internet than to make any meaningful examination or change in their own existence. I'll be okay. If no one is shooting anything at me or trying to hit me with something I'm usually pretty calm.

This is inside a hallway on the West side of the Capitol: https://imgur.com/a/nK1FxE9

it's kinda weird seeing the cops in riot gear that are supposed to protect the capitol just standing there, what was that all about?

I can assure you it was even more weird in person. I guess we are conditioned by movies or whatever to think that if someone breaches a govt building like that it'll be a swift military response but those officers were calm. One of them was saying "alright guys time to go, you can't be in here." I cannot explain with words how strange a scenario it was.

Was it an attempt at de-escalation?

It seemed so, like he was trying to get people out but keep everyone calm. It may have been the right move tactically but I have seen police officers react a lot more forcefully to less so it caught me off guard.

What stood out to you of the events at the US capital compared to other protests you documented or otherwise experienced first hand?

A lot of things, it was different for a number of reasons. One was how far people had travelled to participate. One couple claimed they had driven from Tennessee, another couple from South Dakota. There were people from all over the country, which is rare for protests. Another was how much online discourse had translated into real world action. I heard people shout things you would see as FB memes, and the messaging was often identical. I had seen that before, but never to that extent.

Here is a police officer pepper spraying the crowd: https://imgur.com/a/YQBLaeS

As a photojournalist, were you able to enter the building legally to document what happened?

Not sure what the legality of it was but I entered an open door and went inside and took pictures. Journalists generally don't get prosecuted for trespassing while they are working. As soon as I got in I pulled my press pass out of my shirt and held it up and showed it to a police officer and said "I'm press" knowing that that would also show up on camera footage if it was reviewed later. I wasn't involved in what was happening in any way, I'm polite and professional while working, so I don't worry about it.

How concerned were you for your own well being, regarding whether or not the “participants” would have picked up on you being a journalist? Or did they? If so, how did that interaction transpire?

I dressed to fit in with the crowd. I am a white guy who prefers t shirts, jeans, and hoodies and often wears a trucker hat that I bought at my buddy's wedding in California so it was pretty easy for me to blend in. As soon as I knew it was going to escalate I tucked my press pass into my shirt. There were too many people to adequately protect myself and the security I hired quit on me about 15 minutes after the gates came down and people rushed up the lawn. It never felt safe so I just kept moving. Take a bunch of pictures, move, do it again.

The interactions went like this:

Person: hey are you a patriot?

Me: Yes sir/ma'am, *immediately begins walking away*

The question, “Hey, are you a patriot?” when they are anything but that is vomit inducing.

I knew what they were asking, whether I was with them or not. That's why I never stuck around for the follow up questions.

The security you hired quit on you? I mean, I get it, but also... that's why you hired them!

Yeah I felt a tug on my bag when I was taking pictures really early on, but people were jostling around so didn't think much of it. Then a little later when I didn't see him around I checked my phone and saw a text that said something to the effect of "I have a company and a family to worry about. Your money is in your bag." He just refunded the money and bounced.

Was the Security guy also a White guy dressed as a participant (basically did he also have the ability to blend in)?

For the record I wasn't dressed as a participant, I wore what I wear all the time, had a similar outfit on today. I just didn't wear the protective gear that I normally would and happen to be a middle aged white guy who is not too concerned with fashion. I'm not sure what exactly happened with the security guy, but I know he was a combat vet and flashbangs were going off so that may have affected him. I never spoke to him after that text that he had left. I don't think he expected it to get that wild, but I did because I had covered the Stop the Steal rally and had been following the discourse surrounding Jan 6th online.

Your security quit?! Did they tell you why?! A moment like that is exactly why they were there in the first place

I don't think he was prepared for how close photojournalists get to the action. Up until then most of his work was with tv crews I believe.

any surprising or funny stories and pictures you found that the mainstream news outlet didn't share?

There was a kid dancing on top of a federal law enforcement SUV on the east side of the capitol and this old white lady walked up to him and said "I really like your Youtube channel." To this day I don't know who the kid was or if he even has a Youtube channel but that was pretty absurd.

Thanks for doing this, Matt. I'm curious about whether you witnessed people at the Capitol who seemed aware of the gravity of what they were doing? I've gotten the impression that a lot of the crowd were live streaming, taking selfies, and in general seemed unaware that they were breaking the law and contributing to an incredibly dangerous scene.

It was a mixture. For some people it seemed like a big day out, and they seemed happy to be around like minded individuals. There were others that definitely knew what they were doing, you could see people moving in different manners. I think a lot of them were unaware of just how illegal it was, and it has come out that a lot of others thought Trump would pardon them. The people who were caught up in the excitement of it all were used as cover for the people with more tactical experience and intentions. An AP reporter at the time even pointed out that a group had used a formation, a stack I believed it was called, that is a way soldiers come together to breach a building. It is hard to describe just how many people were there, a sea of human beings, so all kinds of intentions and varying levels of commitment and understanding.

From a distance it looked to me like a bunch of larping losers rather than revolutionaries. Even the lady that got shot I still didn't get the sense they were truly hoping to take over government.

What was your sense of the intent of the crowd?

There were thousands of people so the intent varied greatly. Some of them seemed more purposeful than others as far as breaching the building, moving in groups and whatnot. Others it seemed just had a lot of misdirected anger, and some people really did come out for a protest and got caught up in the excitement of the whole thing. I can't stress enough how much the misinformation that was swirling on the internet was on display. The crowd for the most part was existing in an alternate reality, and that was one of the strangest things about that day. All the "news" they listened to told them the election was stolen, their social media timelines were filled with it, for a lot of them friends and family mostly agreed or at times distanced themselves. Every source of information they encountered regularly told them the election was stolen, but that lie was very real to most of them, and anyone who disagreed was either foolish, a liar or a traitor.

I still didn't get the sense they were truly hoping to take over government.

Was that ever a stated or perceived goal? Their intent seemed to be violence against the government because the duty they were performing was ‘illegitimate.’ They wanted to clear the way for King Cheeto to clamber his way to his throne.

Who are you quoting?

We have someone standing on a street corner in my city right now holding a sign that says "Happy Let's Go Brandon Day". What do you think people trying to celebrate the attempted insurrection should know about it, as someone who was there?

That many of the people there were taken advantage of. The right wing talking heads who made obscene amounts of money pushing the lie that the election was stolen, the politicians that rode that wave to massive donations and reelections, they are still living in their mansions and for the most part haven't suffered any consequences. Meanwhile the people they lied to, the people on the ground that day, a lot of whom really thought they were trying to save America, are going to prison, lost their jobs, had negative impacts on their family lives. They got played.

From what you saw, what caused it to escalate to entering the Capitol?

I didn't see the initial entry, but once they got tear gassed and didn't stand down I knew it was going to get worse from there. They kept testing the second police line that was set up by the steps. Once that fell there was no other line but the building edge, doors, windows etc. I saw it as inevitable.

When covering events that are explicitly illegal, how do you manage to avoid undue attention from both LE and the participants of the event?

I have been attacked by cops before, both in Hong Kong and DC, so I just try to stay out of their way as much as possible and make it clear I am not a threat. It doesn't always work. Avoiding attention of participants is not always possible, but I am often not actively interacting with the people I am photographing if the scene is chaotic. I find it is best to keep moving.

Thank you very much for answering. I cover events of this sort on a local level and have also found that staying out of harms way is mostly a luck dependent art form than a science. Do you recommend any camera related accessories that help minimize potential damage/attention?

I don't know of any accessories that would do that. Usually the more protective gear the better depending on what type of threats you are facing, but this was a different type of situation.

Do you have a view as to why more ppl didn’t get shot? It seems crazy to me with all that mayhem, Ashli Babbitt was the only one of them to get capped.

When I was walking from the Ellipse to the Capitol and heard people talking about how far they had travelled a lot of them said they had driven. So they drove very long distances to a city they believe to be incredibly dangerous, at a time when plane tickets were cheaper than they had been in years, to do what they believed was taking a stand against a corrupt and oppressive government. I figured there were probably guns in the crowd, or at least nearby, and I assume law enforcement figured the same or at least had to be prepared for that possibility. If they fired live rounds on the crowd and someone fires back it would have ended in a massacre.

Are you willing to cover similar turmoilous events again ? Also did you manage to monetise the work you did out there on this event ? It is clear that it is not money that drives investigative (if that is the right word ) journalism , but still. Hands down for your bravery . Edit: brackets

I'll cover anything that is newsworthy if I know about it beforehand and can get there. so yes. I have an agency that sells my photos to media orgs and I also have a book that I am selling of photographs of the Hong Kong protests here: https://www.blurb.com/b/11417395-when-i-go-dreaming . What I do is photojournalism, investigative journalism involves long term investigations into a single topic from what I understand. I think the world functions better with a free press so I take pictures to help make that happen. I try not to get to philosophical about it, just doing my best.

Whose work inspired you to go into photojournalism? What do you look for when you’re shooting? How do you shoot? (Do you “spray” or carefully select your shots?) thank you for sharing 🙌 I am so in awe by people like you

Greg Marinovich was the first photojournalist I really looked up to. I read The Bang Bang Club, about him and his crew of photojournalists that covered the fall of apartheid South Africa, many years ago. Just an incredibly brave man and a superb photojournalist. You can read a bit about him here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Marinovich. At this point I am framing in my mind when I am walking around. Sometimes something will happen so suddenly though you just react and snap off a bunch of shots in that direction, and other times things happen so fast that I don't get one clear shot in. I try to anticipate what will happen to be in a good position to get a solid frame, but it gets chaotic at times so that doesn't always work out.

Most of us watched from home- What’s something about the experience that you think folks who weren’t there miss?

That for a lot of people they seemed to think they were doing the right thing, being good Americans and standing up for their country. A lot of them that I interacted with really believed the election was stolen and they needed to prevent that from happening.

at what point did you enter the capitol? did you have an exit/emergency plan? what was the response from the insurgents as far as you photographing their activities, were you even noticed?

I didn't enter with the group that breached the legislature. They had gone under the risers set up for Biden's inauguration I believe, and I had gone around to the east side of the building. When I came back to the west side I was on the part that borders the building and I heard a guy say to another "was your cell reception good in there? Bc I had nothing then it worked great when I was inside.." or something to that effect. That's when I knew they had breached the building. I found a door that had been opened and there were people waiting in line to go inside, which was incredibly strange. I blew past that line and entered a hallway on the west side of the Capitol, but the people inside had been contained in that corridor. I took some photos and a bit of video and got out of there. They were blocked off from the rest of the building, just kind of milling around, taking selfies, it seemed calm in that particular part so I went back outside to find my friends because I assumed there was going to be more violence, but after a while it calmed down. Getting tear gassed and pepper sprayed really does tire a person out. I was noticed. People would ask me if I was a patriot, and I would say yes because I am. My definition of patriotism just greatly differs from there's. I kept moving throughout the day because I knew far right groups didn't have a good opinion of the press and I didn't want to get attacked by an angry mob.

Thank you for replying! that must have been an incredibly surreal experience, i cant imagine the energy in something like that. i didn't think about the danger posed by the far-right's opinion of the press, glad you made it in and out safely, and thank you for documenting history, my dad is a professional photographer so i grew up learning the importance of capturing these moments.

By the time January 6th happened I had covered a number of far right events and knew they mostly didn't like the press and some outright hated us. Calling us "the enemy of the people" was popular in those circles at the time. I am also aware of the madness of crowds, of any political leaning. As far as photography one thing I really like about photojournalism is it is a lot harder to argue with. I learned in law school that intelligent and skilled individuals can either twist or dismantle just about any statement. With a photograph it's different, harder to dispute the facts.

People would ask me if I was a patriot,

What was the tone in their asking? Since you mentioned in another comment too that it happened several times, I’m wondering whether these people genuinely wondered or if this was sort of code question, and they were hoping to find others who responded with the correct “code” answer.

They just wanted to know if I was on their side. That was how I took it at least and what the tone seemed to imply. I didn't want to have these conversations so I kept moving.

How much photography gear did you have with you on Jan 6th and how much did you carry at the Hong Kong protests?

It seems like having any kind of serious lens or camera other than a cell phone or action camera is kind of a give away that you are with the press, isn't it?

I carried more gear during the Hong Kong protests, extra lenses in my bag. On January 6th I just carried one camera body with a lens on it. There are people who carry all types of equipment now for different reasons, youtube channels, citizen journalism, propaganda, so carrying an expensive camera isn't the identifier as press that it may have been at one point.

Hi Matthew. As a non American, I thank you for your service. If it wasn't for the pictures and video of this terrible event, it's hard to really fathom the scale and emotion (and still is, even with all the evidence and content).

My question is - If you were confronted with a similar sort of event again, given what you saw and experienced, how would you prepare and approach it differently?

Thanks again

I'd probably approach it much the same as I did. I don't see a value in identifying myself as press outwardly if I am in a crowd that large that is known to be hostile towards journalists. I never lie to people. If someone asks me what I am doing I will say that I am a photojournalist, but wearing body armor with a huge "PRESS" patch on it just doesn't seem wise for that type of event.

In your view how much danger were the elected officials in during the siege?

I wasn't close enough to any elected officials at any point to give an accurate assessment. I also don't know the evacuation plans that exist. I would assume the people that do executive protection for politicians are mostly highly experienced vets (or I would hope they are) so certainly capable of protecting themselves and others, but there were so many people that I think it's possible the building could have been overrun. I think it would all depend on whether people kept pushing after those around them were getting dropped, and that is impossible to predict.

What gear (protective gear, photo equipment, first aid kits, etc) did you end up bringing with you that day? Did you wish you had prepared differently based on what ended up happening?

I didn't bring anything. Any gear I could have brought would have identified me as press and made me a target. I was mostly worried about live rounds, but you can't hide body armor and I wanted to blend in as much as possible. If I had to do it over again I would have brought a tourniquet and quick clot gauze just in case, and some of those saline capsules to wash my eyes out.

I'm curious as to the amount of security there. It seemed like the cops just stood around outside quite a bit during the initial parts. Was that your view as well?

I don't think law enforcement predicted it would get as violent as it did. Police officers usually seem to think right wing protesters are on their side, back the blue and whatnot. I believe that day is when that really changed for both them and the participants. People would shout at the cops "we are on your side" but as they were intermittently rushing them. It was one of the more surreal parts of the day.

Are you afraid of being wrongly pursued by authorities? I don’t really understand how they review footage and pick and choose who to put a warrant out for. Is it just they see anyone in the crowds, that’s a suspect?

I don't know how they choose suspects. I am part of a group of professional photojournalists and when I got home I emailed their first amendment lawyer to let him know that I was inside so that if anyone came to talk to me there would be a record of that and he could represent me. It is public knowledge that I am a photojournalist so I wasn't really worried about it.

What camera did you use, lens, etc and what was your thought process? Just a phone? Dslr? Extra memory? Etc. were you prepared from a documentation standpoint?

Nikon D850 with a 24-120 F4 lens on it.

Was there a point where you felt like you would be harmed?

The whole day felt rather unsafe. I kept moving continuously because I didn't want to be surrounded or pinned down. I lived in DC at the time so my thought was if I had to I could run out and make my way through the neighborhoods. I also didn't live that far from the Capitol. I walked home at the end of the day.

Are you aware of or have you ever worked with Robert Evans and his research on online radicalism (such as the Proud and Boogaloo Boys)? How much overlap did you see in regards to PB/BB/Protestors, or rather how well were they intermeshed?

I know who Robert Evans is, I met him actually while covering a political rally in Portland. He's certainly very knowledgeable about extremism, and in the brief encounters I had with him was cordial and helpful, which is nice if you're an out of town reporter because you are trying to get as much information as possible. I have never worked with him. Not sure what you mean by BB.

Thank you for the answer! The Boogaloo Boys movement is another extremist group that was present, and whose priority is instigating a second civil war

I know who the Boogaloo Boys are, just got confused on the second part of the questions. I covered an armed protest of theirs outside a police station in Newport News, Virginia, and they have been present at a number of protests I have covered. The first time I saw them was at a 2A rally in Richmond Virginia years ago, and I kept wondering why guys with floral shirts had AR-15's. No one on January 6th had traditional colors on so I wasn't able to identify any of those groups. I later heard something about Proud Boys wearing orange I believe but I had no idea that was a strategy on the day.

Thanks again for the follow up, I greatly appreciate it. Sorry for not properly marking my abbreviations and causing confusion

It was my mistake. Lots of questions coming in in a short period of time, I get confused at times.

What is something that you have observed from a large group of angry people in both the HK protests and Jan 6th insurrection that shocked you the most?

There are so many things that are shocking that will happen during an event like this or one of the more intense protests in Hong Kong that you get fairly desensitized. In Hong Kong during what was known as "Save PolyU" protests a very young guy gave me two coffees bc I had been working all night and needed as much caffeine as possible and he thanked me for being there, but when he went to walk away I realized that one box was coffees and the other was molotov cocktails. Those were pretty common at that point but he was really young and really polite so it caught me a bit off guard for whatever reason. On January 6th a guy ran up to a cop and sprayed bear mace in his face, just dumped the stuff at him. I had never seen that before so that was kinda shocking but by the time I realized what was going on it had drifted down to me so I kind of blindly backed out and spent a while washing out my eyes.

Were there also a lot of protestors who were just there for Trump’s rally, but once the rioting starting they actively chose not to join in?

Hard to tell. There were literally thousands of people so I'm sure that a lot of them headed home after Trump's speech. I was outside the Ellipse listening to it on a loudspeaker someone set up and I started moving towards the Capitol as soon as the crowd did.

Do you believe those that took part are being dealt with in an appropriate way in terms of criminal charges etc?

I haven't followed the cases too closely. It's not up to me to determine what law enforcement or the justice system does or doesn't do. I document what happens, file the pictures, and try to move on as much as possible. It's on the news all the time and I usually change the channel.

Have any of your photos been used to identify the insurectionists? If so, do you get to claim any of the bounty/reward money?

I don't know if they have been used to identify insurrectionists. I have not claimed, nor tried to claim any reward money.

Did you take any of the photos that became infamous? The guy with the horns comes to mind..

I did not take any photos that became infamous and that's okay with me. Just trying to do the best job I can.

If martial law had been declared, the vote not certified and Pence and Pelosi hung or disappeared what would you have done next?

I would have kept taking photos. I'm a journalist, and if democracy is going to fall in America I'm going down with the ship.

What is your knowledge of Ray Epps?

I know he is the focus of a lot of right wing theories about the events of that day. I have never had any interaction with him.

Can you talk about what you were carrying that day as far as camera gear and personal protection. What would you add/subtract to your carry for the next one?

I carried a Nikon D850 with a 24-120 F4 on it., and no other gear. If I knew what was going to happen I would have carried a tourniquet and quick clot gauze because it could have been a lot worse.

Did you witness any drug use?

No.

Have you watched the documentary this place rules?

Is that the Andrew Callaghan (sp?) thing? Bc if so I have not watched it. I like some of that guy's stuff but I saw an interview where he said he edits things so they are funny or shocking, and I am not sure how that affects his coverage. I worry about the blending of news and entertainment.

Were you threatened by protestors and did you experience PTSD after covering 1/6? Also...thank you for documenting that day.

I wasn't threatened directly. Multiple people asked if I was a patriot, and I would say yes and keep moving.

Since so many people on the right have been programmed to dislike journalists, did you feel like you might yourself be targeted? Were you inconspicuous, or obviously a journalist?

I blended in as much as possible. I didn't feel safe in the crowd so I just kept moving.

How did the people present react to your presence (particularly given the far right's antipathy if not outright hostility to journalists)? Were you greeted, threatened, or ignored? Did you need to take pictures at a distance, or surreptitiously, or were you able to freely move in the crowd?

I tried to blend in as much as possible. I wasn't taking pictures surreptitiously but I also wasn't staying in one place for long. I kept moving.

Hi Matthew, Thabk you for your service. My questions are as follows: 1) What was the bizzarest thing you overheard MAGA supporter(s) saying/discussing during your reportage? 2) Do you know that such an event should be covered using drones, keep in mind the safety of journalists?

It would be hard to judge what was the most bizarre. Picture any right wing meme you would see on social media. I saw most of them shouted that day. I don't know much about drones, never used one. There are certainly people that cover more dangerous things on the ground, wars for instance, so I don't see the need to remove reporters from the field in favor of drones.

Do you remember people from place like LA that participated in raid? If yes what is their looks and thoughts? Also have you speaked any of raiders to capitol that day? What was they saying?

Do you mean Los Angeles or Louisiana? I spoke to some people but briefly.

Rep. Andrew Clyde (GA) stated (on camera) that the January 6th conduct appeared orderly and described actions as being that of a normal tourist visit. Can you attest to that description?

I watched a guy bear mace a cop in the face. I caught some of it because I was downwind. Never seen a tourist do that.