Dear Friend of Press Freedom,
Rümeysa Öztürk has been facing deportation for 255 days for co-writing an op-ed the government didn’t like, and journalist Ya’akub Vijandre remains locked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement over social media posts about issues he reported on. Read on for more ongoing battles against government suppression of the free press.
And join us today at 2 p.m. EST for a conversation with leading immigration journalists about reporting truth and protecting communities. Register here.
New York Times fights back against Pentagon prior restraint
The newspaper President Donald Trump likes to call “the failing New York Times” somehow managed to scrounge up enough pocket change to take his administration to court. The Times and its Pentagon reporter, Julian Barnes, are suing the Pentagon over its censorial policy restricting journalists from publishing unauthorized information.
As Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) Executive Director Trevor Timm said, “The Pentagon’s absurd access pledge has been an affront to the First Amendment since the first day they proposed it. And we look forward to a federal judge throwing it out with the trash, where it belongs.”
FPF demands court lift secrecy in Catherine Herridge’s privilege case
A federal appellate court got it wrong by requiring journalist Catherine Herridge to disclose the sources for her reporting on scientist Yangping Chen’s alleged ties to the Chinese military while an online college Chen founded received federal funds. She’s rightly seeking a rehearing.
Worse yet, the misguided ruling was informed by documents about the FBI’s investigation of Chen that were improperly filed under seal, and which the appellate court considered in a closed hearing. FPF, represented by Schaerr | Jaffe LLP, filed a motion to intervene and unseal the documents and hearing transcript.
Reckless federal agents are the threat, not cameras
The right to record law enforcement operations is well established. But immigration officers have repeatedly chased, assaulted, and even arrested people for recording them. This isn’t just unconstitutional. It’s dangerous.
FPF Senior Adviser Caitlin Vogus wrote for NC Newsline that “Federal agents don’t want cameras pointed at them because it can force accountability. When they lash out at people who record them, it’s not just those targeted who are in danger; everyone around them is at risk too.”
U.S. journalists abducted by Israel describe abuse and U.S. indifference
FPF Deputy Director of Audience Ahmed Zidan wrote for Jacobin about the online event we hosted with Defending Rights & Dissent last month featuring three U.S. journalists who were nabbed by Israel in international waters while on aid flotillas headed to Gaza.
It should’ve been an international scandal, but the administration hardly lifted a finger. As Jewish Currents reporter Emily Wilder said, “The abuses against us demonstrate how far [the Israeli] regime will go, how emboldened it’s been, and the absolute impunity they have to act this way.”
White House media bias tracker: Another tired gimmick
The White House launched a media bias tracker to catalog instances of supposedly distorted coverage. Predictably, the site is long on hyperbole and short on substance.
FPF Advocacy Director Seth Stern said, “If Trump thinks the media is getting stories wrong or being unfair to him, he should release the public records, correspondence, and legal memoranda that prove it, instead of wasting time and taxpayer money on silly websites. … The gimmick is wearing thin.” Media columnist Margaret Sullivan agrees.
Sen. Kelly: Read the boat strike memo into the Congressional Record
Sen. Mark Kelly told CNN that he has read the Justice Department’s classified legal rationale for destroying alleged drug boats and that it should be released.
Not only is the senator right, he has the power to make the document public himself, and he should do so without delay. FPF’s Daniel Ellsberg Chair on Government Secrecy, Lauren Harper, has more.
Censorship by invoice
Michigan’s Grand Blanc Township thinks it has discovered a trick to weasel out of accountability: charging a reporter more for records about a tragic church shooting than most people earn in two years.
FPF‘s Stern wrote about why these tactics can’t be allowed to continue and why, rather than being deterred, reporters should take governmental evasiveness as a sign that they’re onto something.
What We're Reading
Photojournalist arrested at Miami immigration protest, gear seized
U.S. Press Freedom Tracker
Freelance photojournalist Dave Decker was unlawfully arrested by Miami-Dade Sheriff’s deputies while documenting anti-deportation protests. Read the objection letter we joined with Florida’s First Amendment Foundation and the National Press Photographers Association.
In ‘Cover-Up,’ Laura Poitras investigates Seymour Hersh
Columbia Journalism Review
The filmmaker and FPF’s founding board member discussed her 20-year project, the “crisis” in investigative journalism, and how truth-telling can still change the world.
How the feds used propaganda to frame their ‘war’ on Chicago: ‘They’re lying constantly’
Block Club Chicago
As Stern explained, propaganda doesn’t work when there’s a strong local media. “People know their local reporters. They see them on the street. They rely on them. That makes it harder for the administration to control the narrative.”
The SLAPP problem is worse than we thought
Columbia Journalism Review
CJR features our friends at First Amendment Watch’s new “SLAPP Back Initiative” to track strategic lawsuits against public participation.
This year, we’ve trained over 3,000 journalists in essential digital security skills, documented 240 press freedom violations, and filed over 250 Freedom of Information Act requests and 6 FOIA lawsuits. We can’t keep this up without your help. Donate online, via DAFpay, or our other ways to give. All donations are matched, up to $75,000.
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