Grassley should support the PRESS Act
Iowa senator can further his legacy of supporting whistleblowers and First Amendment freedoms
The public pays for records lawsuits
Public records and freedom of information laws are fundamental for government transparency. But when journalists fight for access to wrongfully withheld records at the state and local level, the public is paying the price, according to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. Over the past year alone, local governments have paid journalists at least $1.6 million in attorneys fees — all of which was financed by taxpayers — following public records lawsuits.
Op-ed: Texas senators should support the PRESS Act
Cornyn and Cruz have complained about spying on journalists before. Now they can help outlaw it
Sunshine Week brings focus to public record lawsuits
U.S. Press Freedom Tracker highlights costs of government secrecy to taxpayers
Charges against journalist Tim Burke are a ‘hack’ job
If the Burke prosecution succeeds, it will encourage the powerful to use a federal computer hacking law to attack reporting that embarrasses them or exposes their wrongdoing.
Press for the PRESS Act
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer expressed his support this week for the PRESS Act, the strongest shield bill Congress has ever proposed. One of the most important things reporters can do is write about the PRESS Act in news reports or editorials, and non-journalists can help spread the word with op-eds and letters to the editor. Read more in our newsletter.
NYPD must stop arresting journalists
Earlier this month, NYPD officers violently tackled journalist Reed Dunlea and arrested him while he attempted to cover a pro-Palestinian protest for his podcast. In a letter to the Brooklyn District Attorney calling for the charges to be dropped, FPF wrote that "arresting reporters is a crude form of censorship." Read more in our newsletter.
Indictment threatens digital journalism
The disturbing indictment against journalist Tim Burke reportedly arises in part from Burke’s dissemination of outtakes from a 2022 Tucker Carlson interview with Ye. Federal prosecutors accuse Burke of “scouring” the internet for news and failing to obtain express authorization before accessing information posted on public websites. Requiring journalists to get permission to report news is, obviously, problematic. Read more in our newsletter.
Indictment of journalist raises serious First Amendment concerns
Government seeks permanent seizure of journalist Tim Burke's computers
Help save the First Amendment
The High Court in London is hearing arguments this week on whether to extradite Julian Assange to the United States to face charges under the Espionage Act for obtaining and publishing secret documents from a source — also known as journalism. We’re doing everything we can to urge the Department of Justice to drop the Espionage Act charges against Assange ahead of his potential extradition. You can help.
