The intersections of press freedom and the environment
Journalists, experts speak about threats faced by environmental journalists in honor of World Press Freedom Day
Bipartisan anti-terrorism bill could silence nonprofit media
Alarming legislation would allow Congress to deem news outlets supporters of terrorism without due process
Americans disturbed by Israel’s Al Jazeera ban should oppose censorship at home
The news outlet’s silencing serves as a cautionary tale for the U.S., following its flurry of censorial bills and court cases
Public must have access to U.S. report on military aid
Biden administration has no reason to withhold Congressional report on how foreign recipients of U.S. military assistance comply with human rights law
Cops on campus arrest, bully journalists
As police stormed several college campuses in recent days and arrested hundreds of students protesting the Israel-Gaza war, the free press was also under attack. Texas Department of Public Safety officers arrested Carlos Sanchez, a photojournalist for the local Fox affiliate, as he was covering protests at the University of Texas at Austin. But police can’t seem to make up their minds about what, exactly, they want us to believe Sanchez did wrong, repeatedly bringing then dropping charges against the photographer.
FPF discusses threats to the free press on radio talk show
WBEZ interview highlights legislative, economic, and cultural headwinds that threaten the Fourth Estate
Report highlights need for journalists to push back when stonewalled
News readers need to know when the government withholds information from them
Felony charges against Austin journalist are authoritarian bullying
Police retaliate against journalist for exercising his First Amendment right to film them violating protesters' First Amendment rights
Biden signs off on ‘spy draft’
Last week, we warned of a dangerous new bill that would expand the surveillance law Section 702 of FISA. Unfortunately, the Senate approved the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act, or RISAA, over the weekend, officially reauthorizing Section 702 without any significant reforms and with dangerous expansions of the intelligence agencies’ spy powers. President Biden quickly signed the bill into law, authorizing intelligence agencies to essentially “institute a spy draft” that could require ordinary Americans and businesses to help the government surveil online communications, including those of journalists.
‘Spy draft’ bill threatens press freedom
The Senate is dangerously close to passing a bill that would allow intelligence agencies to essentially “institute a spy draft” and order everyone from dentists to plumbers to surveil their patients and customers’ communications. The RISAA would also allow the government to order commercial landlords who rent space to media outlets, or contractors who service newsrooms, to help it spy on American journalists’ communications with foreign sources.
