Search page

The Latest

Mobilizing allies and the public to create tangible change for press freedom.

All Articles

    Photojournalist John Harrington at the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021

    Another record year for press-freedom violations in the US

    Arrests/Prosecutions•Article

    While we did not see the scope of national social-justice protests of 2020—a year in which journalists were arrested or assaulted on average more than once a day—2021 still outpaced the years before it for press-freedom violations. We systematically capture this data in the US Press Freedom Tracker, where Freedom of the Press Foundation, in partnership with the Committee to Protect Journalists and other press freedom groups, has documented aggressions against journalists in the United States since 2017.

    Kirstin McCudden
    CBP officer using multiple monitors

    Investigate Customs and Border Protection for illicit investigations of journalists

    Surveillance•Article

    New reporting into a government operation codenamed "Operation Whistle Pig" describes a shocking level of invasion into the personal and private lives of journalists. In blockbuster reporting, Yahoo News describes the actions of the Counter Network Division, a secretive unit of U.S. Customs and Border Protection that works with law enforcement and the intelligence community.

    Parker Higgins
    Excerpt of Veritas v. NYT order

    Statement on the extension of prior restraint order against New York Times Project Veritas reporting

    Prior Restraint•Article

    Today's decision to allow this prior restraint of New York Times publishing to continue — and to restrict the paper's reporters from engaging in common newsgathering activities besides — is a shameful development. It is a cornerstone of speech law in this country that any prior restraint, even a very temporary one, is constitutionally permissible only in the most extreme scenarios. As the Times noted in its briefing on the issue, the result has been that such an order has not been entered against it since the Pentagon Papers case some 50 years ago.

    Freedom of the Press Foundation
    Excerpt of Veritas v. NYT order

    Prior restraint order in New York Times case on Project Veritas materials

    Prior Restraint•Article

    A trial court judge has ordered The New York Times to stop disseminating information related to Project Veritas, in a shocking act of both prior restraint and restriction on protected newsgathering activities. Dean Baquet, executive editor of the New York Times, cited the Pentagon Papers case in calling the ruling "unconstitutional" and noting that it "sets a dangerous precedent." We agree.

    Parker Higgins

Sign Up. Take Action.

Join our email list to stay up to date on the issues and learn how you can help protect journalists and sources everywhere.

See all newsletters

Thanks for subscribing to Freedom of the Press Foundation's mailing list. We'll send you opportunities to take action on combating government secrecy, protesting mass surveillance, and protecting reporter's rights.

Photo Credit: Rainmaker Photo/MediaPunch/IPX via AP