The Freedom of Information Act is getting worse under the Trump administration
FOIA is a deeply broken law that remains a critical tool for journalists, activists, and community residents who seek to illuminate government activities.
Daniel Ellsberg responds to the unjust jailing of whistleblower Chelsea Manning
Chelsea Manning is standing up for press freedom by refusing to comply with the grand jury investigating WikiLeaks.
California AG refuses to rule out legal action against public records journalists, in new statements
'It's either the case that the Attorney General of California is ... suggesting he can [prosecute] just to intimidate those journalists—or that he doesn't know what California law says. I don't find either option very comforting.'
In a brewing First Amendment fight, California’s Attorney General threatens journalists for possessing a public records document
Reporters obtained a list of police convictions through a public records request. California’s Attorney General, claiming its mere possession is a misdemeanor crime, is threatening them with legal action.
The US government is increasingly targeting journalists at the US-Mexico border
Numerous journalists covering the migrant caravan have been subjected to secondary screenings at the US-Mexico border, questioned, and searched. It’s not the first time CBP has targeted the press.
Expanding the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker two years after launch
We're expanding our US Press Freedom Tracker project, which systematically tracks press freedom violations in the United States.
How Trump’s government shutdown ground transparency to a halt
During Trump’s 35 day partial government shutdown—the longest in history—FOIA requests and FOIA litigation ground to a halt.
Federal court dismisses dangerous charges in lawsuit that threatens First Amendment
A lawsuit by a logging company against environmental groups is a prime example of how corporations bring lawsuits in an attempt to drain their critics of resources and intimidate them into silence.
Several recent moves by Trump’s Justice Department threaten press freedom
Trump's Justice Department has much more power over journalists than Trump's tweets, and may be getting ready to use it.
Another ‘ag-gag’ law struck down as a First Amendment violation, yet several states still have them in place
Despite a long history of journalists going undercover to investigate and shed light on secretive industries like the animal agriculture industry, several states have statutes—commonly known as ‘ag gag’ laws—that criminalize reporting on animal abuse at farms. Last Wednesday, a federal judge ruled Iowa’s such law unconstitutional on the grounds …
