Biden’s press freedom legacy: Empty words and hypocrisy
Joe Biden by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
The Biden administration helped create a road map for criminalizing journalism.
Despite accomplishments such as freeing journalists Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva from Russia and strengthening internal government guidelines on legal demands to journalists, former President Joe Biden’s press freedom record was decidedly mixed.
Among other failures, Biden’s continued prosecution of Julian Assange under the Espionage Act helped create a road map to criminalize reporting; he routinely put exaggerated national security concerns over the First Amendment; and he allowed the Israeli military to kill journalists in Gaza without consequence from the U.S.
Featured Items
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Assange to face extradition from United Kingdom: Freedom of the Press Foundation responds
A UK appeals court has allowed the United States to proceed in its extradition of Wikileaks publisher Julian Assange, overturning an earlier ruling that denied prosecutorial efforts based on the inhumane conditions of the American prison system.
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Prior restraint order in New York Times case on Project Veritas materials
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.
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Why the FBI raid of Project Veritas is concerning for press freedom
The FBI raid of James O'Keefe is a troubling development for press freedom. That the potential story was not a blockbuster public interest investigation, and that O’Keefe and Project Veritas have a long history of deception and manipulation, do not change that fact.
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Press freedom coalition calls for end to Assange prosecution, after shocking reporting on CIA misconduct
The United States prosecution of Julian Assange is a threat to press freedom around the globe. A coalition of more than two dozen press freedom, civil liberties, and international human rights groups is demanding the charges be dropped.
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After shocking story about CIA illegal acts, Biden admin must drop Assange charges immediately
A shocking investigation by Yahoo News shows the CIA contemplated kidnapping and assassination against the Wikileaks publisher.
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Supporting local journalism with the Local Journalism Sustainability Act
The Local Journalism Sustainability Act — a bill introduced with bipartisan support in the House of Representatives and a notable slate of Democratic backers in the Senate — aims to shore up small local news outlets with a collection of temporary benefits and give them time to retool.
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Major news outlets must push Biden DOJ to drop Assange charges — their press freedom rights are at stake
As major news organizations meet with the Department of Justice today to discuss the recent journalist surveillance scandals, it’s vitally important that they press the Attorney General to drop the prosecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. If the case continues, it would render the new press freedom progress worthless.
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In a sea change for press freedom, Biden administration vows not to spy on reporters doing their job
The Biden admin, following the revelation of several scandals involving the DOJ spying on journalists, says it will end the practice.
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Surveillance of CNN reporter underscores urgency of Justice Department ban on journalist spying
The Trump administration's Department of Justice secretly obtained the phone and email records of a CNN journalist last year. Senator Wyden has called on the Biden admin to categorically bar the surveillance of journalists in order to root out their sources.
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Biden administration defends Trump’s indefensible surveillance of reporters
Department of Justice subpoenas for the phone records of three Washington Post reporters represent an outrageous invasion of the First Amendment rights of journalists to communicate with sources, and the defense of their use by the Biden administration raises alarming questions about its commitment to press freedom.
