Press coalition to courts: Don’t walk back pandemic-era access
CTK/Josef Horazny via AP
Our court system should be open to the public and not operate behind closed doors.
The First Amendment gives the public and the press the right to attend trials, access court documents, and report on the justice system. But far too often, judges try to evade that right by sealing records or holding secret proceedings.
We must fight back against attempts to make the court system less transparent and push to expand access. Reporting on the courts helps make our justice system fairer and guards against miscarriages of justice.
Featured Items
-
Supreme Court ruling bodes well for unjustly convicted NC journalists
The court’s decision means journalists who can prove retaliation for doing their jobs can more easily sue
-
Government refuses to learn its lesson on censorship
Recent news from LA and Tennessee shows latest examples of public officials’ cluelessness when it comes to journalists’ constitutional rights
-
States keep public in dark with anti-transparency reforms
Laws limiting public records access make it harder for journalists to hold executive branch officials accountable
-
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
-
NJ court to journalist on publication of official’s address: Do you feel lucky, punk?
Decision empowers state officials to try to stop reporting they dislike
-
SCOTUS needs to hold officials who ignore press freedom accountable
Texas citizen journalist’s case is an opportunity to push back against criminalization of routine newsgathering
-
State lawmakers shut the shades during Sunshine Week
During a week celebrating government openness, three states — New Jersey, Colorado, and California — considered or enacted anti-transparency laws
-
‘Classified information’ isn’t a magic formula to suspend the First Amendment
The Supreme Court seems to understand the First Amendment limits on government coercion of speech — except when it comes to national security
-
Sunshine Week brings focus to public record lawsuits
U.S. Press Freedom Tracker highlights costs of government secrecy to taxpayers
