Snowden anniversary a reminder of the need to protect whistleblowers and journalists

AP Photo/George Brich
Whistleblowers are essential to a free and unfettered press.
Whistleblowers play a critical role in informing the public and holding the government to account.
Sources who act out of conscience to leak information to the press further our democracy. Whistleblowers like Daniel Ellsberg, Chelsea Manning, and Edward Snowden, have exposed some of our government’s gravest abuses.
Unfortunately, whistleblowers are often prosecuted and jailed. That’s wrong. Whistleblowers and the journalists they work with should be celebrated, not punished.
Congress should stop law enforcement and intelligence agencies from buying their way around the Fourth Amendment
Amendment would stop unconstitutional charges against journalists and whistleblowers without impacting real espionage cases
A patchwork of state laws and the lack of a federal anti-SLAPP law leave free expression vulnerable to chilling lawsuits
Surveillance law Section 702 shouldn’t be renewed without significant reforms
From congressional letters to administrative summonses, journalists are constantly pressured to burn sources
It’s not just the “liberal media” that needs protection from politicians pressuring journalists to burn sources
FPF to continue fighting for PRESS Act’s passage in 2023.
Spying on journalists is not a partisan issue.
Time is running out to make the PRESS Act the law of the land before Congress adjourns.
Sen. Dick Durbin has an opportunity to advance landmark protections for journalists.