Protect Source Leaks, Limit Leak Investigations

An affidavit in support of a criminal complaint and arrest warrant against a man accused in the leak of highly classified military documents.

AP Photo/Jon Elswick

Reporting on leaked information informs the public, while claims of harm are often overblown.

Journalists routinely rely on leaked information to inform the public. Without leaks, we’d be left in the dark about vital information involving the government, corporations, and powerful individuals, who often act in secret.

When government information is leaked, the U.S. routinely claims, without proof, that the leak damages national security. We should be skeptical of claims that leaks cause harm, and of broad leak investigations that can lead to the surveillance of journalists and sources and the chilling of reporting.

Write to your member of Congress

First Name * Last Name
Email Address *
Street Address * Zip Code * Enter a five digit US ZIP code

Edit this message so that it is unique to you: Dear Member of Congress, As your constituent, I urge you to immediately and forcefully speak out against the subpoenas issued to The Wall Street Journal and other news outlets, and to support legislation protecting journalists from being required to reveal their confidential sources. The Department of Justice has reportedly subpoenaed the Journal and other news outlets as part of leak investigations related to their reporting about the Iran war. President Trump has labeled this reporting “treason.” Reporting about why and how the government wages war is not treason. It is the job of the press in a democracy to keep the public informed. Journalists need confidential sources to report news that the public has a right to know, especially because elected leaders often lie or hide the truth about military conflicts. But confidential sources won’t speak to journalists, and the public won’t learn the truth about what the government is up to, if prosecutors can subpoena journalists to unmask their sources. That is exactly the goal of the subpoenas sent to the Journal and other news outlets. These subpoenas have nothing to do with protecting our national security. They are meant to intimidate reporters and sources, and to deter essential reporting that keeps Americans informed about the war in Iran. As a member of Congress, you have a duty to speak out against abuses of the administration that harm the free press and, in turn, the American people. I ask that you please publicly condemn the subpoenas to the Journal and other news outlets in the strongest possible terms. In addition, I urge you to support future legislation like the PRESS Act, which would protect journalists from being forced to reveal their confidential sources. That bipartisan bill passed the House without any objection and had bipartisan support in the Senate in 2024. If you have already spoken out about this issue, thank you. URLs are not allowed in this message.

* Required. We will not share your information with third parties. Learn more

Something went wrong processing this request. Please try again later.

Opt in to email updates from Freedom of the Press Foundation

Something went wrong and your email updates subscription could not be processed. Please visit our signup page and try again.

Thank you for encouraging your member of Congress to speak out against government subpoenas targeting the press.

Donate

Share this message on social media:
Join me in telling Congress that it must forcefully condemn the Trump administration’s subpoenas to journalists trying to uncover their confidential sources: https://freedom.press/action/congress-speak-out-against-subpoenas-targeting-wsj-and-other-news-outlets

Featured Items

New Yorker Launches New Whistleblower Submission System, With Code Written by the Late Aaron Swartz
Whistleblowers•Article
In an important announcement, the New Yorker has launched ‘Strongbox,’ a whistleblower submission system that aims to allow for anonymous leakers to digitally hand off important information to journalists. The underlying code, called 'Dead-Drop,' is an open-source project and was written by Internet pioneer and legendary coder Aaron Swartz, before …

Published May 15, 2013 Trevor Timm
Justice Department Investigation of AP Part of Larger Pattern to Intimidate Sources and Reporters
Surveillance•Article
As part of a new leak investigation, the Justice Department has secretly obtained the call records for twenty phone lines owned by the Assocated Press (AP), which could put sources for as many as one hundred reporters at risk. The AP called the move a "massive and unprecedented intrusion," saying …

Published May 13, 2013 Trevor Timm
Correcting the Error-Riddled Wall Street Journal Column on WikiLeaks, Bradley Manning, and Press Freedom
Whistleblowers•Article
Since the audio of whistleblower Bradley Manning's statement to the court leaked last week, it's becoming clear how much of a threat the government's "aiding the enemy" charge against Manning threatens all whistleblowers. Famed law professor Yochai Benkler and First Amendment scholar Floyd Abrams wrote an op-ed in the …

Published March 18, 2013 Trevor Timm
Bradley Manning's Voice Now Available on The Internet Archive and The Pirate Bay
Whistleblowers•Article
Yesterday Freedom of the Press Foundation published a full, previously unreleased audio recording of Bradley Manning's speech to the military court about his motivations for leaking the Apache helicopter video, Afghanistan and Iraq Wars Logs, and the State Department Diplomatic Cables to WikiLeaks. In this recording he says in his …

Published March 13, 2013 Micah Lee
Help Spread Bradley Manning's Words Across the Internet
Whistleblowers•Article
Today Freedom of the Press Foundation released an audio recording of Bradley Manning's statement to the military court. By releasing this audio recording, we wish to make sure that the voice of this generation's most prolific whistleblower can be heard—literally—by the world. Please spread his words as far as you …

Published March 12, 2013 Micah Lee
Freedom of the Press Foundation Publishes Leaked Audio of Bradley Manning’s Statement
Whistleblowers•Article
Today, Freedom of the Press Foundation is publishing the full, previously unreleased audio recording of Private First Class Bradley Manning’s speech to the military court in Ft. Meade about his motivations for leaking over 700,000 government documents to WikiLeaks. In addition, we have published highlights from Manning’s statement to the …

Published March 11, 2013 Trevor Timm Rainey Reitman
Obama Promises More Transparency on Drone Strikes, Then Doubles Down on Secrecy
Secrecy•Article
In the wake of the government's secret legal rationale for the targeted killing of American citizens leaking to the press, President Obama has now twice vowed to bring more transparency to national security issues, and in particular, drone strikes. Yet since his two statements, his administration has instead moved to …

Published Feb. 25, 2013 Trevor Timm
The Drones Controversy Shows Why Leaks Are Vital to Democracy
Leaks•Article
This week, Congress finally started a substantive debate on the role of drones in US foreign policy, and more importantly, the Obama administration’s secret legal rationale for why it believes it can kill American citizens overseas with no due process. But why is this just happening now? It's been …

Published Feb. 10, 2013 Trevor Timm
Talking to Reporters Is Not A Crime: New Leak Investigation Threatens Press Freedom
Leaks•Article
A disturbing report in Saturday’s Washington Post describes an FBI investigation of a large number of government officials suspected of leaking classified information to the press, engulfing an unknown group of reporters along the way. The investigation includes data-mining officials’ personal and professional communications to find any contact with journalists. …

Published Jan. 27, 2013 Trevor Timm

Protect Source Leaks, Limit Leak Investigations

Speak out against subpoenas targeting The Wall Street Journal and other news outlets

Write to your member of Congress

Featured Items

Not publishing newsworthy leaks isn’t journalistic integrity, it’s timidity

Three press freedom threats to watch during Trump 2.0

Ex-CIA employee deserves a long prison sentence — but not for leaking documents

New Yorker Launches New Whistleblower Submission System, With Code Written by the Late Aaron Swartz

Justice Department Investigation of AP Part of Larger Pattern to Intimidate Sources and Reporters

Correcting the Error-Riddled Wall Street Journal Column on WikiLeaks, Bradley Manning, and Press Freedom

Bradley Manning's Voice Now Available on The Internet Archive and The Pirate Bay

Help Spread Bradley Manning's Words Across the Internet

Freedom of the Press Foundation Publishes Leaked Audio of Bradley Manning’s Statement

Obama Promises More Transparency on Drone Strikes, Then Doubles Down on Secrecy

The Drones Controversy Shows Why Leaks Are Vital to Democracy

Talking to Reporters Is Not A Crime: New Leak Investigation Threatens Press Freedom

Protect Source Leaks, Limit Leak Investigations

Speak out against subpoenas targeting The Wall Street Journal and other news outlets

Write to your member of Congress

Featured Items

Subscribe to the mailing list

Sign Up. Take Action.