Congress has reintroduced the PRESS Act. Now lawmakers must pass it.
AP Photo/Jim Mone
The PRESS Act is the most important press freedom bill in modern history.
The PRESS Act would protect journalists from being forced to reveal their confidential sources in federal court and would stop the federal government from spying on journalists— including through tech companies like Google and Facebook.
Its modern definition of ‘journalist’ would protect reporters big and small from across the political spectrum – whether they work at a mainstream news organization, an alternative outlet, are independent, or freelance. It has broad bipartisan support and has already passed the House unanimously.
Featured Items
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Nearly 40 press rights and civil liberties organizations urge Sen. Schumer to help pass the PRESS Act
Letter argues that law would curtail trend of government surveillance of journalists.
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URGENT: Tell Sen. Schumer to pass the PRESS Act and stop the government from spying on journalists
Time is running out to make the PRESS Act the law of the land before Congress adjourns.
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Now’s the time: Tell Sen. Durbin to advance the PRESS Act, the historic press freedom legislation
Sen. Dick Durbin has an opportunity to advance landmark protections for journalists.
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Congress has a historic chance to protect journalists and whistleblowers in this year’s defense authorization bill
For years, DOJ has abused the Espionage Act against whistleblowers and journalists. A new bill could potentially change that.
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Why press protections need legislative teeth, in DOJ’s own words
We’ve repeatedly argued that legislation is necessary to resolve questions about when the Department of Justice media guidelines apply and to provide accountability in case of violations. So, what kind of accountability is there now?
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Secret Justice Dept. subpoena drives home the need for a strong journalist shield law
With a reporter surveillance scandal of its own embroiling Biden’s Department of Justice, it’s now more important than ever for his administration to throw its weight behind passing a journalist shield law such as Senator Ron Wyden’s PRESS Act.
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Biden’s Justice Dept. promised to support a strong journalist shield law. So why hasn’t it?
Sen. Ron Wyden calls the Justice Department’s inaction on key press freedom issue “extremely frustrating, and frankly unacceptable”
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Investigate Customs and Border Protection for illicit investigations of journalists
New reporting into a government operation codenamed "Operation Whistle Pig" describes a shocking level of invasion into the personal and private lives of journalists. In blockbuster reporting, Yahoo News describes the actions of the Counter Network Division, a secretive unit of U.S. Customs and Border Protection that works with law enforcement and the intelligence community.
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Congress must pass the Justice Dept’s new media surveillance rules into law
New rules prohibiting the surveillance of journalists are the strongest in the modern history of the Department of Justice — and that’s a big victory for press freedom. But it’s important to note that this new policy could be undone by a future Department of Justice memo.
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Senate blocks crucial internet privacy protections in Patriot Act debate
Despite online privacy concerns at an all-time high, the Senate rejected a critical reform to the Patriot Act yesterday, voting to hand the Trump administration and Attorney General William Barr the ability to spy on Americans’ web browsing habits without a warrant.
