Dear Friend of Press Freedom,
Rümeysa Öztürk has been facing deportation for 241 days for co-writing an op-ed the government didn’t like. Read on for more about the federal government targeting noncitizen journalists for what they write, say and think.
Journalist-hating president kisses up to journalist-killing crown prince
President Donald Trump shamefully welcomed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the White House this week. He brushed aside questions about Crown Prince Mohammed’s role in the gruesome 2018 murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, commenting that “things happen” and “You don’t have to embarrass our guest by asking a question like that.”
Freedom of the Press foundation (FPF) Director of Advocacy Seth Stern remarked:
“Somehow calling a female reporter ‘piggy’ was only the second-most offensive anti-press utterance to come out of the president’s mouth in recent days. And somehow Biden’s infamous fist bump is now only the second-most disgusting public display of flattery by a U.S. president to journalist-murderer Mohammed bin Salman.”
DHS targets journalists for speaking out about Gaza
Texas journalist Ya’akub Ira Vijandre and British journalist and commentator Sami Hamdi are the two latest examples of the Department of Homeland Security targeting journalists.
Hamdi self-deported to England after 18 days enduring inhumane conditions in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody. Vijandre, a Filipino American Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipient who has lived in the U.S. since 2021, remains in custody as he awaits deportation proceedings.
Hamdi and his wife, Soumaya, joined us for an online event this week alongside attorneys and friends of both Hamdi and Vijandre. As Hamdi said, “If the American public finds out the realities of what’s happening, ICE will be dismantled in an instant.”
A $50 lesson in press freedom
Prosecutors in Kentucky have finally dropped charges against journalist Madeline Fening, who was arrested while covering a July protest on the Roebling Bridge for CityBeat.
But, as Stern wrote in an op-ed for CityBeat, the damage is already done. Kenton County drew condemnation from civil liberties advocates across the country and sacrificed any credibility it had when it came respecting First Amendment rights — and all to recover a combined grand total of $50 from Fening and her colleague, Lucas Griffith.
Journalists targeted at Oregon protests
You’ve probably seen the inflatable frogs, the dance parties, the naked bike ride. Maybe you’ve also seen the darker images: a federal officer aiming a weapon at protesters, or federal agents hurling tear gas and flash bangs into peaceful demonstrations at a Portland, Oregon, immigration facility.
FPF Senior Adviser Caitlin Vogus writes about how journalists in Portland have been attacked for bringing images like these to the world.
Court suspends journalist injunction in Chicago
A judicial order won by Chicago area journalists that limited protest policing tactics by federal law enforcement was put on hold this week, with a federal appellate court calling the order overbroad.
As Stern told FPF’s U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, “It is difficult to understand how it is overbroad to ‘enjoin all law enforcement officers within the Executive Branch’ when the president, who last I checked runs the executive branch, expressly demands that those under him brutalize, censor and arrest activists and journalists who interfere with their narrative — the exact conduct restricted by the injunction.”
Immigration agents claim routine reporting violates federal law
Independent news outlet Status Coup reported Wednesday that federal immigration agents threatened its reporter, Jon Farina, with arrest for following and filming them, despite well-established First Amendment protections.
Stern said in a statement, “It looks like these officers believe transparency itself is obstructive to their operations, which is a pretty good indicator that their operations are in need of obstruction. The First Amendment is intended to obstruct government abuses. … If they’re too thin-skinned for the public scrutiny that comes with being a part of that, they can go find a job that doesn’t involve abducting people for an authoritarian regime.”
What we’re reading
The secrecy surrounding the Trump’s immigration agenda (NPR). FPF’s Daniel Ellsberg Chair on Government Secrecy joined NPR’s “1A” to talk about the shroud of secrecy at virtually every level of the immigration system.
Vindman demands release of Trump-Mohammed bin Salman call after Khashoggi murder: ‘You will be shocked’ (The Hill). This is exhibit “A” for why the National Security Council should be subject to the Freedom of Information Act.
Larry Ellison discussed axing CNN hosts with White House in takeover bid talks (The Guardian). So the president went from feigning outrage about allegedly biased public media to making deals with centibillionaire friends to make corporate media more biased. Got it.
After Donald Trump’s attack on correspondent Mary Bruce, White House goes after ABC again with ‘fake news’ press release (Deadline). It looks like $16 million – the amount ABC paid to settle Trump’s frivolous lawsuit last year – only buys you so much protection these days.
Will Trump destroy the BBC? (Unherd). “So I presume by the name of your organization that you’re not very keen on sitting presidents suing news organizations.” That’s correct! Listen to our interview with Unherd about Trump’s lawsuit threat against BBC.
The SLAPP Back Initiative (First Amendment Watch). Congratulations to First Amendment Watch at New York University for launching the first database in the U.S. documenting alleged strategic lawsuits against public participation.
