Courtesy Joseph Rushmore
Too often, police arrest journalists for doing their jobs. These arrests and prosecutions chill important reporting.
Arrests and prosecutions of journalists often violate the First Amendment, and they undermine the public’s right to learn about newsworthy events.
Data from the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker shows that journalists are at heightened risk of arrest while covering protests. But police have also arrested reporters just for gathering news or asking questions. Journalists should never be arrested for doing their jobs.
Featured Items
-
The Brazilian government should immediately halt investigations into Glenn Greenwald and The Intercept Brazil’s reporting
Governments investigating journalists for doing their job is a serious threat to press freedom.
-
Daniel Ellsberg responds to the unjust jailing of whistleblower Chelsea Manning
Chelsea Manning is standing up for press freedom by refusing to comply with the grand jury investigating WikiLeaks.
-
California AG refuses to rule out legal action against public records journalists, in new statements
'It's either the case that the Attorney General of California is ... suggesting he can [prosecute] just to intimidate those journalists—or that he doesn't know what California law says. I don't find either option very comforting.'
-
In a brewing First Amendment fight, California’s Attorney General threatens journalists for possessing a public records document
Reporters obtained a list of police convictions through a public records request. California’s Attorney General, claiming its mere possession is a misdemeanor crime, is threatening them with legal action.
-
Expanding the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker two years after launch
We're expanding our US Press Freedom Tracker project, which systematically tracks press freedom violations in the United States.
-
Several recent moves by Trump’s Justice Department threaten press freedom
Trump's Justice Department has much more power over journalists than Trump's tweets, and may be getting ready to use it.
-
Another ‘ag-gag’ law struck down as a First Amendment violation, yet several states still have them in place
Despite a long history of journalists going undercover to investigate and shed light on secretive industries like the animal agriculture industry, several states have statutes—commonly known as ‘ag gag’ laws—that criminalize reporting on animal abuse at farms. Last Wednesday, a federal judge ruled Iowa’s such law unconstitutional on the grounds …
-
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker in 2018: Year two of documenting attacks on the press in the Trump era
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker documented numerous attacks on journalists and press freedom rights across the country in 2018, from arrests to physical attacks and prosecutions of sources.
-
How new state legislation is making reporting on pipeline protests a felony
The ability of the press to cover pipeline protests is critical—but some states are passing legislation that drastically escalates penalties for journalists who do so.
-
One year on, the push for change since the murder of Malta's most famous investigative journalist
Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered on October 16, 2017. Her death has divided Malta and shaken governmental and journalistic institutions to their core. The year since has functioned as a national reckoning, a questioning, and a movement.