Charges dropped against Oregon journalist

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.
The Brazilian government's attack on Glenn Greenwald and the Intercept Brazil is an attack on all journalists.
Governments investigating journalists for doing their job is a serious threat to press freedom.
Chelsea Manning is standing up for press freedom by refusing to comply with the grand jury investigating WikiLeaks.
'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.'
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.
We're expanding our US Press Freedom Tracker project, which systematically tracks press freedom violations in the United States.
Trump's Justice Department has much more power over journalists than Trump's tweets, and may be getting ready to use it.
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 documented numerous attacks on journalists and press freedom rights across the country in 2018, from arrests to physical attacks and prosecutions of sources.
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.