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.
Featured Items
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‘A national embarrassment’
The flood of press freedom violations against journalists covering protests opposing the Israel-Gaza war is a national embarrassment. The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker has documented dozens of abuses connected to protests and counterprotests, and the numbers will likely grow. These recent incidents confirm what past data in the Tracker has demonstrated: protests are an especially dangerous place for journalists.
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Press freedom under attack at campus protests
We’ve documented dozens of press freedom violations against journalists covering pro-Palestinian protests and counterprotests — and the number is growing
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Student journalist covering protests: ‘We have to do it’
Students reporting on campus protests have First Amendment rights — and they’re being violated over and over
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Felony charges against Austin journalist are authoritarian bullying
Police retaliate against journalist for exercising his First Amendment right to film them violating protesters' First Amendment rights
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SCOTUS needs to hold officials who ignore press freedom accountable
Texas citizen journalist’s case is an opportunity to push back against criminalization of routine newsgathering
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Accountability needed after charges dropped against AL journalists
Prosecution under grand jury law was frivolous from the outset
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New York law to fund journalists’ jobs should be model for rest of US
We must find new ways — like through employment tax credits — to pay for local news while preserving its independence
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American journalist now held in Russia six months
The State Department should designate Alsu Kurmasheva as wrongfully detained. Russia must immediately release her
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Accountability is past due for Kansas newsroom raid
Evidence of unlawful retaliation continued to mount after raid left the headlines
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Stop arresting journalists
Just a few months into 2024, the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker has documented four arrests or detentions of journalists covering protests in New York, Tennessee, and California. These arrests violate journalists’ rights, and they undermine the right of the public to learn about newsworthy events happening in their communities. They also show the disturbing and stubborn persistence of a system of policing that either doesn’t know or doesn’t care about First Amendment rights.
