Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry and several other state Attorneys General and federal lawmakers have baselessly accused media major outlets of supporting terrorism. Jeff Landry by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) Director of Advocacy Seth Stern wrote for The Intercept about an alarming bill that would allow the secretary of the treasury to unilaterally revoke the tax-exempt status of nonprofit organizations, including nonprofit news outlets, by deeming them supporters of terrorism.
The op-ed explains that the bill is particularly concerning just months after dozens of state and federal elected officials accused major news outlets of supporting terrorism by buying pictures from Palestinian freelancers, or even merely by criticizing Israel. Stern noted that
Get Notified. Take Action.
Threats to press freedom around the world are at an all-time high. Sign up to stay up to date and take action to protect journalists and whistleblowers everywhere.
Email:
“Those who claim a second Donald Trump term would mark the end of democracy need to stop passing overbroad and unnecessary new laws handing him, and future authoritarians, brand new ways to harass and silence journalists who don’t toe the line.”