California police violate press rights
Freedom of the Press Foundation
May 17, 2024
Dear Friend of Press Freedom,
Here are some of the most important stories we’re following from the U.S. and around the world. If you enjoy reading this newsletter, please forward it to friends and family. If someone has forwarded you this newsletter, please subscribe here.
UCLA campus police arrested independent journalist Sean Beckner-Carmitchel on May 6, 2024, while he documented campus protesters’ detentions. (Courtesy of Sean Beckner-Carmitchel)
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.
Thanks for signing up for our newsletter. You are not yet subscribed! Please check your email for a message asking you to confirm your subscription.
California police are violating state law “right and left” during the protests and police raids on campus encampments.
That’s according to University of California, Irvine, School of Law professor Susan Seager.  We interviewed her in the wake of arrests of two California journalists in recent weeks, among other press freedom violations.
Suppression of the press isn’t supposed to happen anywhere in America, but especially not in California, where it’s explicitly against the law for police to intentionally interfere with journalists covering a demonstration.
On Monday, the U.K. High Court will hold another hearing in WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s legal case challenging his extradition to the United States. If the court rejects Assange’s request to appeal, he could be quickly sent to the U.S. to face charges under the Espionage Act.
Prosecuting and convicting Assange under the Espionage Act would be a disaster for press freedom. Under the government’s legal theory, any journalist could be convicted for acts journalists engage in every day, like seeking and receiving national defense information from sources and publishing the information.
The U.K. High Court should grant Assange’s appeal. But the U.S. shouldn’t wait for the U.K. Tell the Biden administration to drop this dangerous case once and for all.
We wrote last week about an alarming new bill in Congress that would allow the secretary of the treasury to unilaterally revoke the tax-exempt status of nonprofit organizations, including nonprofit news outlets, if he deems them “terrorist supporting.”
Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) Advocacy Director Seth Stern recently spoke to the Project Censored Show about this latest government attempt to go after nonprofits, including news outlets, that challenge official policies and narratives.
As Stern said, “We’re in an environment where despite all of these claims that Trump, if he gets a second term, is going to govern as a fascist, and that we’ve got to be on the lookout for authoritarianism, despite all that, we’ve got bipartisan bills providing him a dictator’s dream toolkit.” Listen to the whole episode here and tell your senator to reject the bill here.
Recent events underscore that protests are one of the most dangerous places for journalists. Unfortunately, environmental journalists aren’t immune from arrests and attacks at protests, as well as other threats to their newsgathering rights.
FPF and the Society of Environmental Journalists recently hosted a conversation about the obstacles U.S. journalists face when reporting on environmental issues. Watch the discussion here or read some highlights on our website.
Idaho State Police warned InvestigateWest that publishing story about secret recording might violate Idaho law (InvestigateWest). A detective wrongly warned InvestigateWest that publishing a source’s recording could break the law. It published anyway. Good. As FPF’s Stern said in response, cops who threaten journalists “should do their research and make sure that what they’re implying … has not been expressly rejected by the United States Supreme Court.”
Cowards in Trenton trampled on your right to know. Hold them — and Murphy — accountable (NorthJersey.com). Shame on the New Jersey legislature for passing a sham "reform" bill that makes it harder for journalists and the public to access public records. Gov. Phil Murphy must veto this awful bill.
OTI and CDT lead coalition opposing the Kids Off Social Media Act (New America). Once again, Congress is pushing pointless legislation in the name of “kids’ safety” that would actually result in online censorship. FPF was proud to join a coalition letter opposing the latest dangerous bill.
Courtroom photo ban adds to hurdles for Trump trial journalists (The Washington Post). “Judge Merchan’s collective punishment of the press for a technical violation by one individual is an unnecessary and harmful overreaction,” Stern told The Post. “It’s the public that will ultimately suffer.”
As original as apple pie: The reporter’s privilege at America’s founding (Medium). Matthew Schafer shows that the idea of protecting journalists from having to burn sources dates back to America’s founding. That’s all the more reason why the Senate should pass the PRESS Act this year.