PRESS Act gets a bipartisan boost

Sen. Lindsey Graham will reportedly join Sens. Dick Durbin, Ron Wyden, and Mike Lee as a co-sponsor of the PRESS Act, the federal shield bill that protects journalists from government surveillance or being forced to name their confidential sources. The PRESS Act enjoys similar bipartisan support in the House, with 10 Democrats and nine Republicans sponsoring. 

We’ve explained before why conservatives should support the PRESS Act, and lawmakers seem to agree. All Americans who value the Constitution, regardless of political affiliation or which media outlets they prefer, should recognize that a free and robust press is essential for our democracy to thrive. 

With both the chair and the highest ranking Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee now on board, the PRESS Act’s chances of becoming law have increased significantly. Tell your members of Congress to support this important protection for journalists, press freedom, and the public’s right to know.

Beyond Marion, police seize journalists’ equipment 

Thanks in part to a national outcry, authorities (belatedly) returned the equipment they wrongfully seized from the Marion County Record. But other seizures of journalists’ equipment — ones that aren’t part of a shocking newsroom raid — often receive less attention and end with far worse outcomes. 

We wrote on our blog about three other examples of police taking journalists’ equipment and then refusing to return it. In each case — a photojournalist who had his camera and cellphone seized while covering a protest, a newspaper whose laptop and editor’s cellphone were seized for publishing audio provided by a source, and a freelance journalist whose handwritten notes were taken from his pocket — police likely violated federal law.

When authorities refuse to return journalists’ equipment, even after the meritless charges against them have been dropped, it inhibits reporting. A photojournalist whose camera is seized and memory card “lost” can never publish the newsworthy pictures he took. When sensitive information contained on equipment falls into the hands of police, it undermines journalists’ ability to gather and report news in the future by chilling sources from speaking to reporters. 

That’s why legal protections for journalists’ equipment aren’t limited to newsroom raids. Our outrage over police seizures shouldn’t be either. 

Financial censorship harms press freedom

We’ve long warned of the dangers to free expression when powerful financial institutions cut off journalists from using their services — whether we agree with the journalists’ point of view or not. 

Now, another controversial publisher is facing a financial roadblock. According to The Dissenter, GoFundMe recently halted a fundraiser for Grayzone, saying only that it needed to review the fundraiser for compliance with GoFundMe’s terms of service “[d]ue to some external concerns.” 

We’re not here to defend Grayzone as a model of journalistic excellence or endorse the veracity of its reporting. But, as we explain on our blog, we strongly object to a payment processor or fundraising site freezing out any publisher and then refusing to explain why. Do we want financial services companies, loyal only to their investors and with no particular interest in First Amendment freedoms, deciding which publishers should be able to pay the bills?

What we’re reading

Australian MPs to lobby US to drop Julian Assange prosecution or risk ‘very dangerous’ precedent for Russia and China. Later this month, six Australian members of Parliament will visit the U.S. to warn authorities of the dangers to press freedom posed by Julian Assange’s potential extradition and trial on Espionage Act charges. As China, Russia and others use Assange’s prosecution to question the U.S.’s commitment to press freedom, the message of the Australian delegation is clear: Assange’s prosecution “is very dangerous for journalists around the world and a race to the bottom that’s going on.” It’s time for the Department of Justice to drop the Assange prosecution.

Photojournalists settle long fought case against the NYPD. For years, the New York City Police Department has flagrantly violated the First Amendment rights of journalists (and many others). Now, the NYPD has settled a lawsuit brought by five photojournalists who were attacked and arrested by officers during the racial justice protests of 2020. The settlement includes important protections for journalists documenting police activity at protests and elsewhere in public. It’s good to see a modicum of accountability, and we hope there's more to come.

Risk assessments can make journalism safer. As risks to journalists’ security grow worldwide, news organizations should consider using risk assessments — formal or informal frameworks for identifying risks associated with a reporting project and mitigation measures. As Chief Information Security Officer and Director of Digital Security Harlo Holmes at Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) explains, a basic risk assessment “is really intuitive because it’s something we do already as part of our everyday life. It can even be fun.” Not sure where to start? Check out FPF’s resources on threat modeling (part of our U.S. Journalism School Digital Security Curriculum).