Incarcerated journalist calls out retaliation by prison officials
Jeremy Busby, a journalist incarcerated in Texas, has been writing about prison conditions there for years. This week he wrote a guest column for Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) about the retaliation he and other incarcerated journalists endure as a result of their work.
“Since prisoners are not rendered much in regard to autonomy and worldly possessions, the thought of losing what little you have to mean-spirited and unforgiving prison officials is enough to discourage any prisoner from speaking truth to power,” he explains.
Click here to read more about the challenges facing journalists behind prison walls and what you can do to help.
Press battles camera bans in Trump trials
It should be a no-brainer to televise the criminal trials of a former president. But, in three of the four jurisdictions where Donald Trump faces trial, that’s far from the case.
Read FPF Deputy Director of Advocacy Caitlin Vogus’s discussion of the status of efforts to bring transparency to each Trump trial and of pending legislation that could resolve the issue.
Request to sanction journalist underscores need for PRESS Act
A recent court filing calls for steep fines for contempt of court against journalist Catherine Herridge for refusing to burn her sources during a deposition, even though she’s only following the procedures the appellate court has said are necessary to appeal.
FPF’s Vogus told CNN that “many reporters facing the large and escalating sanctions [sought against Herridge] would be deterred from standing up to an unconstitutional order requiring them to reveal their confidential sources.” That’s why Congress needs to pass the PRESS Act and put a stop to invasive subpoenas of journalists. Read the full story on CNN and read more on our blog about the dangers of requiring journalists to be held in contempt to appeal.
Arrested journalists gagged from reporting
Court records show that an Alabama journalist and publisher who were recently arrested for constitutionally protected reporting on grand jury proceedings were also barred, as a term of their bail, from “communicating” about any criminal investigations.
“It’s hard to believe that officials honestly think the First Amendment entitles them to arrest journalists for reporting news and then censor them as a condition of release,” said FPF Director of Advocacy Seth Stern. “There’s a pattern here that indicates an intentional abuse of power to retaliate against the press.” Read more on our blog.
Press freedom in Gaza
Journalists make up only a tiny fraction of the casualties of the war in Gaza. Their deaths are no more or less tragic than anyone else’s. But journalists can only tell the stories of all the others impacted by the war if they can report without fear of being targeted.
Here are some recent stories about the dire situation the press is facing as it attempts to cover the most deadly war for journalists in recent memory.
RSF video investigation into the death of Reuters reporter Issam Abdallah in Lebanon: the journalists' vehicle was explicitly targeted
Journalist casualties in the Israel-Gaza war
A deadly month for a press at war
‘We can’t take it’: Journalist breaks down on air reporting colleague’s death in Gaza
Satellite companies are restricting Gaza images
NYT Magazine writer resigns after signing anti-Israel letter violating company policy
What we’re reading
Resignation letter from police chief who raided Marion, Kan., newspaper: 'I do not want to defend my actions. The former Marion, Kansas police chief’s resignation letter says he was "getting exhausted from the media pressure" that followed the illegal raid he orchestrated. Mission accomplished! Journalists should keep shaming press freedom violators out of office.
Calumet City drops citations against Daily Southtown reporter who called workers seeking comment. Chicago suburb Calumet City issued a flurry of tickets to journalist Hank Sanders for asking officials too many questions. The city quickly dropped the citations after national media backlash, offering further proof that it works when journalists use their ink to fight back.
LA radio reporter gets $700K settlement after 2020 arrest. Los Angeles reporter Josie Huang reached a $700,000 settlement after she was assaulted by sheriff's deputies in September 2020. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press called it “the largest award to an individual journalist whose rights were violated in connection with protest coverage in 2020."
Years of incarcerated journalist's reporting deleted by notorious prison telecom 'inadvertently'. Securus Technologies says its mass deletion of an incarcerated journalist’s draft emails was accidental. Maybe so. But would Washington officials retain a contractor that accidentally lost years of their own emails? If not, they shouldn’t retain Securus either.
CNN’s new CEO addresses ‘unfortunate news’ of photojournalist present during Hamas attack on internal call. It’s reckless of Netanyahu to accuse journalists of being “accomplices in crimes against humanity” and condemn entire news outlets over vague claims against freelancers. His words will surely be used to justify past and future violence against journalists.
FPF Live: Bad Press
Join us for a screening of the documentary film “Bad Press,” which follows Mvskoke Media, a news outlet based in the Muscogee Nation of Oklahoma, and its reporter Angel Ellis, as they fight against censorship and other threats to their newsgathering. The film premieres at New York’s Firehouse Cinema on Dec. 1 at 6 p.m. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Ellis and the film’s directors, Rebecca Landsberry-Baker and Joe Peeler, moderated by FPF Executive Director Trevor Timm. Get your ticket here.
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