Journalists must speak up when press freedom is at stake
Last month’s absurd citations of a Chicago-area reporter for asking officials too many questions would’ve been easy to overlook as a fluke — if not for the arrests of Alabama journalists for reporting news earlier in October. And that’s not to mention the August police raid of the Marion County Record in Kansas, among other alarming press freedom violations this year.
Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) Director of Advocacy Seth Stern wrote in an op-ed for the Chicago Sun-Times that the press needs to use newsprint to fight back when officials attempt to retaliate against it for doing its job. You can read the full op-ed here.
Ten questions to ask US officials about attacks on journalists in Gaza
A State Department spokesperson said this week that the administration “want[s] to see journalists protected” during wartime. The sentiment was welcome but we’ve heard nothing about any specific plans to pressure Israel to protect journalists. And Politico has alarming new reporting that the administration is afraid more journalists in Gaza would “further illuminate the devastation there and turn public opinion on Israel.”
We suggested 10 questions journalists should be asking the administration about press freedom during the deadliest war for journalists in modern memory. The questions cover reports that the Israeli Defense Forces has targeted journalists, deliberate internet blackouts, the inability of U.S. and international journalists to enter Gaza, and more. You can read the article here.
Open record reforms will undermine reporting in New Jersey
Journalists in New Jersey have long used the state’s public records law to shed light on everything from misspent taxpayer money and petty acts of political retribution to deadly uses of force by police.
But a new plan to hobble New Jersey’s Open Public Records Act threatens access to the public records that make this reporting possible. If lawmakers are truly interested in improving the law they should work openly and cooperatively with journalists, public interest groups, and members of the public rather than attempting to sneak changes under the radar in a lame-duck session. You can read more here.
What we’re reading
Secretive White House surveillance program gives cops access to trillions of US phone records. The secret restart of a mass domestic surveillance program belies lawmakers’ arguments that the government can be trusted not to keep abusing its power if Section 702 of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is renewed without real reform.
Ken Paxton announces investigation of media group following Elon Musk’s lawsuit. Investigating a media watchdog for “fraud” because you don’t like what they have to say is the opposite of protecting free speech.
CPJ pays tribute to slain Palestinian press freedom defender Bilal Jadallah. Bilal Jadallah, who was killed by an Israeli airstrike Sunday, was instrumental to the Committee to Protect Journalists’ May 2023 report “Deadly Pattern,” highlighting the lack of accountability for killings of journalists by the Israeli military. He’s been called the “godfather of Palestinian journalists.”
The N.Y.P.D. Is upgrading its radios. The public won’t be able to tune in. The New York Police Department’s move to encrypted radio will mean less access to information about public emergencies and less police accountability. It’s bad for the press and the public.
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’s New York theatrical premiere is at Manhattan’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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