Dear Friend of Press Freedom,

Here are this week’s top press freedom stories, plus updates on our work at Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF).


** Incarcerated journalists like FPF columnist Jeremy Busby report being placed in solitary confinement cells, like the one pictured in this 2001 file photo taken in a Texas prison, in retaliation for their reporting. AP Photo/LM Otero, File
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READ JEREMY BUSBY’S LATEST COLUMN ([link removed])


** A series to spotlight public-records-based local journalism
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A major reason why politicians are able to attack the press without much resistance is that the public distrusts the media. And one of the reasons for that distrust is that when people think “journalist,” they often think of partisan cable news pundits rather than the thousands of local investigative reporters serving communities across the country.

We’re hoping to play a small part in changing that by profiling local journalists who use public records laws to hold local governments accountable (as well as other noteworthy reporters whose work flies under the radar). We’re starting the series this week with a profile of Lisa Pickoff-White, director of the California Reporting Project. CRP pools public records resources so California journalists can benefit from each other’s public records hauls.
READ MORE ([link removed])


** Unjust law helps muzzle incarcerated journalists
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With the Trump administration throwing abductees in shady jails and prisons from Louisiana to El Salvador, it’s essential that incarcerated journalists can expose the conditions they’re dealing with.

But as incarcerated journalist Jeremy Busby explains ([link removed]) in his latest article for FPF, not only do imprisoned journalists face relentless retaliation ([link removed]) , they’re also systemically obstructed from seeking recourse from the courts by the Prison Litigation Reform Act.
READ MORE ([link removed])

When it comes to issuing prior restraints, courts ‘just do it’

A recent decision ([link removed]) from a federal appellate court related to the Oregonian’s quest for access to court records in a sexual harassment lawsuit against Nike means journalists who intervene in litigation to unseal court records could subject themselves to “prior restraints,” or judicial orders barring them from reporting news related to the case.

That’s why FPF joined a coalition of media companies and press freedom groups represented by attorneys at Davis Wright Tremaine to file an amicus brief supporting the Oregonian’s request that the full appeals court reconsider this unprecedented decision.
READ MORE ([link removed])

An existential threat to congressional investigative powers

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem ([link removed]) and Secretary of State Marco Rubio ([link removed]) are just two of the officials ignoring congressional requests for information about their agencies. This stonewalling, combined with the mass firings ([link removed]) at executive branch Freedom of Information Act offices, represents an existential threat to Congress’ investigative and oversight powers.

Every member should vocally defend FOIA offices. Not doing so could undermine the entire legislative process.
READ MORE ([link removed])


** WHAT WE’RE READING
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** NBC NEWS
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** El Salvador’s president says he won’t return mistakenly deported man to US ([link removed])
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This is the authoritarian ratchet. If Trump can arbitrarily “disappear” non-citizens in El Salvador, anyone else could be next — including journalists who report on his administration.


** THE WASHINGTON POST
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** No evidence linking Tufts student to antisemitism or terrorism, State Department office found ([link removed])
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Congress must demand the full release of this memo. The administration can’t be allowed to justify abductions and deportations of op-ed writers with vague claims of antisemitism.


** BLOOMBERG
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** White House moves to limit newswire access after AP lawsuit win ([link removed])
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This will harm local news outlets everywhere, but particularly in rural areas where Trump is popular and cash-strapped newspapers rely on wire services ([link removed]) for national stories.


** THINKING ABOUT...
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** State terror ([link removed])
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“The first part of controlling the language is inverting the meaning: whatever the government does is good, because by definition then its victims are the ‘criminals’ and the ‘terrorists.’ The second part is deterring the press.”


** BUZZFEED
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** Trump’s FCC chairman is sporting a gold Trump-head pin, and it’s eerily similar to historical pins from world dictators ([link removed])
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Trump keeps making ridiculous, illegal demands for the Federal Communications Commission to help him punish his enemies. Don’t hold your breath for the FCC chair to push back — he’s wearing a golden bust of Trump as a lapel pin.


** JACOBIN
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** Mahmoud Khalil’s battle is not over ([link removed])
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An immigration judge’s ruling that Mahmoud Khalil can be deported for his pro-Palestinian political speech — during a hearing in which journalists were once again shut out of the virtual room ([link removed]) — sets a dangerous precedent.


** SLATE
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** A key fight over the most infamous police project in the country is coming to a head ([link removed])
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A slush fund for corporations to secretly bankroll police projects is arguing against transparency because it might turn people against those projects. That’s absurd. There should be no tolerance for shell games to duck open records obligations.


** COLORADO TIMES RECORDER
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** Five Colorado Springs news outlets scrub their websites of an article about the arrest of former GOP council member ([link removed])
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Sealing arrest records doesn’t change the fact that someone was arrested ([link removed]) . Good for the Colorado Times Recorder for standing up to a former city council member who tried to pressure it into removing an accurate story about her past arrest.

HOW TO SHARE A SENSITIVE LEAK WITH THE PRESS ([link removed])

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