Email not displaying correctly?
View it in your browser ([link removed]) .
[link removed]
[link removed]

This Saturday, May 3, is World Press Freedom Day ([link removed]) . It’s a day we’ve observed since 1993, according to the United Nations.

Here’s more:

May 3 acts as a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom. It is also a day of reflection among media professionals about issues of press freedom and professional ethics. It is an opportunity to:
* celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom;
* assess the state of press freedom throughout the world;
* defend the media from attacks on their independence;
* and pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

I’ve been lucky to get to train journalists around the world, including in Ukraine, Serbia, Romania, Poland and Kenya. In each place, I was always struck by how much we had in common, particularly at the local level. Each trip has also made me feel really lucky to live in a place where we have a free press.

A recent study from Pew Research Center ([link removed]) reports that most Americans “say the freedom of the press — enshrined in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution — is extremely or very important to the well-being of society.”

Another point from Pew: “Regardless of how free they think the press currently is, 41% of Americans are extremely or very concerned about potential restrictions on press freedoms in the country.”

Those concerns are warranted.

Reporters Without Borders ([link removed]) has 10 numbers to share from President Donald Trump’s first 100 days. They include:
* 8,000-plus – U.S. government webpages taken down
* 180 – Public radio stations at risk of closing if public media funding is eliminated
* 13 – Individuals pardoned by President Trump after being convicted or charged for attacking journalists on Jan. 6, 2021

Many outlets are reporting the Justice Department’s removal of protections for journalists in leak investigations ([link removed]) .

This week, PEN America published a report on the president’s first 100 days entitled “A Five Alarm Fire for Free Speech.” ([link removed]) It includes this:

“Many previous administrations have taken actions that were questionable from a First Amendment perspective. The Biden administration may well have blurred the line into jawboning tech companies ([link removed]) ; the Obama administration restricted press access ([link removed]) and prosecuted government employees ([link removed]) who leaked information to reporters. And the George W. Bush administration’s Patriot Act ([link removed]) , with its sweeping surveillance powers, laid the groundwork for much of the repression we are seeing now. But what is happening today is of a different kind altogether. No federal administration has moved as swiftly to exert broad new controls over what people can say, read, learn, research, and think.”

The report includes a chapter on attacks on the press ([link removed]) . ([link removed])

As we near a day meant to observe and celebrate the freedom of the press, it feels like there’s not much to celebrate. These tips ([link removed]) from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press might help. They include:
* Subscribe
* Donate
* Demand government transparency
* And ask for legislation that protects press freedom

Poynter wrote about similar guidelines, which include actions you can take in your own community. My colleague Amaris Castillo writes ([link removed]) :

People concerned about press freedom can observe their own town or city for threats to journalism in real time. Jenn Topper of the RCFP encourages people to “keep an ear to the ground” where they are.

“Threats to press freedom can be small and incremental, and they happen everywhere,” she said. “They can be bold and obvious, like the situation with the AP and the White House ([link removed]) , or they could be something like a city council meeting that’s being held behind closed doors. So the more that you are engaged in your own community, the more you can monitor for these things happening where you are.”

Here’s one more action item to add to the list: From the Student Press Law Center, here are three ways to support student press freedom ([link removed]) , which has become an important pillar in a changing media landscape.

If you have more ideas, I’d love to hear them.

A NOTE FROM POYNTER
[link removed]
Tampa Bay event: The Future of Facts Online
Can you trust what you read? Join Poynter in person for The Future of Facts Online: A Community Conversation at 6 p.m. May 6, as we explore how forces such as AI and the tech platforms’ rejection of fact-checking are shaping the information landscape. Hear from leading journalists working to protect facts in the digital age and learn how not to be deceived. Get tickets now. ([link removed])

While you’re here:
* Poynter and NABJ both celebrate our 50th this year. Listen in to a free discussion ([link removed]) on Wednesday, May 14, as leaders from both organizations look back and look ahead.
* I got to be on “The Journalism Salute” podcast recently. You can listen here. ([link removed])
* Join my colleague Kerwin Speight and a crew of smart people in a free webinar on May 20 to learn about covering vulnerable sources ([link removed]) .
* Here are the winners of the Poynter Journalism Prizes ([link removed]) . Congrats!!
* And there’s still time to apply to our in-person workshop on nonfiction book writing for journalists ([link removed]) .

That’s it for me. Banks, my sweet new puppy, is wagging his tail in your general direction 🐶.
Kristen
Kristen Hare
Faculty
The Poynter Institute
@kristenhare ([link removed])

ADVERTISE ([link removed]) // DONATE ([link removed]) // LEARN ([link removed]) // JOBS ([link removed])
Did someone forward you this email? Sign up here. ([link removed])
[link removed] [link removed] [link removed] [link removed] mailto:[email protected]?subject=Feedback%20for%20Poynter
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
© All rights reserved Poynter Institute 2025
801 Third Street South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701
If you don't want to receive email updates from Poynter, we understand.
You can change your subscription preferences ([link removed]) or unsubscribe from all Poynter emails ([link removed]) .