Last week, my colleagues at Poynter launched a project that tracks attacks on press freedom in the United States. As Poynter’s editor, Ren LaForme, writes: “The launch of Press Freedom Watch comes at a critical time, when a free press faces both political and technological pressures. By centralizing and cataloging one tier of actions, at the federal level, affecting journalists’ ability to inform the public, Poynter aims to provide a clear, ongoing record of threats to press freedom and to equip the public with tools to monitor them.”

Below, I spoke with that project’s lead reporter, my colleague Angela Fu, about what she’s finding, what stands out and why this matters. 

We launched the Press Freedom Watch last week. As you built it, were there any trends you noticed that you hadn't connected before?

One thing that struck me is how thoroughly President Donald Trump and his administration have pursued some of their targets. For example, if you look at the entries targeting public broadcasters like NPR and PBS, you can see that his administration's strategy has included multiple avenues of attack, including issuing an executive order, firing key personnel, getting the Department of Government Efficiency involved and formally asking Congress to defund them.

You're tracking 10 different categories. Are there one or two that stand out for freedoms lost or in danger, or is it the totality that's the most concerning to you right now?

When I first started compiling the list, I didn't have a category for "Detention and Violence." I had grouped some of those entries under "Investigations and Harassment," but it became clear that they deserved a category of their own since "harassment" seemed like an understatement for what some of those journalists and writers had experienced. It was striking to realize we needed a category called "Detention and Violence" for a country that purports to value free speech and a free press.

But in general, I think all of the categories are important. The First Amendment guarantees the rights to free speech and a free press, and any potential infringement on those rights is significant.

There are other press freedom trackers, including from the Committee to Protect Journalists. How is Poynter's different?

I think the other press freedom trackers are extremely important, and I would definitely encourage readers to check them out. Their focuses differ slightly from Poynter's. CPJ's tracks journalists who have been arrested, killed or gone missing worldwide, not just in the U.S. The Freedom of the Press Foundation also maintains a tracker, which is worth following. Theirs includes incidents at the local and state level, as well as verbal threats to journalists, i.e., "chilling statements." Poynter's tracker has a tighter focus since we wanted to really concentrate on how the state of the American free press has changed this year. As a result, our list only includes concrete actions (i.e., not threats) where the perpetrator is the federal government. It also includes incidents that don't appear on the other trackers. They might be smaller in scale, but I think they're still worth documenting.

You can explore more yourself at Press Freedom Watch. 

While you’re here:

• You still have time to sign up for two really great Poynter programs. For new editors, Edit to Elevate: Essentials for Early Career Editors, will help you get the skills you need to become a great editor. And for anyone ready to tell their own story, our very first Mining for Memoir begins virtually in October. Hope to see you there!

• Here’s a study about “how journalists capture joy in their community during the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene,” which builds on a “framework of joy as a news value.”

• And free training plus a generous reporting grant alert: Join my colleague Fernanda Camarena for two free webinars about covering women and prisons this fall, and you can apply for one of five $10,000 reporting grants. 

That’s it for me. I’ve been using ChatGPT lately, but not for work. It’s a fun place to brainstorm and visualize home decor projects. I’ve appropriately named mine Julia Sugarbaker. 💁‍♀️

Thanks for reading,

Kristen