Great work by @rsf.org for organizing this. It's unfortunate that more U.S. outlets did not participate. If the outlets you support were not among the few, ask them why.
Protecting, defending public interest journalism in the 21st century. Subscribe to our neđŠsletters: https://freedom.press/newsletters/ Staff, board members: https://bsky.app/starter-pack/freedom.press/3lbkk5aha5l22 More: linktr.ee/freedomofpress
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Great work by @rsf.org for organizing this. It's unfortunate that more U.S. outlets did not participate. If the outlets you support were not among the few, ask them why.
We talked to @kenbensinger.bsky.social about influencers replacing journalists at the White House. Yes, itâs awful that Trump wonât grant serious reporters the honor of getting lied to at press briefings. But the decimation of FOIA â a source of facts, not spin â is even more concerning.
Illinois strengthened its anti-SLAPP law after a nonsensical court ruling excluded news reporting from the lawâs protection. This prevents elites from chilling and punishing "constitutionally protected speech, including journalism," we told @kgosztola.bsky.social.
A Eugene police employee put on a PRESS vest and was granted access real journalists weren't. We led a letter to tell officials how disturbing the incident was. Cops impersonating reporters puts journalists at risk and undermines the press's watchdog role. Read more from @jwcroxton.bsky.social
A proposal to censor info about lawmakers is being sold as a safety measure. But it wonât protect them from anything but investigative journalism. Contact your senator to tell them to protect their safety â and everyone elseâs â without sacrificing transparency and accountability.
A proposal to censor info about lawmakers is being sold as a safety bill. But it wonât protect them from anything but investigative reporting. Contact your senator to tell them to scrap the bill and protect their safety â and everyone elseâs â without sacrificing transparency and accountability.
A proposal to censor info about lawmakers is being sold as a safety measure. But it wonât protect them from anything but investigative journalism. Contact your senator to tell them to protect their safety â and everyone elseâs â without sacrificing transparency and accountability.
We talked to @kenbensinger.bsky.social about influencers replacing journalists at the White House. Yes, itâs awful that Trump wonât grant serious reporters the honor of getting lied to at press briefings. But the decimation of FOIA â a source of facts, not spin â is even more concerning.
We talked to @kenbensinger.bsky.social about influencers replacing journalists at the White House. Yes, itâs awful that Trump wonât grant serious reporters the honor of getting lied to at press briefings. But the decimation of FOIA â a source of facts, not spin â is even more concerning.
I spoke to @kgosztola.bsky.social about the Illinois Supreme Courtâs ridiculous decision that the stateâs anti-SLAPP law doesnât protect news reporting, and the recently passed legislation to repair the damage.
For 157 days, RĂŒmeysa ĂztĂŒrk has faced deportation by the United States government for writing an op-ed it didnât like, and for 76 days, Mario Guevara has been imprisoned for covering a protest.
A proposal to censor info about lawmakers is being sold as a safety bill. But it wonât protect them from anything but investigative reporting. Contact your senator to tell them to scrap the bill and protect their safety â and everyone elseâs â without sacrificing transparency and accountability.
Last I checked I am neither a travel advisory nor a senior DHS official. Yet DHS denied my FOIA request for a travel advisory telling senior officials not to attend events hosted by organizations that support women or minority groups because I had "asked for records about" myself. Great stuff.
It shouldn't be quicker to deport someone (twice) than to respond to a FOIA request, but here we are. I FOIAd DHS in May for emails about Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, including a March 30, 2025, email that contains the phrase: âThis was an administrative error.â Pure, unconscionable silence.
A bill to censor information about lawmakers wonât protect them from anything but investigative reporting. Contact your senator to tell them to scrap this proposal and protect their safety â and everyone elseâs â without sacrificing transparency and accountability.
A Eugene police employee put on a PRESS vest and was granted access real journalists weren't. We led a letter to tell officials how disturbing the incident was. Cops impersonating reporters puts journalists at risk and undermines the press's watchdog role. Read more from @jwcroxton.bsky.social
For 157 days, RĂŒmeysa ĂztĂŒrk has faced deportation by the United States government for writing an op-ed it didnât like, and for 76 days, Mario Guevara has been imprisoned for covering a protest.
đ SOUND ON: Bluesky blocked Mississippi users from its app Aug. 22 due to concerns with the stateâs age verification law. âThis creates a chilling effect, where they donât want to take the risk of getting sued,â FPFâs David Huerta told @neverpo.stâs @mikerugnetta.com. Listen to the segment:
Strong quote from my colleague @seth-stern.bsky.social re. the denial of student visa for Indian journalist Kaushik Raj. âHis visa denial more likely reflects that journalism is a disfavored profession in Trumpâs America.â Raj was set to study data journalism at @columbiajournalism.bsky.social.
ICYMI: I spoke with @freedom.press Daniel Ellsberg Chair @laurenleharper.bsky.social about making FOIA work under a second Trump administration.
I don't know what Bolton emailed, but worth remembering: - if you read the NYT on any given day, you will likely also consume information "appeared to derive from classified documents" - the govt classifies so much it literally can't track how many derivative classification decisions it makes
How's this for press freedom "Inception": A reporter investigated a city's unconstitutional restriction on employees talking to the media, and then got hit with an attempted restraining order from a city official for "harassment." Read more here:
đ SOUND ON: Bluesky blocked Mississippi users from its app Aug. 22 due to concerns with the stateâs age verification law. âThis creates a chilling effect, where they donât want to take the risk of getting sued,â FPFâs David Huerta told @neverpo.stâs @mikerugnetta.com. Listen to the segment:
In July, the U.S. federal court systemâs electronic filing system was breached, potentially compromising the identities of witnesses and informants. View our modules on file safety and legal requests in the U.S. to learn about how to protect yourself from and in the event of these kinds of attacks.
How's this for press freedom "Inception": A reporter investigated a city's unconstitutional restriction on employees talking to the media, and then got hit with an attempted restraining order from a city official for "harassment." Read more here:
@rightsdissent.bsky.social
Mario Guevara, the Spanish-language journalist detained by ICE since June, is suing top Trump officials for his immediate release from a GA detention center, claiming retaliation for his reporting in the Aug. 20 filing.
A bill to censor information about lawmakers wonât protect them from anything but investigative reporting. Contact your senator to tell them to scrap this proposal and protect their safety â and everyone elseâs â without sacrificing transparency and accountability.
Charges against RĂŒmeysa ĂztĂŒrk arenât true, and U.S. government records prove it. Thatâs why we filed a FOIA lawsuit. But the State Department is using FOIA exemptions as a shroud for potentially damning information. Weâll keep fighting.
The State Department is making a self-serving attempt to hide evidence that the government retaliated against RĂŒmeysa ĂztĂŒrk for exercising her right to free speech. While there are legitimate reasons to shield personal information from public disclosure, this is not one of them.
More journalists have already been assaulted in the U.S. this year than in all of 2024 â most while covering anti-immigration protests. We're tracking every case. Watch Managing Editor @kamccudden.bsky.social explain and subscribe to our newsletter for more: pressfreedomtracker.us/blog/nearly-...
CC: @commoncause.org @nypirg.bsky.social
New York State and local government agencies shouldn't take years to disclose public records to FOIL requesters. We joined @reinventalbany.bsky.social and others to urge @governor.ny.gov to sign S2520-B/A3425 and fix the state's broken FOIL system.
Bluesky blocked Mississippi users from its app due to concerns with the state's age verification law. "This creates a chilling effect, where they don't want to take the risk of getting sued," FPF's David Huerta told @mikerugnetta.com on @neverpo.st. Listen to the podcast:
The U.S. government is hiding RĂŒmeysa ĂztĂŒrk records. Its rationale is insulting. âIf the government was really concerned about protecting privacy, it wouldnât have abducted and detained ĂztĂŒrk for writing an op-ed,â writes @laurenleharper.bsky.social.
Governments often claim that policies prohibiting employees from speaking to the press without official approval are about consistency, but they're really about control and censorship. Public employees shouldn't be prevented from sharing what they know with the press and the public.
Government secrecy thrives in news deserts. A new study by @brechnerfoi.bsky.social shows that states with more newspapers are more likely to respond to records requests, and states with fewer papers are more likely to ignore them. Read the report here:
Our work protecting journalists and whistleblowers depends on you. At a time like this, your help is vital. Hereâs what you can do: - Sign up for our newsletters: freedom.press/newsletters/ - Donate now: freedom.press/donate
After Trump crusaded against public broadcasters and pressured Republicans to slash their funding, rural stations in Alaska and beyond may not have the bandwidth to send emergency alerts. That could be the difference between life and death. By @mmineiro.bsky.social:
The killing of journalist Anas al-Sharif in Gaza may be a war crime. Could Israel be prosecuted? Yes, legal experts tell @joelsimonsays.bsky.social in @columjournreview.bsky.social.
If the FBI raid of warmonger John Boltonâs home, allegedly a search for classified information, was about his 2020 memoir, then it wasnât a valid reason to attack him. The book padded his wallet but didnât damage national security. Read more in The Classifieds:
Want to know how climate change researcher @rsanta.bsky.social âŹfights to get documents declassified? Itâs an uphill battle, but her helpful tips and tricks can help. (Her most important tip? Always appeal.)
New strategies to help journalists in Gaza Read more in our weekly newsletter (and subscribe):
Most classified records donât deserve protection â or justify an FBI raid. Read more in our government secrecy newsletter, The Classifieds.
Charges against RĂŒmeysa ĂztĂŒrk arenât true, and U.S. government records can prove it. Thatâs why we filed a FOIA lawsuit. But the State Department is using FOIA exemptions as an invisibility cloak to hide potentially damning information. Weâll keep fighting.
Israel is killing journalists with impunity, and the U.S. supplies it with the weapons used to murder the truth.
The most generous interpretation of this story is that DHS lies to FOIA requesters like @weareoversight.bsky.social and only walks it back when it gets them in hot water with The New York Times. A less charitable reading is that it is now lying to the NYT. Which is it?
Professors: In our most recent journalism school digital security curriculum update, we are happy to share that weâve completed a full refresh of all modules. Learn more here, and while youâre at it, subscribe to our J-school newsletter.
Funding local news by directing public grants through consumer coupons is a creative way to address the local news crisis. Local governments must act to keep community news from dying.
Fresh off the heels of releasing our newest module tailored to students living and working near the U.S. southern border, we recently completed a review and refresh of the rest of our existing J-school curriculum. Check it out:
CBP told FPF that it has no records about agents wearing AI glasses...even though agents have been documented wearing AI glasses at immigration raids. To read more about this story and FPF's FOIA work, subscribe to our secrecy newsletter, The Classifieds.
Charges against RĂŒmeysa ĂztĂŒrk arenât true, and U.S. government records can prove it. Thatâs why we filed a FOIA lawsuit. But the State Department is using FOIA exemptions as an invisibility cloak to hide potentially damning information. Weâll keep fighting.
Most classified records donât deserve protection â or justify an FBI raid. Read more in our government secrecy newsletter, The Classifieds.
The federal government apparently believes that assaulting journalists covering protests is legal because "videotaping can lead to violence." The First Amendment says otherwise. All Americans should be disturbed by this outrageous argument. We don't have secret police in the U.S.
In July, the U.S. federal court systemâs electronic filing system was breached, potentially compromising the identities of witnesses and informants. View our modules on file safety and legal requests in the U.S. to learn about how to protect yourself from and in the event of these kinds of attacks.
âIt does not matter if youâre a citizen, here on a green card, or visiting Las Vegas for the weekend â you shouldnât have to fear retaliation because the government doesnât like what you have to say,â @thefireorg.bsky.social's @ctfitzpatrick.bsky.social said.
"It is fundamentally un-American for the government to retaliate against news outlets or broadcasters otherwise for what they say about the government," @seth-stern.bsky.social said.
âWhat weâre seeing under a second Trump administration is an unprecedented, rapid deletion and distortion of climate data and resources,â climate change researcher @rsanta.bsky.social told @laurenleharper.bsky.social.
CBP says it has no records about agents wearing AI glasses, even though agents wear AI glasses. We filed a FOIA to find out. Read this and more in The Classifieds, our government secrecy newsletter:
Letters and condemnations have their place in press freedom advocacy, especially when dealing with a persuadable audience. But that playbook isnât working for journalists murdered in Gaza. Read more in our weekly newsletter:
In our âAsk a security trainerâ column, we break down how mobile phones can expose a userâs location, then help journalists consider when this type of tracking is and isnât a real cause for concern.
How climate change researcher @rsanta.bsky.social makes FOIA work The challenges are steep, but persistence can pay off, @laurenleharper.bsky.social writes. Read the interview:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his arms supplier, President Donald Trump, donât care about journalistsâ lives, let alone their freedoms. Read about new strategies to help journalists in Gaza:
Funding local news by directing public grants through consumer coupons is a creative way to address the local news crisis. Local governments must act to keep community news from dying.
The federal government apparently believes that assaulting journalists covering protests is legal because "videotaping can lead to violence." The First Amendment says otherwise. All Americans should be disturbed by this outrageous argument. We don't have secret police in the U.S.
In July, the U.S. federal court systemâs electronic filing system was breached, potentially compromising the identities of witnesses and informants. View our modules on file safety and legal requests in the U.S. to learn about how to protect yourself from and in the event of these kinds of attacks.
âIt does not matter if youâre a citizen, here on a green card, or visiting Las Vegas for the weekend â you shouldnât have to fear retaliation because the government doesnât like what you have to say,â @thefireorg.bsky.social's @ctfitzpatrick.bsky.social said.
"Any story that quotes an Israeli official or references Israeli allegations should say that Israel does not allow the international press to verify its claims and kills the local journalists who try," we told @aljazeera.com.
We're systematically cataloging the president's posts attacking the news media to show the scope and impact of his anti-press rhetoric. Explore the dataset here:
"It is fundamentally un-American for the government to retaliate against news outlets or broadcasters otherwise for what they say about the government," @seth-stern.bsky.social said.
âWhat weâre seeing under a second Trump administration is an unprecedented, rapid deletion and distortion of climate data and resources,â climate change researcher @rsanta.bsky.social told @laurenleharper.bsky.social.
CBP says it has no records about agents wearing AI glasses, even though agents wear AI glasses. We filed a FOIA to find out. Read this and more in The Classifieds, our government secrecy newsletter:
Letters and condemnations have their place in press freedom advocacy, especially when dealing with a persuadable audience. But that playbook isnât working for journalists murdered in Gaza. Read more in our weekly newsletter:
"Any story that quotes an Israeli official or references Israeli allegations should say that Israel does not allow the international press to verify its claims and kills the local journalists who try," we told @aljazeera.com.
In our âAsk a security trainerâ column, we break down how mobile phones can expose a userâs location, then help journalists consider when this type of tracking is and isnât a real cause for concern.
Our work protecting journalists and whistleblowers depends on you. At a time like this, your help is vital. Hereâs what you can do: - Sign up for our newsletters: freedom.press/newsletters/ - Donate now: freedom.press/donate
Professors: In our most recent journalism school digital security curriculum update, we are happy to share that weâve completed a full refresh of all modules. Learn more here, and while youâre at it, subscribe to our J-school newsletter.
If you are a journalist â or know one â who has been attacked, seriously threatened, denied access by a public official or targeted with a legal order in the course of reporting, let us know. You can now submit tips in English or Spanish. Email: tips@pressfreedomtracker.us
The most generous interpretation of this story is that DHS lies to FOIA requesters like @weareoversight.bsky.social and only walks it back when it gets them in hot water with The New York Times. A less charitable reading is that it is now lying to the NYT. Which is it?
Israel is killing journalists with impunity, and the U.S. supplies it with the weapons used to murder the truth.
"Trump, who famously stole a bunch of presidential records and stuck them in a bathroom in Florida, wants you to think John Bolton is mishandling government info for writing mean things about Trump in his book," @laurenleharper.bsky.social said.
The Trump administration's detention of Mario Guevara sends "a chilling message to journalists who werenât born in the United States: abandon news reporting, particularly on ICE, or you could be next," @kgosztola.bsky.social writes.
The FBI raided warmonger John Boltonâs home on Friday morning, allegedly searching for classified information. There are plenty of valid reasons to attack him, but was this one of them? This story and more in our secrecy newsletter, The Classifieds.
đ© Read in our weekly newsletter (and subscribe): - New strategies to help journalists in Gaza - FPF complaint opposes U.S. attorneyâs retaliation against press - Oregon cops cosplay as journalists - Puerto Ricoâs fake news law is unconstitutional - Plus, get to know what weâre reading...
"Trump, who famously stole a bunch of presidential records and stuck them in a bathroom in Florida, wants you to think John Bolton is mishandling government info for writing mean things about Trump in his book," @laurenleharper.bsky.social said.
The Trump administration's detention of Mario Guevara sends "a chilling message to journalists who werenât born in the United States: abandon news reporting, particularly on ICE, or you could be next," @kgosztola.bsky.social writes.
The FBI raided warmonger John Boltonâs home on Friday morning, allegedly searching for classified information. There are plenty of valid reasons to attack him, but was this one of them? This story and more in our secrecy newsletter, The Classifieds.
U.S. Attorney John Sarcone III has repeatedly abused his office, including by retaliating against newspapers. We, along with @reinventalbany.bsky.social and @demandprogress.bsky.social, filed an ethics complaint, calling on him to be investigated. www.cityandstateny.com/politics/202...
Important weekend read. Human Rights Watch typically focuses on atrocities far from the United States, but sadly now must shine its powerful global spotlight here in Los Angeles. Much of the violence they document is directed toward press, potentially silencing those who might expose it.
âAgencies cannot get away from responding to FOIA requests by intentionally degrading their capabilities to conduct searches for recordsâŠThis is like a fire department saying, âWe donât have a hose, so weâre not going to put out the fires anymore,ââ @laurenleharper.bsky.social told @nytimes.com
âAn intrepid reporter who wants to use his time in America to become an even more effective watchdog against government corruption is an undesirable in the eyes of a corrupt government like ours,â @seth-stern.bsky.social told @theintercept.com about journalist Kaushik Rajâs student visa denial.
âAgencies cannot get away from responding to FOIA requests by intentionally degrading their capabilities to conduct searches for recordsâŠThis is like a fire department saying, âWe donât have a hose, so weâre not going to put out the fires anymore,ââ @laurenleharper.bsky.social told @nytimes.com
âAn intrepid reporter who wants to use his time in America to become an even more effective watchdog against government corruption is an undesirable in the eyes of a corrupt government like ours,â @seth-stern.bsky.social told @theintercept.com about journalist Kaushik Rajâs student visa denial.
Illinois strengthened its anti-SLAPP law after a nonsensical court ruling excluded news reporting from the lawâs protection. @freedom.press worked with local organizations and lawyers to help fix the mess. Every state needs a strong anti-SLAPP law.
FPF and others are urging an appellate court to hold Puerto Rico's "fake news" law unconstitutional in a legal brief authored by University of Georgia School of Lawâs First Amendment Clinic. The law can easily be abused to censor reporting in crisis situations.
"[P]ermitting the Government to continue an unlawful investigation into an organization engaged in constitutionally protected speech ... would risk undermining the very foundations of our democracy. That is not in the publicâs interest."
đ© Read in our weekly newsletter (and subscribe): - New strategies to help journalists in Gaza - FPF complaint opposes U.S. attorneyâs retaliation against press - Oregon cops cosplay as journalists - Puerto Ricoâs fake news law is unconstitutional - Plus, get to know what weâre reading...
âIsrael assassinated a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist, a young man who had suddenly become the face and voice of the desperate people of his homeland, GazaâŠThe military made no attempt to obscure this brazen strike on civilians, which is a war crime," @polgreen.bsky.social writes.
Israel's tried-and-true tactics to smear Gazan journalists as Hamas Read this important story by @muhammadshehada.bsky.social in @972mag.com:
Surveillance technology has no place on college campuses and can be used to attack free expression and academic freedom. That's why we signed a letter with over 30 rights groups calling on universities to dismantle these dangerous tools. Read the letter: www.fightforthefuture.org/news/2025-08...
