Press Freedom
Surveilling journalists to discover their sources. Using the Espionage Act to prosecute whistleblowers for disclosing information to the press that the public should know. Arresting and attacking journalists reporting on social unrest. Criminalizing the kinds of activities that journalists engage in routinely and as a necessary part of their work. Serious threats, all, to the freedom of the press.
This blog channel highlights the Institute’s ongoing work to preserve and strengthen free press protections in the digital age.
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Deep Dive: Press Freedom
The Law of the Reporter’s Privilege is a Mess. A Federal Shield Law Could Help Fix It.
Journalists need to know when they can expect to receive protection under federal law and when they can’t
By Mayze Teitler & Samuel Aber -
Deep Dive: Press Freedom
The Justice Department’s New Media Protections Are (Mostly) a Promise, Not Yet a Reality
What’s most important is not what the Attorney General has already done, but what the Justice Department and Congress do next
By Anna Diakun & Jameel Jaffer -
Quick Take: Press Freedom
The Pentagon Papers 50 Years Later
Safeguarding press freedom today requires extending protections to whistleblowers and limiting the use of the Espionage Act
By Lorraine Kenny -
Op-ed: Press Freedom
For the Biden Administration, Who Counts as News Media?
Newly obtained document raises concerns that some newsgatherers will be denied First Amendment protection
By Anna Diakun & Trevor Timm
Research
Essays and Scholarship
What We Owe Whistleblowers
Jameel Jaffer argues that their disclosures since 9/11 have been vital, and that we should protect them better than we do
Learn MoreAdvocacy
Press Statement
Researchers, Knight Institute Call on Facebook to Reinstate Researchers' Accounts in Light of FTC Statement
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Litigation
Lawsuit
Knight Institute v. CDC
A FOIA lawsuit seeking policies restricting CDC employees' speech
Learn MoreReading Room
Transparency & Democracy
The OLC's Opinions
Documents released in our FOIA lawsuit for OLC legal opinions issued prior to 1994
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