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 Espionage Act Has Been Abused — But Not in Trump’s Case
Reforms to the law are long overdue, but they have nothing to do with the Mar-a-Lago search
By Jameel Jaffer -
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Quick Take: Press Freedom
Groups Press Attorney General to Drop Espionage Act Charges against Julian Assange
Warn that criminal case poses grave threat to press freedom
By Lorraine Kenny -
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 -
Deep Dive: 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
Litigation
Press Statement
Knight Institute Comments on Supreme Court Petition Involving Florida Social Media Law
Says case raises critically important questions about free speech online
Learn MoreReading Room
Press Statement
Newly Released Office of Legal Counsel Memos Show Evolution of Executive Privilege, 1972-1984
Opinions among hundreds published for the first time in response to Knight Institute litigation
Learn MoreInstitute Update
Press Statement
Jelani Cobb and Deb Roy Join Knight Institute Board
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Litigation
Lawsuit
Wikimedia v. NSA
A lawsuit challenging the NSA’s “Upstream” surveillance
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