U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine hold a briefing amid the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 19, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

CPJ welcomes ruling on Pentagon access in favor of the New York Times 

Washington, D.C., March 20, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists is heartened by a United States District Court decision on Friday in the case of New York Times v. Pentagon, in which the judge decided in favor of the newspaper, and calls on the Pentagon to heed the court’s decision and abandon last year’s changes to…

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A new banner depicting U.S. President Donald Trump is put up on the Department of Justice building in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 20, 2026. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno

In unprecedented overreach, FCC allows merger consolidating local media ownership

Washington, D.C., March 20, 2026—A decision by the US broadcast regulator to approve the merger of Tegna and Nexstar broadcasting companies — in clear violation of its own norms and regulations — is a concerning sign of government sponsored media concentration in the United States, the Committee to Protect Journalists warned on Friday. The Federal…

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Screenshot: Fox Nashville

CPJ welcomes Nashville reporter Estefany Rodríguez’s release from ICE custody 

Washington, D.C., March 20, 2026 — The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release of Nashville Noticias reporter Estefany Rodríguez from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody and calls on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to stop detaining journalists as a tactic to halt or discourage their reporting. Rodríguez was released Thursday evening from…

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Screenshot: Fox Nashville

CPJ joins legal effort to support detained journalist Estefany Rodríguez

The Committee to Protect Journalists joined a proposed amicus brief supporting detained journalist Estefany Rodríguez’s habeas corpus petition in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee on Monday.  The proposed brief was filed by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP) and joined by press freedom groups National Association…

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U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), President Donald Trump's nominee to be Homeland Security secretary, testifies before a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 18, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci

CPJ urges clarity on DHS secretary nominee Markwayne Mullin’s press freedom views

Washington, D.C., March 19, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists urges lawmakers to ask Sen. Markwayne Mullin about protecting media freedom in the United States in advance of a full Senate confirmation vote on his nomination for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary given the progressively active role the department has taken in suppressing freedom of…

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Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr testifies before a hearing of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee's Communications and Technology Subcommittee on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 14, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

CPJ condemns Trump administration’s intimidation tactics over US war coverage 

Washington, D.C., March 18, 2026— The Trump administration’s efforts to intimidate news outlets over their coverage of U.S. military action in the Middle East directly threatens the public’s right to know, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Brendan Carr warned in a post on X that “broadcasters that are running hoaxes…

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Friends of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi

CPJ, civil society groups call for Congress to pass Transnational Repression Policy Act

CPJ signed a joint letter on March 16 with 34 diaspora, human rights, and civil society organizations urging the U.S. Congress to hold markup sessions for the bicameral and bipartisan Transnational Repression Policy Act (H.R. 4829/S.2525). The bill would establish stronger U.S. mechanisms to protect people from foreign government threats and to hold perpetrators accountable….

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Estefany Rodríguez - Screenshot: WKRN News 2/YouTube

Timeline: Estefany Rodríguez’s arrest and ICE detention

Nashville Notícias reporter Estefany Rodríguez was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials on March 4, 2026, despite being in the United States legally. She arrived in the U.S. in 2021 and sought asylum after facing death threats in relation to her reporting in her native Colombia. At the time of her detention, Rodríguez…

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Screenshot: Fox Nashville

CPJ calls for Estefany Rodríguez’s release from ICE custody after immigration judge grants bond

Washington, D.C., March 16, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes Monday’s order to release on bond journalist Estefany Rodríguez, whose lawyers said she was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) without being presented a warrant and urges the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to release her immediately and unconditionally. On Monday, an immigration judge…

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Estefany Rodríguez - Screenshot: WKRN News 2/YouTube

CPJ, Free Press lead call for journalist Estefany Rodríguez’s release from ICE detention

The Committee to Protect Journalists and Free Press led a coalition of more than 40 press freedom, human rights, and media organizations in a joint statement Tuesday calling for the release of journalist Estefany Rodríguez from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. Rodríguez was detained on March 4 in Nashville, Tennessee, in a targeted ICE…

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