Artwork: Jack Forbes

U.S. elections 2020: Journalist safety kit

The United States is scheduled to hold presidential and congressional elections on November 3, 2020. Journalists covering elections and political rallies in the U.S. in recent years have been subjected to online and verbal harassment and even physical assault, CPJ has found.

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CPJ calls on US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to support press freedom

CPJ writes to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to express our concern regarding his treatment of two National Public Radio reporters, and his characterization of the media as “unhinged.”

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U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is seen in Washington, D.C., on January 7, 2020. Pompeo recently berated an NPR reporter, and the State Department barred another reporter from traveling with the secretary. (Reuters/Tom Brenner)

US state department bars NPR reporter from flight, calls media ‘unhinged’

Washington, D.C., January 28, 2020 — The U.S. State Department should allow reporters from National Public Radio to cover the department freely and without harassment, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Freelance journalist Bryan Carmody, left, is seen with his attorney, Thomas Burke, at a panel event held by the Society of Professional Journalists in San Francisco on August 13, 2019. Police raided Carmody's home and office in May while investigating the leak of a report on the death of a San Francisco public defender. (AP/Juliet Williams)

FAC, CPJ ask San Francisco mayor to protect journalist freedoms

The Committee to Protect Journalists and the free speech non-profit First Amendment Coalition today sent a letter to San Francisco Mayor London Breed requesting a meeting about steps the city can take to ensure press freedom.

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Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts swears in senators during the procedural start of the Senate impeachment trial of U.S. President Donald Trump in this frame grab from video shot in the Senate Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on January 16, 2020. CPJ and 57 news organizations asked the Senate to rethink press restrictions during the impeachment trial. (Reuters/U.S. Senate TV/Handout via Reuters)

CPJ, 57 news organizations ask Senate to rethink press restrictions during impeachment

The Committee to Protect Journalists and at 57 other news organizations yesterday sent a letter to Senate authorities asking them to reconsider press restrictions during the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump.

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The wreck of the World Trade Center after the 9/11 terror attack in New York. Journalists who developed health issues after reporting from Ground Zero can seek support from several programs. (Reuters/Peter Morgan)

For journalists with health issues from covering 9/11, support is available

Like the first responders who rushed to the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, thoughts of personal safety were far from the minds of the journalists who covered the largest terror attack on U.S. soil.

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The Dropbox logo is seen in an illustration photo from July 28, 2017. The City of Fullerton, California, says two journalists violated computer crimes laws by accessing files hosted in a Dropbox folder without permission. (Reuters/Thomas White)

Fullerton journalists sued for “hacking” city’s open Dropbox folder

In a complaint filed in the California Superior Court of Orange County on October 24, 2019, the City of Fullerton, California accused a community blog and two contributors of violating anti-hacking laws for accessing confidential files city employees posted online, according to their lawyer Kelly Aviles and court documents reviewed by CPJ. Aviles told CPJ…

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A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer waits for pedestrians entering the United States on April 9, 2018 at the San Ysidro port of entry in California. Warrantless searches of devices belonging to journalists and other travelers at the border violate the U.S. constitution, a Massachusetts district court judge ruled in November. (Getty Images/AFP/Mario Tama)

Q&A: Isma’il Kushkush and Sophia Cope on U.S. court ruling against warrantless border search

Journalists crossing U.S. borders face a particular set of challenges, as CPJ has reported extensively. The U.S. government claims sweeping authority to interrogate travelers and search electronic devices without a warrant under what is known as the “border search exception.” CPJ has called this a chilling prospect for reporters in transit—especially those working with confidential…

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A demonstrator dressed as a whistle protests outside of a London court holding a hearing on the U.S. extradition case of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in October 2019. (Reuters/Henry Nicholls)

For the sake of press freedom, Julian Assange must be defended

Nine years ago this month, the Committee to Protect Journalists took a stand on one of the most polarizing figures in journalism. We wrote President Barack Obama and his attorney general, Eric Holder, urging them not to prosecute Julian Assange.

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Freelance journalist Bryan Carmody, left, is seen with his attorney, Thomas Burke, at a panel event held by the Society of Professional Journalists in San Francisco on August 13, 2019. Police raided Carmody's home and office in May while investigating the leak of a report on the death of a San Francisco public defender. (AP/Juliet Williams)

Carmody case shows grave police overreach, say lawyers

Bryan Carmody, a breaking news stringer who frequently worked the police beat in San Francisco, woke on May 10 to the sound of a sledgehammer at the metal gate securing his front door. Law enforcement agents investigating the leak of internal police documents were attempting to discover his source, CPJ reported at the time.

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