USA / Americas

Read CPJ’s report Alarm bells: Trump’s first 100 days ramp up fear for the press, democracy.

  
Features & Analysis
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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Features & Analysis
The Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse, which hears cases from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, stands in lower Manhattan, New York City. Journalists in the U.S. and Canada say threats of lawsuits can affect every level of the reporting process. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images/AFP)

Legal threats prompt journalists to take creative approaches to investigative stories

When BuzzFeed News reporters Jane Bradley and Katie J.M. Baker began investigating claims of sexual misconduct by self-help guru Tony Robbins in early 2018, they did what any journalist would do, and reached out to people who might know about the allegations.

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Statements
A vigil for journalist Lasantha Wickramatunga is seen in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on January 15, 2009. A U.S. court recently dismissed a civil suit against former Secretary of Defense Gotabaya Rajapaksa over his alleged involvement in the killing. (Reuters/Buddhika Weerasinghe)

US court dismisses suit against former Sri Lankan defense secretary over murder of Sri Lankan journalist Wickramatunga

New York, October 22, 2019 — The Committee to Protect Journalists is dismayed by a U.S. District Court’s decision to dismiss a civil lawsuit against former Sri Lankan Secretary of Defense Gotabaya Rajapaksa over his alleged involvement in the 2009 killing of Sri Lankan journalist Lasantha Wickramatunga.

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Statements
A vigil for Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, outside Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul on October 25, 2018. Ahead of the first anniversary of the journalist's murder, CPJ continues to call for justice and accountability. (AP/Emrah Gurel)

One year without justice for Washington Post columnist Khashoggi

New York, September 30, 2019—The Committee to Protect Journalists today reiterated its demand to the U.S. and U.N. for transparency and justice for Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi and said that it was dismayed by the lack of accountability in the journalist’s murder.

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Features & Analysis
The Central Intelligence Agency building is seen in Langley, Virginia, on January 21, 2017. CPJ recently filed a brief requesting the U.S. intelligence community release documents relating to the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. (AP/Andrew Harnik)

CPJ asks DC District Court to force release of intelligence community Khashoggi files

The Committee to Protect Journalists filed a brief in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia yesterday asking the court to release documents regarding Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, which the U.S. government claimed in court documents are exempt from Freedom of Information Act requests.

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Letters

CPJ issues letter of support for fallen journalists memorial

CPJ writes to Peter May, chairman of the National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission, to express support for a Fallen Journalists Memorial located on federal property in Washington, D.C.

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Features & Analysis
Reporters work during a panel for a television series in Beverly Hills, California, in August 2016. Female and gender non-conforming journalists in the U.S. and Canada say there is a need for greater training on dealing with harassment and threats. (Reuters/Mario Anzuoni)

‘The threats follow us home’: Survey details risks for female journalists in U.S., Canada

Ask any female journalist about harassment or safety while on assignment and they’ll likely have a story to tell.

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Features & Analysis
A protester uses her phone to film during protests in Charlotte, North Carolina, in September 2016. CPJ's safety survey found 85 percent of respondents believe journalism is becoming a less safe job. (Reuters/Mike Blake)

Why going solo is a risk for female reporters in the US and Canada

In June 2016, an attacker was terrorizing women on a jogging path in Edmonton, Canada. A video journalist at a large Canadian broadcaster was assigned to cover the story on the night shift. Multiple sexual assaults had been reported and the man was still at-large.

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Features & Analysis
A photographer sets a remote camera before Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's appearance at a joint hearing on Capitol Hill in April 2018. Online harassment is perceived as the biggest threat for journalists in the U.S. and Canada, CPJ's safety survey found. (AFP/Brendan Smialowski)

Why newsrooms need a solution to end online harassment of reporters

Stef Schrader was on vacation in Germany last year when spam messages started to flood her inbox. Seeing random emails from Macy’s—and job alerts for the position of “Chief Idiot”—she realized someone had signed her work email up to dozens of email lists.

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Letters

CPJ, partner organizations call on Sacramento Police Department to fulfill commitment to respect the rights of journalists covering protests

The Committee to Protect Journalists along with partner organizations write to Sacramento Police Chief Daniel Hahn to urge the Sacramento Police Department to fulfill its commitment to respect the rights of journalists covering protests in the city.

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