CPJ urges Congressman Greg Gianforte to champion the protection of journalists in the U.S. and around the world

The Committee to Protect Journalists writes to U.S. Congressman Greg Gianforte (R-MT) urging him to champion the protection of journalists and press freedom in the U.S. and around the world.

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A timeline on the wall at the La Estrella de Panamá office highlights important dates in the newspaper's history.(CPJ/Natalie Southwick)

US Treasury Department decision risks future of two Panama newspapers

La Estrella de Panamá has kept Panama’s citizens informed since 1849. Now, as the country prepares for elections next year, the existence of the major newspaper, along with that of its sister title, El Siglo, may depend on the U.S. Treasury Department.

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U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks to reporters in Washington, D.C., August 4, 2017. (AFP/Alex Wong)

Trump administration says it is pursuing 3 times as many leak investigations as predecessor

New York, August 4, 2017–Relaxing U.S. government guidelines to make it easier for investigators to subpoena journalists and their records would have a chilling effect on press freedom, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a news conference today that U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is pursuing three times…

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Reality Winner, center, an intelligence contractor charged with leaking classified National Security Agency material, is shown in a courtroom sketch at a hearing in Augusta, Georgia, on June 8, 2017. A group of Senate Republicans claim that leaks to the media under the Trump Administration are harming national security. (Reuters/Richard Miller)

US Senate report on leaks and national security is deeply flawed

Last week, Republicans on the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs released a report on leaks to the media. The report, which was led by Chairman Ron Johnson, asserts that “an avalanche” of leaks under the Trump Administration is harming national security. It lists at least 125 news articles and their bylines -…

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Sen. Ron Johnson, Republican of Wisconsin, center, speaks to journalists in Washington, D.C. on June 27. He released a report claiming that media leaks under the Trump Administration harm U.S. national security. (AP/J. Scott Applewhite)

Republicans on Senate committee assert media leaks harm US national security

New York, July 6, 2017–The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by a report released today by a group of Senate Republicans arguing that “an avalanche” of media leaks under the Trump Administration is harming national security. The report, which lists at least 125 news articles that allegedly harmed national security and their bylines, was…

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Congressman Greg Gianforte appears in court to face a charge of misdemeanor assault over an attack on Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs in Montana in June. (Reuters/Tommy Martino)

CPJ to use $50,000 Gianforte donated as part of body slam settlement to track other assaults on press

When the news came that Greg Gianforte was making a $50,000 donation to the Committee to Protect Journalists it was 10 p.m. on the East Coast, but 8:30 a.m. in Naypyidaw, Myanmar’s Disney-like capital city, where members of our CPJ team were meeting officials to discuss that country’s punitive press laws.

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US congressional candidate in Montana charged with assaulting reporter

May 25, 2017 — The alleged assault of Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs by a candidate competing in today’s special congressional election in Montana sends an unacceptable signal that physical assault is an appropriate response to unwanted questioning by a journalist, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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How US Espionage Act can be used against journalists covering leaks

Earlier this week, Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly joked about Trump using a saber on the press and U.S. Senator Jim Risch told CNN the press should be questioning the Washington Post about its sources. Then, on May 16, The New York Times reported that President Donald Trump allegedly asked former FBI director…

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In an image created from video from the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia's Facebook page, Dan Heyman, left, addresses the press after his release in Charleston, West Virginia, May 9, 2017.

Journalist arrested in West Virginia while questioning cabinet official

New York, May 10, 2017–The arrest of a journalist in the U.S. state of West Virginia while asking a question of Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price yesterday is an affront to press freedom, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping walk together after their meetings at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on April 7, 2017. (AP/Alex Brandon)

With press freedom under attack worldwide, US is setting wrong example

For decades if not longer, repressive leaders around the world have defended restrictions on freedom of the press by citing examples of Western governments failing to live by their own professed standards.

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