CPJ alarmed by wiretapping charges against Ohio newspaper editor
Washington, D.C., November 8, 2022 — Authorities in Pike County, Ohio, should immediately drop all charges against journalist Derek Myers and return equipment seized from Myers and his newsroom, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. The Pike County Sheriff charged Myers, editor-in-chief of local news website the Scioto Valley Guardian, with wiretapping on October…
CPJ welcomes new US Justice Department guidelines protecting journalists’ sources
Washington, D.C., October 26, 2022—In response to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland’s decision Wednesday revising Justice Department regulations to restrict federal prosecutors’ ability to obtain journalists’ phone and email records in government leak investigations with narrow exceptions, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “This is an important step to protect press freedom in the…
CPJ condemns harassment, bomb threat against Iranian American journalist Negar Mortazavi
New York, October 20, 2022 — In response to news reports that the University of Chicago received an anonymous bomb threat on Tuesday for hosting an event featuring Iranian American journalist Negar Mortazavi, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “The bomb threat against journalist Negar Mortazavi was a crude attempt at censorship….
The legal battle to protect slain reporter Jeff German’s electronic devices–and why it’s so concerning for press freedom
A district judge last week barred police from accessing electronic devices used by Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German before his fatal stabbing in September – but only for a while. The measure was a preliminary injunction against searching German’s cellphone, hard drive, and computers, but a further ruling expected this week could authorize a…
Special report: When spyware turns phones into weapons
How zero-click surveillance threatens reporters, sources, and global press freedom By Fred Guterl Published October 13, 2022 Aida Alami has always been wary of surveillance. As a journalist from Morocco, a state with a track record of intercepting phone calls and messages of political rivals, activists, and journalists, she habitually took precautions to protect her…
U.S. midterm election 2022: Journalist safety kit
The U.S. midterm elections will be held on Tuesday, November 8, 2022, in an increasingly polarized political climate. During this midterm election year, all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate will be contested. Online abuse and digital threats to journalists have been steadily increasing, as…
CPJ supports Las Vegas Review-Journal’s efforts to protect slain reporter’s unpublished source material
Washington, D.C., September 27, 2022 — The Las Vegas Review-Journal on Monday filed a motion to prevent law enforcement from accessing electronic devices and unreported source material obtained when they searched the home of slain reporter Jeff German as part of their murder investigation. “A murder investigation should not be used as a pretext to…
Police arrest local official suspected of killing Las Vegas reporter Jeff German
New York, September 8, 2022–In response to news reports that police arrested a suspect in the killing of Las Vegas Review-Journal journalist Jeff German, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement on Thursday: “Las Vegas police have acted quickly in identifying and arresting a suspect in the fatal stabbing of Las Vegas Review-Journal…
Investigative journalist Jeff German killed outside Las Vegas home
New York, September 6, 2022—Las Vegas law enforcement should conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the killing of journalist Jeff German, determine whether he was targeted for his work, and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On the morning of Saturday, September 3, German, a reporter for the…
US reporters wary of online, legal threats in the wake of the overturn of Roe v. Wade
In May, editors at the pro-abortion rights news website Rewire took the extraordinary step of removing reporters’ biographies from the web site. The move was a safety precaution: After the leak of a draft of a majority Supreme Court opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization to overturn the constitutional right to abortion, reporters at Rewire grew concerned about…