Michael De Dora

Michael De Dora is CPJ's U.S. advocacy manager. He leads efforts to advance press freedom around the world with the U.S. government and other policymakers in Washington, D.C. Prior to joining CPJ, he served as director of government affairs and as the main representative to the United Nations at the Center for Inquiry.

CPJ joins letters urging U.S. government to hold NSO Group accountable on spyware

The Committee to Protect Journalists joined human rights and press freedom organizations in separate actions in August urging the United States government to hold NSO Group accountable for providing Pegasus spyware to governments that have used the tool to secretly surveil journalists around the world. In a joint letter to Acting Solicitor General Brian Fletcher…

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CPJ joins call for moratorium on surveillance technology targeting journalists

The Committee to Protect Journalists this week joined more than 150 human rights groups and independent experts in calling on states to implement an immediate moratorium on the sale, transfer, and use of surveillance technology following revelations that NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware has been used to spy on journalists around the world. The Pegasus Project,…

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CPJ, U.S. media organizations urge U.S. to provide visas to Afghans who worked with press

The Committee to Protect Journalists joined a coalition of U.S. news and press freedom organizations in joint letters to President Joseph Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Congressional leadership asking the U.S. government to provide humanitarian assistance and emergency visas to Afghans who have worked with U.S. media outlets.  In 2020, at least five journalists…

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Amicus briefs support CPJ’s appeal in Khashoggi lawsuit

Nearly three dozen media and press freedom organizations, as well as 10 major human rights organizations and experts, have signed on to amicus briefs in support of CPJ’s appeal in its lawsuit seeking documents on whether U.S. intelligence agencies knew of threats to Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi before his murder by the Saudi government….

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Khashoggi portrait

US intelligence community should explain document denial in Khashoggi case, CPJ lawsuit argues

The U.S. intelligence community should confirm or deny the existence of documents that may provide information on its awareness of threats to the life of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, the Committee to Protect Journalists argued in a brief submitted yesterday to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Khashoggi, a Saudi…

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This photograph taken October 4, 2016 shows the Signal encrypted messaging app loading on a smartphone. A new fact sheet CPJ has released with the Internet Society underscores that encryption is vital for journalists working electronically. (AP/Raphael Satter)

New CPJ, Internet Society fact sheet on why journalists need encryption

The Committee to Protect Journalists and Internet Society today released a joint fact sheet that explains the importance of encryption to press freedom and the free flow of information.

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U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to the media after a closed briefing for senators in November 2018, on developments related to the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. A joint letter calls for congressional action in the pursuit of justice. (Reuters/Joshua Roberts)

Joint letter urges congressional action on Jamal Khashoggi case

The Committee to Protect Journalists today joined 10 human rights and press freedom groups in sending a letter to House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) leadership urging congressional action in the pursuit of justice for murdered Washington Post columnist and U.S. resident Jamal Khashoggi.

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