Leak prosecutions under Trump chill national security beat
March 6, 2019 3:08 PM ET
When President Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general, William Barr, was asked at his confirmation hearing in January whether he would ever consider jailing a journalist, Barr paused for about eight seconds, then said he could "conceive of a...
Nothing to declare: Why U.S. border agency's vast stop and search powers undermine press freedom
October 22, 2018 10:00 AM ET
Secondary screenings of journalists crossing U.S. borders risk undermining press freedom as Custom and Border Protection agents search devices such as laptops or phones without warrant and question journalists about their reporting and contacts. As the government ramps up...
New US Espionage Act prosecution has troubling implications for press freedom
March 29, 2018 5:11 PM ET
New York, March 29, 2018-- The Committee to Protect Journalists today said it is concerned by the U.S. Department of Justice's use of the Espionage Act to charge an FBI agent for allegedly leaking information to a reporter....
US Senate report on leaks and national security is deeply flawed
July 10, 2017 12:39 PM ET
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...
How US Espionage Act can be used against journalists covering leaks
May 20, 2017 8:30 AM ET
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...
UK's proposed Espionage Act will treat journalists like spies
March 17, 2017 11:41 AM ET
Journalists in Britain are becoming increasingly alarmed by the government's apparent determination to prevent them from fulfilling their mission to hold power to account. The latest manifestation of this assault on civil liberties is the so-called Espionage Act. If...
The Obama Administration and the Press
October 10, 2013 10:00 AM ET
Leak investigations and surveillance in post-9/11 America U.S. President Barack Obama came into office pledging open government, but he has fallen short of his promise. Journalists and transparency advocates say the White House curbs routine disclosure of information and...
CPJ's recommendations to the Obama administration
October 10, 2013 10:00 AM ET
CPJ is disturbed by the pattern of actions by the Obama administration that have chilled the flow of information on issues of great public interest, including matters of national security. The administration's war on leaks to the press through the...