U.S. press freedom under President Biden

U.S. President Joe Biden leaves without taking questions from reporters after delivering remarks on the economy during a speech in the East Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., September 16, 2021. REUTERS/Leah Millis - RC27RP9HCXOI

Since his inauguration, U.S. President Joe Biden has underscored the importance of protecting press freedom. In a new report by CPJ, Leonard Downie Jr. finds an almost complete reversal from the Trump administration’s hostile anti-media rhetoric and a return to a more traditional relationship between the press and the White House.

However, journalists and advocates say they are still concerned about the lack of substantive change both domestically and internationally. Freedom of information requests remain backlogged, U.S. Border Patrol agents maintain wide authority to question reporters and search their devices, and the administration has stonewalled reporters’ ability to report on matters of public interest and has continued weaponizing the Espionage Act, among other concerns.

With at least three years left in the Biden presidency, there is much more to do to mitigate some of the lasting and continuing damage done to the news media by Trump, his administration, and his followers in and out of politics and the media. Watch our latest video where Downie Jr. and CPJ U.S. and Canada Program Coordinator Katherine Jacobsen detail the report’s findings.

Read the full report and recommendations, watch a press briefing on its findings, and engage with us on Twitter.

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Spotlight

Jodie Ginsberg will join CPJ as its new president (Photo courtesy of Griffith University: Integrity 20)

In exciting news this week, CPJ announced Jodie Ginsberg as its new president. Ginsberg will succeed Joel Simon, who stepped down at the end of 2021 after leading the organization for 15 years.

A journalist by profession, Ginsberg has served since March 2020 as chief executive officer of Internews Europe, part of the Internews alliance, one of the world’s largest international media development nonprofits. She previously served as CEO of Index on Censorship, an international freedom of expression group.

“The past two years have shown just how vital a role the press plays in our global world,” Ginsberg said. “Journalists help hold power to account, expose corruption and injustice, and shine a spotlight on the most important issues of our day – from health to climate to social change. For that, far too many face a growing threat of violence and harassment. I am determined to help reverse this trend and am honored to be leading CPJ at such a critical juncture.”

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