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Sen. Dick Durbin, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee

Credit: Center for American Progress Action Fund

In its waning weeks, the 117th Congress has a historic chance to pass legislation that would do more to protect press freedom than any bill in modern history. Already passed by the House, the fate of the PRESS Act is now in the hands of Sen. Dick Durbin, the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who can make sure this bill advances closer to a full vote in the Senate.

The Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying (PRESS) Act, first introduced by Sen. Ron Wyden last year, is the strongest reporter’s shield bill to come through Congress that we’ve ever seen. It would prevent the government from spying on journalists in all but the most emergency situations and protect them from testifying against their sources.

After myriad surveillance scandals under both the Obama and Trump administrations, the Biden Department of Justice has just issued new internal guidelines that restricts the surveillance of journalists who are doing their jobs. Our friends at Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press called the rules a “watershed moment,” and it is certainly welcome news.

However, perhaps the most important provision in these new internal rules is the very last paragraph:

This section is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

In short, these new DOJ guidelines do not have the force of law. They can also be changed at the stroke of a pen, or on the whims of the White House or attorney general, present or future.

Wyden’s PRESS Act, which we’ve previously endorsed, closely mirrors the DOJ guidelines and would enshrine these important press protections in the law. It would mean a future president could not go back to spying on journalists, like so many in the past have done. (Donald Trump just mused on the campaign trail about threatening journalists with prison to get them to reveal their sources, after all).

The PRESS Act would make these protections permanent and allow courts to hold officials accountable who break them.

The House quietly passed its version of the PRESS Act in September by voice vote, which means that if the bill actually comes up for a vote in the Senate it may be viewed as an uncontroversial and non-partisan issue.

But in the Senate, the bill needs to sign off from the Judiciary Committee before it can move forward for a full vote. Durbin, who has been supportive of press freedom and civil liberties issues in the past, can be this bill’s champion by quickly giving it his blessing in his role as Judiciary chairman. We urge Durbin to “hotline” — advance the bill without a markup by the committee — so it can be voted on before this Congress adjourns for good in January.

You can contact Durbin’s office and ask him to support the PRESS Act by calling 202-224-2152 or using this contact form.

If you’re unsure about what to say, you can repeat this language provided by our friends at Demand Progress, which also has a petition on the issue:

Sen. Durbin – I urge you to advance the PRESS Act, legislation just unanimously passed by the House. The PRESS Act would shield journalists from being forced to give up sources and block government seizure of phone and email records. These rights are absolutely essential in any functioning democracy.

If you are a resident of Illinois, Durbin’s home state, your voice is especially important. So please call or email Durbin’s office as soon as you can — time is of the essence. With Congress potentially switching hands in a few months, we might not see another opportunity like this in years.

EDWARDSVILLE - Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine on Thursday filed felony theft charges against the treasurer of a local softball organization. Heather S. Sullivan, 37, of Roodhouse, is charged with stealing approximately $64,200 from Esprit Metro Fast Pitch. The theft is alleged to have occurred between Aug. 1, 2021, and March 7, 2022. Associate Judge Janet Heflin set the defendant’s bail at $80,000. The case was investigated by Glen Carbon Police and Assistant State’s Attorney Bruce Reppert. This charge, as well as the statements made herein, are based upon probable cause. The defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

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Dear Editor, As the sheriff in Madison County, my job is to protect the public’s safety. In this role, it’s vital to have strong partners in elected officials who share my commitment to making the right decision when it comes to protecting the public and our men and women in law enforcement. That’s why I am supporting Katie Stuart for State Representative. As State Representative, Katie has supported and fought for laws to make our communities safer and that protect our men and women who put their lives in danger each day to help keep the public safe. Katie is fighting for safer communities by delivering millions in new funding to put more police on our streets and for new high-tech resources and collaboration to solve violent crimes, carjackings, and home burglaries. That’s why Katie is the only candidate for State Representative endorsed by the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police, Sheriffs of Illinois PAC, and the Illinois Troopers Lodge #41 Fraternal Order

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Eight more businesses were broken into overnight in St. Louis, increasing the number of burglaries to 17 in two weeks.

A $93 million measure to be introduced at the Board of Aldermen includes $4 million to help cover down payments and closing costs for buying homes, with priority given to city employees.

As federal and local authorities continue to investigate just how Orlando Harris was able to obtain the AR-style rifle used in Monday's mass shooting at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School, St. Louis police have revealed the shooter was thwarted from buying a weapon earlier this month.

The Who's Roger Daltrey and contemporary British rocker Yungblud interview each other for the latest installment of Rolling Stone's "Musicians on Musicians" series. During the conversation, Daltrey, 78, tells Yungblud…

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This haunted happy hour at The Magic House features fall-inspired drinks and appetizers, a haunted mansion tour and a scary movie screening. You must be 21 or older to attend.

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Police said an FBI background check successfully blocked him from buying the gun from the dealer on Oct. 8. He then bought a gun in a private sale.

ALTON - The Alton City Council discussed a resolution for a permanent response to the issues of flooding - a five-foot tall, 1,000-foot wall from the Greater Rivers and Routes Tourism Bureau Office on Piasa Street to William Street. Alderman Nate Keener told the council members that originally the plan was to suspend the rules and approve the wall proposition with the State of Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and the City of Alton in an immediate fashion, but now the thought was to receive some public input and have it go directly through Alton Committee of the Whole. He explained that time is of the essence to approve the measure to receive the IEMA funding to match with city funds. “We want to take advantage of federal funds to mitigate flood damage,” he said. “But we would like to see more public input and transparency around the project. I would like to just read it and refer it to the Committee of the Whole.” Keener said there is still time

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Toxic masculinity can be described easily: Destructive emotions, misogynistic comments and views, avoiding vulnerability. But what could healthy masculinity look like? ‘UnMasc: A Storytelling Event’ will feature experiences and reflections by 10 men as they take a step back to evaluate moments in their lives in front of an audience. Bryant Antione of The Village PATH and James Meinert of Undo Bias Consulting preview the event and discuss how they are learning to detoxify what it means to “be a man.”

The shooter suspected of murdering a teacher and a student at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School on Monday attempted to buy a gun from a licensed dealer earlier this month. St. Louis Police say on October 8 that 19-year-old Orlando Harris tried to purchase a firearm from a dealer in St. Charles, but an FBI background check blocked the sale. However, Harris was able to successfully purchase the AR-15 rifle he used Monday from a private seller, who purchased the weapon from a federally licensed dealer in December 2020.

At a rally this weekend, former President Donald Trump continued to attack the media, suggesting imprisonment for journalists who publish leaked materials.

Credit: Gage Skidmore (FILE)

This post was originally published as part of our weekly newsletter. For more breaking news and analysis of the state of press freedom in the U.S., subscribe here.

At a Texas rally this weekend, Donald Trump called for law enforcement to go after journalists and publishers to find who leaked the Supreme Court’s draft Dobbs opinion earlier this year. In a rambling and occasionally vulgar speech, the former president suggested investigators could claim the leak was a national security issue, and threaten the reporters and their outlets with prison violence. These comments echoed similar remarks he’d posted to Truth Social this summer.

Trump’s heinous positions are hardly new: As a public figure, then as a candidate, then as president, then as a defeated former executive, he has repeatedly voiced similarly objectionable views on the value of press freedom in this country.

It’s a stark reminder that future presidents may attempt to imprison journalists who report on the machinations of secret government.

It’s also why, ever since the Trump administration initiated the prosecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, we’ve warned that the dangerous precedent set by the case could easily be used against national security reporters at The New York Times, The Washington Post and everywhere else.

Those charges received condemnation from top American news organizations and nearly every major international human rights group when they were filed in 2019, but the DOJ under Biden continues to pursue them. Freedom of the Press Foundation is among the more than two dozen groups that have repeatedly called for the Department of Justice to drop the charges. Those demands have only picked up this month as Assange tested positive for COVID while awaiting extradition in a U.K. prison.

Yesterday, the DOJ released important guidelines that would virtually bar the surveillance of journalists doing their jobs. But until the department breaks meaningfully with its predecessor’s disregard for the First Amendment and drops the charges against Assange, future administrations (Trump is likely to run again, after all) will have been handed all the tools they need to imprison journalists they do not like.

What we’re reading:

• Knight Institute sues CIA and other agencies to obtain intelligence report on Khashoggi murder: The Columbia University-based First Amendment organization filed a FOIA lawsuit seeking the still-withheld report on the slain journalist’s 2018 murder.
• LAPD launches criminal probe of racist leak at request of Martinez, De León, Cedillo: The Los Angeles police chief announced that his department has initiated a criminal investigation into the leaked recording that has shaken city politics for weeks. Experts note that the anonymous poster who published the recording to Reddit could invoke California’s shield law, which protects a reporter’s privilege not to disclose sources.
• Iran’s media blackout sets the stage for state violence: Brutal crackdowns to protests in Iran have intensified as the government blocks reporters from documenting the scene. “There are no journalists on the ground. No journalists are allowed to work in these situations. Unless you are working for the regime,” said the editor-in-chief of an Iranian fact-checking organization.
• Charges — and punishments — for J6 rioters who hurt journalists, damaged news equipment: Our U.S. Press Freedom Tracker documented 18 journalists assaulted during the riots and tens of thousands of dollars of news equipment damaged. Last week, a rioter was sentenced to nearly three years in prison for his actions that day, including the assault of an Associated Press photographer. It’s the first sentencing to include crimes on the media.