Dear Friend of Press Freedom,
This week saw President Donald Trump threatening journalists with bogus prosecutions and his administration bringing charges against another whistleblower. But the federal government is far from the only bad actor when it comes to press freedom these days. Read on for more.
Whistleblower prosecution has nothing to do with national security
Courtney Williams, a former Army employee, has been charged under the Espionage Act for blowing the whistle to journalist Seth Harp on sexual harassment and discrimination she experienced and witnessed. Harp cited Williams as a source in his 2025 book, “The Fort Bragg Cartel,” and an article in Politico Magazine.
Freedom fo the Press Foundation (FPF) Chief of Advocacy Seth Stern said, “The notion that an administration that casually posts genocide threats during its illegal wars is worried about national security risks from whistleblowers who expose sexual harassment is absurd.”
DOJ wants to scrap the Presidential Records Act
FPF Daniel Ellsberg Chair on Government Secrecy Lauren Harper wrote for The Intercept about a bogus legal opinion that the PRA — the Watergate-era law establishing that presidents’ records are public property — is unconstitutional.
The Justice Department, Harper writes, “is effectively claiming that the presidency has private ownership over the American story.” You can use our action center to tell Congress to speak out against this attack on transparency.
No kings in DC, no compliance in LA
The Los Angeles Police Department obstructed, threatened, and arrested journalists covering the third round of “No Kings” protests — violating a federal injunction.
Watch FPF Deputy Director of Advocacy Adam Rose — who was on the ground in LA that day — explain what he witnessed. And if you’re a journalist who faced a press freedom violation, contact our U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, which is documenting the violence in LA.
And speaking of injunctions officers violated left and right, Rose has another video about an appellate ruling upholding a similar court order against the Department of Homeland Security for its press freedom violations. There’s plenty more to see on our YouTube channel.
The Republican about-face on Qatari media funding
A few years ago, then-Sen. Marco Rubio and his colleagues successfully urged the first Trump administration to force Al Jazeera to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
But the second Trump administration, in which Rubio serves as secretary of state, is putting its weight behind Paramount Skydance’s acquisition of CNN parent Warner Bros. Discovery, even though the deal is financed, in part, by a Qatari sovereign wealth fund. Stern wrote about how the reversal shows that past fearmongering over foreign investment in media, including Al Jazeera and TikTok, had nothing to do with the supposed security risks and everything to do with controlling the narrative.
Judge tells Pentagon to stop censoring journalists again. Think they’ll listen this time?
Federal Judge Paul Friedman entered anorder yesterday compelling the Pentagon to comply with hisprior prohibition on enforcing its unconstitutional press policy.
Stern said in a statement that, although we appreciate Friedman granting The New York Times’ motion to compel, “at this point, any court order that responds to the administration’s blatant lawlessness with anything less than sanctions, contempt of court findings, and attorney disciplinary referrals is a disappointment.”
Sources aren’t safe when surveillance is for sale
Government agencies frequently evade the Fourth Amendment with the “data broker loophole” — using taxpayer dollars to buy sensitive, personal data about Americans and others from private data brokers.
FPF Senior Advocacy Adviser Caitlin Vogus explains that the use of data brokers for immigration enforcement has shown just how invasive this surveillance can be and how the government could use this purchased spy power to target journalists and their sources.
Trump’s threat to jail reporters deserves bipartisan condemnation
On Monday, Trump threatened to jail unnamed journalists if they do not reveal their sources for reporting about the mission to rescue airmen shot down in Iran. (Later in the week, he bizarrely threatened CNN with prosecution over completely accurate reporting).
Stern said in a statement, “Some of the most important news stories in American history have come from confidential sources, including stories that have brought down corrupt presidents. That’s why Trump is so obsessed with leaks.”
So-called ‘antifa’ prosecutions endanger the First Amendment and the press
We joined Defending Rights & Dissent and the National Lawyers Guild for a conversation about the Prairieland case in Texas, which the Trump administration is touting as its first successful domestic terrorism prosecution of “antifa.”
The defendants’ possession of anarchist zines was repeatedly touted as evidence of … something or other, even though the zines had nothing whatsoever to do with any alleged crimes any of them were accused of committing. That’s concerning to everyone who depends on the First Amendment, including the press.
What we're reading
Using AI safely as a journalist
FPF digital security team
Check out our digital security team’s three-part series to help journalists better understand risks of using artificial intelligence and set boundaries around which AI systems and tools make sense to use, adjust, or avoid.
Israel kills 3 journalists in Gaza and Lebanon in one day; CPJ calls for international action
Committee to Protect Journalists
This isn’t just a tragedy. It’s a pattern enabled by impunity — and by U.S. political and military backing.
The infrastructure nobody told you about
Backstory & Strategy
A new FBI budget request would give NSPM-7 real teeth. Journalists who report on matters arguably fitting within the nebulous scope of the presidential memorandum on domestic terrorism should take note.
Cherry Hill school district targets citizen with ludicrous lawsuit over public records
New Jersey Monitor
The district thinks a journalist filing 14 Freedom of Information Act requests in a year is a reason to sue to ban him from filing any more. Wait until they find out how many FOIAs FPF files.
stLouIST