Press Freedom

Journalist arrests and press suppression have become so commonplace that the U.S. ranking in a prominent global press freedom index has plummeted 27 spots to number 47.

Since September 2011, more than 80 journalists have been arrested while covering the Occupy Wall Street movement and other protests. Through social media and original reporting, Free Press has tracked and verified these arrests.

Working with activists and journalists around the country, we are fostering a public debate about the need to protect the First Amendment in the digital age. We are also pressuring local leaders to safeguard press freedom in their cities.

Blog Posts

The Series of Tubes: AT&T's Up to Its Old Tricks
Josh Levy
May 17, 2013
AT&T is at it again, blocking the open Internet and finding devious new ways to stomp on innovation, nickel-and-dime its customers and add to its ever-growing profits.
Securing Press Freedom for All
Josh Stearns
May 16, 2013

Just days after news broke that the Justice Department had secretly obtained AP journalists’ phone records as part of its ongoing crackdown on leaks, the New Yorker released a new tool — Strongbox — to enable people to safely and securely leak electronic files.
Everything You Wanted to Know About the DoJ/AP Controversy
Josh Stearns
May 15, 2013
The story of how the Justice Department secretly obtained journalists’ phone records is developing quickly. Here is an overview of the issues.

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Actions

Tell the Justice Department You Won't Stand for Attacks on Press Freedom

The Justice Department secretly obtained the phone records of Associated Press reporters in a "massive and unprecedented" violation of journalists' constitutional rights.

This unprecedented abuse will continue unless we speak out.

Take Action Today
Declaration of Internet Freedom

Tired of fighting bad bills like SOPA, PIPA and CISPA? Want to stand up against those who are trying to control what we do and say online?

Let's do something different. Add your name and join the global movement for Internet freedom.

Sign the Declaration
Defend the First Amendment

Police have arrested journalists and activists around the country for the “crime” of documenting political protests in public spaces. Take action now to protect freedom of the press.

Sign the Letter »

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Press Releases

Free Speech and Digital Rights Groups Call on Department of Justice to Protect Everyone’s Right to Record
May 3, 2012
WASHINGTON – On Thursday, nine leading free speech and digital rights groups called on U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to focus attention on the alarming number of arrests of people documenting Occupy protests. Free Press has chronicled more than 70 such arrests since last September.

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Resources

What Not to Bring?
August 27, 2012
Check out our infographic about the prohibited items at the 2012 democratic and republican conventions.

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News from Around the Web

Five Overlooked Lessons from the AP Subpoena Controversy and Other Leak Investigations
Electronic Frontier Foundation
May 21, 2013
The journalism world has been rightly outraged by the Justice Department dragging the Associated Press (and now a Fox News reporter) into one of its sprawling leak investigations. But there are several other important lessons that this scandal can teach us besides how important free and uninhibited newsgathering is to the public’s right to know.
Lawmakers Introduce Bill Requiring Court Order to Seize Phone Records
Wired
May 16, 2013
In the wake of the AP scandal, in which federal investigators obtained the phone records of journalists using only a subpoena, four lawmakers have introduced legislation in the House that would prevent federal agencies from seizing any phone records without a court order.
Seizing on Obama’s Nixonian Moment
The Progressive
May 16, 2013
If you had to pick one word to describe the Obama administration’s scandal-plagued, power-abusing and buck-passing week it would have to be "Nixonian."

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Quality Journalism

The media landscape is changing dramatically, empowering more and more people to become media makers even as the traditional infrastructures that have supported journalism for years are eroding.
Right to Record

The First Amendment has come under assault on the streets of America. Since the Occupy Wall Street movement began, police have arrested dozens of journalists and activists simply for attempting to document political protests in public spaces.

The ubiquity of camera-ready smartphones has spawned legions of new journalists who can be found at every large-scale protest streaming and photographing close-up accounts of police actions and arrests. It's a new form of reporting that's open to anyone with a mobile phone and the resolve to get close to police and protesters.
Nonprofit Journalism

The ravages of consolidation and the rise of the Internet have converged to create a crisis in journalism. Job cuts have decimated newsrooms, media companies have closed foreign bureaus, and the number of journalists covering statehouses has shrunk to almost zero in many places. Many small cities and towns — and even large cities like New Orleans — are now without a daily local newspaper.

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