USA / Americas

For data on press freedom violations in the U.S., visit the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, a partnership between CPJ and Freedom of the Press Foundation.

Read CPJ’s report On Edge: What the US election could mean for journalists and global press freedom.

  
Features & Analysis
Reporters work during a panel for a television series in Beverly Hills, California, in August 2016. Female and gender non-conforming journalists in the U.S. and Canada say there is a need for greater training on dealing with harassment and threats. (Reuters/Mario Anzuoni)

‘The threats follow us home’: Survey details risks for female journalists in U.S., Canada

Ask any female journalist about harassment or safety while on assignment and they’ll likely have a story to tell.

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Features & Analysis
A protester uses her phone to film during protests in Charlotte, North Carolina, in September 2016. CPJ's safety survey found 85 percent of respondents believe journalism is becoming a less safe job. (Reuters/Mike Blake)

Why going solo is a risk for female reporters in the US and Canada

In June 2016, an attacker was terrorizing women on a jogging path in Edmonton, Canada. A video journalist at a large Canadian broadcaster was assigned to cover the story on the night shift. Multiple sexual assaults had been reported and the man was still at-large.

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Features & Analysis
A photographer sets a remote camera before Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's appearance at a joint hearing on Capitol Hill in April 2018. Online harassment is perceived as the biggest threat for journalists in the U.S. and Canada, CPJ's safety survey found. (AFP/Brendan Smialowski)

Why newsrooms need a solution to end online harassment of reporters

Stef Schrader was on vacation in Germany last year when spam messages started to flood her inbox. Seeing random emails from Macy’s—and job alerts for the position of “Chief Idiot”—she realized someone had signed her work email up to dozens of email lists.

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Letters

CPJ, partner organizations call on Sacramento Police Department to fulfill commitment to respect the rights of journalists covering protests

The Committee to Protect Journalists along with partner organizations write to Sacramento Police Chief Daniel Hahn to urge the Sacramento Police Department to fulfill its commitment to respect the rights of journalists covering protests in the city.

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Features & Analysis
The New York Times logo is seen on a newspaper rack at a convenience store in Washington, D.C., on August 6, 2019. CPJ and RCFP filed a lawsuit on August 8 seeking documents in a leak investigation involving a Times reporter. (AFP/Alastair Pike)

CPJ, RCFP file lawsuit seeking documents in leak investigation

Yesterday, the Committee to Protect Journalists and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP) filed a lawsuit against the United States government seeking to obtain documents concerning steps taken by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to investigate leakers and to identify journalists’ sources.

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Features & Analysis
Demonstrators demanding the resignation of Gov. Ricardo Rosselló arrive on motorcycles in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on July 18, 2019. Thousands of people are calling on Rosselló to resign after the leak of online chats that show him making misogynistic slurs and mocking his constituents. (AP/Dennis M. Rivera Pichardo)

Puerto Rican journalists navigate street protests, police reaction

In a Q&A with CPJ, broadcast reporter Jesús Rivera Martinez talks about the climate for journalists amid protests calling for the resignation of Puerto Rico’s governor, Ricardo Rosselló.

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Case
RT's Moscow offices are seen on June 8, 2018. The company is among several foreign-owned outlets that have been forced to register under the Foreign Agent Registration Act in the United States. (AFP/Yuri Kadobnov)

Several foreign news outlets required to register as foreign agents in US

Since 2017, U.S. legislators and the Department of Justice have required multiple foreign-funded news organizations to register under the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA), a law designed to compel transparency from agents of foreign entities operating inside the United States, according to news reports, public records, and letters from the Department of Justice.

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Statements
The U.S. Supreme Court is seen in Washington, D.C., on June 24, 2019. A court decision made today will restrict journalists' access to government records. (AFP/Saul Loeb)

US Supreme Court imposes new limits on government records requests

New York, June 24, 2019 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed concern over a U.S. Supreme Court decision that restricts journalists’ access to government records.

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Features & Analysis
Police watch supporters of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange protesting in London on June 14, 2019 before a scheduled court date in his fight against extradition to the United States, where he faces prosecution for conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, as well as the Espionage Act. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Tech journalists troubled by Assange computer intrusion charge

The Trump administration’s decision to charge Julian Assange with 17 counts of violating the Espionage Act has generated significant controversy. One legal expert described it as “crossing a “constitutional Rubicon.” CPJ warned that the indictment could be the opening salvo in a broader attack on First Amendment journalistic protections. The 18th charge against Assange–of violating…

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Alerts
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seen in London on May 1, 2019. Assange was recently indicted in the United States under the Espionage Act, the first such case conducted against a publisher. (Photo: AP/Matt Dunham)

Assange indictment marks alarming new stage in US war on leaks

Mexico City, May 24, 2019 — The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the U.S. Justice Department’s indictment yesterday of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The administration of President Donald Trump disclosed 17 charges against Assange under the Espionage Act, relating to his receipt and publication of classified military documents and diplomatic cables in 2010…

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