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.

  
CNN correspondent Kate Bolduan reports from outside the Time Warner Building in New York City on October 24, as police remove an explosive device from the CNN offices. (AP/Kevin Hagen)

CNN mail bomb is latest case of attacks and threats against US news rooms

New York, October 24, 2018–CNN’s New York City studios were evacuated today after an explosive device was delivered to the broadcaster’s offices, according to CNN. The device was addressed to John Brennan, a former CIA director and frequent guest on CNN news programs, who is also a national security analyst for MSNBC, CNN reported. The…

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The path(s) to justice in Jamal Khashoggi’s murder

In an emotional address to Turkey’s parliament today, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan described the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi as a savage and premeditated act and demanded that Saudi officials be brought to Turkey to stand trial. Most of the information about the investigation that has emerged has come through leaks to the Turkish…

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Unarmed man shot trying to storm local TV station in Washington, DC

In the afternoon of October 22, 2018, a man tried to force his away into the offices of Fox 5, a local television station in Washington D.C. The station released security camera footage showing the man bashing in two sets of glass doors with his foot, eventually gaining entrance to the lobby. There, two Fox…

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Warrantless searches of journalists at U.S. borders pose press freedom threat

New York, October 22, 2018–The Custom and Border Protection (CBP) agency’s powers to carry out warrantless searches of electronic devices has serious press freedom implications, including weakening the ability of the media to protect source privacy, the Committee to Protect Journalists found in its report, “Nothing to declare: Why U.S. border agency’s vast stop and…

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Customs and Border Protection agents pictured at Los Angeles International Airport in January 2017. The agency’s power to search electronic devices without warrant has serious implications for press freedom. (Reuters/Patrick T. Fallon)

Nothing to declare: Why U.S. border agency’s vast stop and search powers undermine press freedom

Secondary screenings of journalists crossing U.S. borders risk undermining press freedom as Custom and Border Protection agents search devices such as laptops or phones without warrant and question journalists about their reporting and contacts. As the government ramps up searches of electronic devices, rights groups mount legal challenges to fight invasive searches. A special report…

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Customs and Border Protection agents pictured at Los Angeles International Airport in January 2017. The agency’s power to search electronic devices without warrant has serious implications for press freedom. (Reuters/Patrick T. Fallon)

Nothing to declare:

About This ReportThis report was written by CPJ North America Program Coordinator Alexandra Ellerbeck and CPJ North America Research Assistant Stephanie Sugars, with additional research and reporting by North America Research Associate Avi Asher-Schapiro. CPJ Advocacy Director Courtney C. Radsch wrote the accompanying piece, “CPJ’s slog to improve DHS and CBP policy toward journalists.” Reporters…

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Customs and Border Protection agents pictured at Los Angeles International Airport in January 2017. The agency’s power to search electronic devices without warrant has serious implications for press freedom. (Reuters/Patrick T. Fallon)

Nothing to declare:

CPJ’s slog to improve DHS and CBP policy toward journalists One of the key principles of journalism is protecting the confidentiality of sources. So when CPJ started hearing from journalists who said they were being stopped and questioned about their journalism when they entered the United States, and that their electronic devices were sometimes searched…

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Customs and Border Protection agents pictured at Los Angeles International Airport in January 2017. The agency’s power to search electronic devices without warrant has serious implications for press freedom. (Reuters/Patrick T. Fallon)

Nothing to declare:

Recommendations The Committee to Protect Journalists offers the following recommendations:

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Artwork: Jack Forbes

Nothing to Declare: CPJ’s advice for journalists crossing a U.S. border

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency (CBP) has authority to search electronic devices without warrant or probable cause. Civil liberties groups are challenging this power in court, but journalists should be aware that current practice risks exposing contacts, sourcing, and reporting material contained on laptops, phones, and other devices.

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A sign warning drivers of hikers ahead is seen in the mountains in Sun Valley, Idaho, July 6, 2015. Two newspaper carriers were shot at on the Nez Perce Indian reservation in Idaho on October 8, 2018. (Reuters/Mike Blake)

Newspaper carriers shot at on Nez Perce Indian Reservation

An unknown assailant fired multiple shots at Lewiston Tribune newspaper carriers Donna and Dane Correll on October 8, 2018, outside Lapwai, a small city in northwest Idaho that serves at the seat of government of the Nez Perce Indian Reservation, the Tribune reported. The shooting occurred as they were delivering papers in the early morning,…

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