‘This kind of behavior cannot be tolerated’: Police raid on Kansas newspaper alarms media, press freedom groups
A police raid on a small-town Kansas newspaper, the Marion County Record, has sent shockwaves through the local community and raised national alarm among press freedom and civil rights groups about its potential to undermine press freedom in the United States. The search warrant, which was signed on Friday and alleges identity theft and unlawful…
CPJ deeply disturbed by police raid on Kansas newspaper
New York, August 12, 2023 — The Committee to Protect Journalists said on Saturday that it was deeply troubled by Friday’s police raid on a local U.S. newspaper office. Media organizations reported that police officers in Marion County, Kansas, took computers and phones — including personal cell phones — from the Marion County Record newspaper and the…
CPJ strongly condemns trespassing conviction of Asheville Blade reporters in North Carolina
Washington, D.C, June 16, 2023—In response to the Friday, June 16, jury decision finding Asheville Blade reporters Matilda Bliss and Veronica Coit guilty of trespassing while covering police activity, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “We are gravely concerned by the jury’s guilty verdict in the trial of Asheville Blade reporters Matilda…
CPJ calls on NYPD to drop any charges against photojournalist Stephanie Keith
Washington, D.C., May 9, 2023—In response to news reports that freelance photojournalist Stephanie Keith was arrested while covering a protest in New York City on the evening of Monday, May 8, and authorities accused her of interfering with arrests, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “We strongly condemn the arrest of freelance…
CPJ joins call urging authorities to drop charges against Asheville Blade reporters
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined the Freedom of the Press Foundation and over 45 other organizations in a letter on Wednesday, May 3, calling for the Buncombe County district attorney’s office to drop charges against Asheville Blade reporters Veronica Coit and Matilda Bliss. The pair were arrested on December 25, 2021, while covering the…
Man fires shot at Memphis television station
New York, May 2, 2023—In response to news reports that a man fired a shot at the office door of the FOX13 television station around 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 2, in Memphis, Tennessee, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “We are gravely concerned by a shooting at FOX13 in Memphis, Tennessee,…
Russia detains Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on espionage charges
Paris, March 30, 2023—Russian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Wall Street Journal reporter and U.S. citizen Evan Gershkovich, drop all charges against him, and allow the media to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Thursday, March 30, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) stated that it had detained Gershkovich, a…
CPJ welcomes Biden executive order limiting use of commercial spyware
Washington, D.C., March 27, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists has welcomed President Joe Biden’s executive order restricting the U.S. government’s use of commercial spyware tools. The order, issued Monday, prohibits executive departments and agencies from using the spyware if they determine it could pose significant counterintelligence or security risks to the U.S. government or be…