Biden and the media: CPJ’s press freedom recommendations
CPJ is concerned that U.S. President Joe Biden has not addressed many of the Obama and Trump-era limitations on press freedom. In ‘Night and Day’, a CPJ special report on the Biden administration’s relationship with the press during its first year in office, former Washington Post executive editor Leonard Downie Jr. found that while some…
Trump lit the fuse, but anti-media sentiment among his supporters may outlast him
Joe Biden’s subdued — if heavily guarded — inauguration at the U.S. Capitol was a marked contrast to the events there two weeks prior, when journalists were assaulted, harassed, and had their equipment destroyed by protesters who sought to overturn the election in favor of Donald Trump. Yet with Trump now out of the White House —…
CPJ Safety Advisory: Covering the build-up to the U.S. presidential inauguration
Tensions remain high in the U.S. in the build-up to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20, 2021. Following the violent takeover of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on January 6, which resulted in the death of five individuals and numerous media workers being threatened and attacked, as documented by CPJ, the Federal Bureau…
Section 230 reform could have unintended consequences for the press
Twitter’s permanent suspension of President Donald Trump’s account is reinvigorating debate about the law that protects social media platforms – specifically, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. The statute shields tech companies and news websites from liability for making decisions about what people can say on their platforms, whether they take it down, or…
CPJ calls for accountability for attacks on media during US Capitol assault
New York, January 8, 2021—U.S. authorities must thoroughly investigate the many attacks on journalists during the violent takeover of the U.S. Capitol this week, and hold the perpetrators to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On January 6, supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. as both houses…
CPJ urges respect for United States press freedom, journalist safety
New York, January 6, 2020—In response to events today in Washington D.C., the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “We are gravely concerned by today’s attack on American institutions, including the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., where journalists as well as lawmakers are at risk,” said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. “Journalists and…
Here’s how Biden can restore US press freedom leadership
In his four years in office, President Trump has made attacking the media a hallmark of his administration. He has called journalists fake news and enemies of the people — but also scum, liars, and bad people. He continues to blame the media for his electoral defeat, accusing journalists of covering his administration unfairly and…
Conspiracy theories grow in the U.S., creating threats to journalist safety
On the eve of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, conspiracy theories have abounded online amid the global pandemic and a polarized political climate. Journalists covering nearly every beat grapple with misinformation, which is false but may be spread by mistake, as well as disinformation, when falsehoods are shared intentionally. QAnon has emerged as one…
Voice of America visa review could put journalists at risk
New York, July 13, 2020—The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed concern that the U.S. Agency for Global Media’s review of visas at Voice of America could endanger journalists who have worked for the international, U.S.-Congress funded news outlet. “Voice of America has brought independent news to tightly censored countries and offered journalists working in…
Internal CDC memo forbids staff from speaking with Voice of America
Washington, D.C., June 15, 2020 — In response to a newly published internal email showing that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) prohibited its employees from accepting interviews with the U.S. Congress-funded broadcaster Voice of America, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “It is reprehensible that a government agency…