All articles tagged with #press freedom
An arbitrator ruled The Washington Post must reinstate Black opinion writer Karen Attiah, finding the firing over social-media posts about violent white men following Charlie Kirk’s death to be without sufficient cause and awarding back pay and benefits, a potential landmark for press freedom.
An arbitrator ruled the Washington Post violated union protections by firing opinion columnist Karen Attiah over social-media posts about Charlie Kirk and ordered the paper to reinstate her and pay back wages, finding her comments within her professional mandate and the firing four hours after learning of the posts was disproportionate—even as the Post cites security and editorial integrity concerns.
Governor Newsom signed AB 2624 expanding address-protection for immigration-service workers. Supporters say it shields workers from doxxing, while critics warn it could hinder journalists and investigations, fueling a looming First Amendment fight with Republicans urging DOJ intervention. The law, branded by critics as the “Stop Nick Shirley Act,” is set to take effect Oct. 1, 2027, and is likely to face legal challenges.
A fired editor of the Stars and Stripes military newspaper alleges Pentagon pressure on coverage, raising concerns about censorship and calling for greater transparency and protections for journalists covering the military.
The editor-in-chief of Stars and Stripes, Erik Slavin, along with a reporter and the paper’s publisher, was fired by the DoD for insubordination after an interview suggesting censorship could be a red line. Slavin warns of a chilling climate with less on-the-record Pentagon commentary, while the DoD declined to comment and the paper’s independence remains under scrutiny.
The Pentagon fired Stars and Stripes editor-in-chief Erik Slavin and Middle East reporter Lara Korte, along with long-time publisher Max Lederer, after leadership publicly defended the paper’s editorial independence amid tensions with Defense Department policy. Slavin says the firing followed remarks about censorship in a CBS interview, while the Pentagon frames it as refocusing Stars and Stripes on its original mission to report for warfighters. The shake-up, which also saw ombudsman Jacqueline Smith fired and Deputy Publisher William Urban appointed, drew criticism from press groups and lawmakers who warn the move undermines independent military journalism.
The Pentagon fired Stars and Stripes leadership amid a pressure campaign led by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, raising concerns about editorial independence at the military newspaper as publisher Max Lederer, editor Erik Slavin, and reporter Lara Korte were ousted following media scrutiny and internal pushback.
Iranian photojournalist Yalda Moaiery, who has spent more than two decades documenting life under the regime and protests, was sentenced to 15 years in an Iranian prison for charges described as activities in furtherance of the Zionist regime against national security. She intends to appeal and says she will continue bearing witness to the truth despite the risk of confinement, stressing that journalism is her only weapon to inform the world.
Two French journalists filming a documentary in Kara, Togo, have been charged with false declarations despite holding valid work visas; they’re in pre-trial detention and are denounced by RSF as unjust, with France monitoring the case and a Togolese fixer also detained amid broader concerns about press freedom in the country.
ABC has sued the FCC in federal court, alleging the agency is retaliating against its coverage by forcing eight ABC-owned stations to apply for license renewals early, a move that could lead to hearings or denial and threaten press independence amid broader political pressure on broadcasters during the Trump era.
After CNN White House correspondent Kristen Holmes asked Trump to respond to Sen. Jon Ossoff’s remarks and a dig involving Natalie Harp, the White House posted a string of personal insults toward Holmes and Trump dismissed her in the Oval Office as “fake news,” prompting CNN’s defense and condemnation from other journalists over what they called an attack on a reporter and a threat to free press norms.
A federal lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York by The Intercept and the Freedom of the Press Foundation accuses Trump of profiting from paid, real-time access to presidential posts via Truth API, arguing it privatizes government information and violates the First and Fifth Amendments; Truth API charges $60,000–$100,000 per month for access to posts on Truth Social, with more than 10 subscribers reported as of Aug. 10, and the case seeks to block the service.
Marion, Kansas approved an $850,000 settlement with former Marion County Record reporter Phyllis Zorn to end her federal lawsuit over the 2023 police raid on the newspaper’s offices, underscoring ongoing concerns about press freedoms and law enforcement actions against publishers; this brings the town’s total related settlements to over $3 million across five lawsuits (including a $600,000 payout to Zorn previously), with some claims still pending and a pretrial hearing planned for October.
An op-ed arguing that the government should not pick winners and losers in media, warning that state favoritism undermines press independence and market competition, and urging policies that promote pluralism instead.
Amnesty International and the Committee to Protect Journalists condemn Pakistan’s crackdown in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir amid ongoing assembly polls, citing state violence, internet and telecom blackouts, and the detention or disappearance of journalists. They call for an independent, transparent investigation, restoration of communications, and media access as casualties rise (about 80 fatalities reported by HRC-PoJK) with protests in Rawalakot, Mirpur, and Muzaffarabad.