The U.S. Capitol on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 26, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard

CPJ urges US lawmakers to enact reforms to protect press freedom from warrantless surveillance 

Washington, D.C., April 17, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on lawmakers to protect press freedom by rejecting an unamended extension of the warrantless surveillance of electronic communications permitted under Section 702 of the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which approves the use of this warrantless surveillance, has itself…

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A press briefing at the Pentagon in April. Worrying guidelines on how the military can categorize the press during conflict are contained in the Defense Department's Law of War Manual. (AP/Andrew Harnik)

How US media consolidation endangers press freedom

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is a government agency that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable in the United States. Although the agency is supposed to be independent of the executive branch, recent actions by the FCC and comments by its chairman, Brendan Carr, represent a worrying politicization of the agency. In…

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IWMF

CPJ, partners condemn Russia’s labeling of IWMF as ‘undesirable organization’ 

Washington, D.C., April 2, 2026— The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and partners in the Journalist Assistance Network (JAN) condemn Russia’s unabashed attempt to silence independent journalism and the civil society that supports their critical work by designating the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) an “undesirable organization.”  In response, the JAN issued the following statement…

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US journalist Shelly Kittleson kidnapped in Iraq

Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, April 1, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists urges Iraqi authorities to take all necessary measures to secure the release of U.S. journalist Shelly Kittleson, who was kidnapped in the capital Baghdad on Tuesday. “The abduction of Shelly Kittleson in broad daylight reflects an alarming breach of journalists’ safety in Iraq that highlights the…

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The U.S. Capitol on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 26, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard

CPJ endorses updated reporter privacy protection bill against unreasonable government searches and seizures

The Committee to Protect Journalists has endorsed an updated reporter privacy protection bill that would strengthen and modernize journalist protections against unreasonable government searches and seizures in connection with their reporting. Introduced in the U.S. Congress by Sen. Ron Wyden and Rep. Becca Balint on March 27 as S.4268 and H.R. 8093, the Privacy Protection…

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U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine hold a briefing amid the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 19, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

CPJ welcomes ruling on Pentagon access in favor of the New York Times 

Washington, D.C., March 20, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists is heartened by a United States District Court decision on Friday in the case of New York Times v. Pentagon, in which the judge decided in favor of the newspaper, and calls on the Pentagon to heed the court’s decision and abandon last year’s changes to…

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A new banner depicting U.S. President Donald Trump is put up on the Department of Justice building in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 20, 2026. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno

In unprecedented overreach, FCC allows merger consolidating local media ownership

Washington, D.C., March 20, 2026—A decision by the US broadcast regulator to approve the merger of Tegna and Nexstar broadcasting companies — in clear violation of its own norms and regulations — is a concerning sign of government sponsored media concentration in the United States, the Committee to Protect Journalists warned on Friday. The Federal…

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Screenshot: Fox Nashville

CPJ welcomes Nashville reporter Estefany Rodríguez’s release from ICE custody 

Washington, D.C., March 20, 2026 — The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release of Nashville Noticias reporter Estefany Rodríguez from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody and calls on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to stop detaining journalists as a tactic to halt or discourage their reporting. Rodríguez was released Thursday evening from…

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Screenshot: Fox Nashville

CPJ joins legal effort to support detained journalist Estefany Rodríguez

The Committee to Protect Journalists joined a proposed amicus brief supporting detained journalist Estefany Rodríguez’s habeas corpus petition in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee on Monday.  The proposed brief was filed by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP) and joined by press freedom groups National Association…

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U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), President Donald Trump's nominee to be Homeland Security secretary, testifies before a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 18, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci

CPJ urges clarity on DHS secretary nominee Markwayne Mullin’s press freedom views

Washington, D.C., March 19, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists urges lawmakers to ask Sen. Markwayne Mullin about protecting media freedom in the United States in advance of a full Senate confirmation vote on his nomination for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary given the progressively active role the department has taken in suppressing freedom of…

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