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{
"title": "Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth targets news outlets, leakers",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/defense-secretary-pete-hegseth-targets-news-outlets-leakers/",
"first_published_at": "2026-02-17T18:03:13.887000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-11-10T21:59:05.105172Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-11-10T21:55:38.906828Z",
"date": "2026-11-10",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Arlington",
"longitude": -77.10428,
"latitude": 38.88101,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"9b0q7\">As the second year of President Donald Trump’s second term began, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth continued taking steps to intimidate leakers and news outlets that have covered Trump and his administration unfavorably. We’re documenting Hegseth’s efforts in 2026 in this regularly updated report.</p><p data-block-key=\"thla\">Read about Hegseth’s efforts in 2025 to chill coverage <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/pete-hegseth-targets-news-outlets-leakers-as-defense-secretary/\">here</a>, and how Trump’s other appointees and allies in Congress are striving to intimidate reporters, revoke funding, censor critical coverage and more <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/blog/trump-allies-pursue-multipronged-campaign-against-the-press/\">here</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"4outl\"><i>This article was first published on Feb. 17, 2026.</i></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><p><a id=\"top\" name=\"top\"></a></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"9b0q7\"></p><hr/><p data-block-key=\"8jq7u\"></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#Nov 10\">Nov. 10, 2026 | Hegseth threatens journalists with expulsion from news conference</a></p>\r\n<p><a href=\"#Oct 6\">Oct. 6, 2026 | Judge won’t reinstate Stars and Stripes ombudsman; DOD official appointed acting publisher</a></p> \r\n<p><a href=\"#August\">August 2026 | Pentagon carries out unprecedented polygraphing of Joint Staff in leak investigation</a></p> \r\n<p><a href=\"#July 13\">July 13, 2026 | Pentagon, DOJ launch joint task force to identify and prosecute leakers</a></p> \r\n<p><a href=\"#June 25\">June 25, 2026 | Fired Stars and Stripes ombudsman sues Defense Department</a></p> \r\n<p><a href=\"#June 3\">June 3, 2026 | Lawsuit alleges Pentagon is censoring military newspaper</a></p> \r\n<p><a href=\"#March 9\">March 9, 2026 | Pentagon sets increased oversight, content limits for military newspaper <i>(updated)</i></a></p>\r\n<p><a href=\"#Jan 15\">Jan. 15, 2026 | Defense Department announces overhaul of military newspaper, calling it ‘woke’</a></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"9b0q7\"></p><hr/><p data-block-key=\"bm868\"></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><a id=\"Nov 10\" name=\"Nov 10\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"mdxqx\">Nov. 10, 2026 | Hegseth threatens journalists with expulsion from news conference</h4><p data-block-key=\"a0o0h\">A security officer for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters at a Pentagon news conference on Nov. 10, 2026, that they would be physically removed from the briefing room if they did not adhere to unspecified standards of “professional decorum.”</p><p data-block-key=\"ck74k\">Washington Post reporter Tara Copp <a href=\"https://x.com/TaraCopp/status/2120137150410723610\">wrote on social media</a> that it was the <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/wartime-pentagon-goes-two-plus-months-without-media-briefing/\">first such briefing</a> in six months. Hegseth was to address the efforts to impeach him, <a href=\"https://www.reuters.com/live/hegseth-press-conference-live-pentagon-briefing-ahead-possible-house-impeachment-2026-11-10/?taid=6af363d622159d0001657f69&utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter&arena_mid=gyeMQcaOKAmfQvQYz8U4&arena_post_slug=journalists-at-pentagon-told-they-could-be-removed\">according</a> to Phil Stewart of Reuters.</p><p data-block-key=\"a9sl2\">When reporters asked whether it was all right to shout questions — commonplace during news briefings and gaggles — they received no clarification.</p><p data-block-key=\"5rtdu\">“‘This is crazy town,’ one journalist said,” according to Copp. The journalist reportedly added that the White House “has never threatened reporters like that.”</p><p data-block-key=\"8j36u\">Copp also noted that she was seated in the back of the room, later confirming seats were assigned. In a <a href=\"https://x.com/TaraCopp/status/2120137150410723610/photo/1\">photo</a> she posted, signs are visible labeling seats in the back for staff from outlets including The Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal and Al Jazeera.</p><p data-block-key=\"cd34q\">In a <a href=\"https://x.com/TaraCopp/status/2120175487439781932\">subsequent post</a>, Copp wrote that no shouted questions were answered. She also noted that Hegseth only took questions from <a href=\"https://x.com/DanLamothe/status/2120146712484356221\">conservative media</a> or new media, almost all of whom had agreed to the <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/pete-hegseth-restricts-journalists-access-inside-pentagon/\">strict rules</a> that much of the Pentagon press corps had refused to sign last year.</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#top\"><i>Back to Top</i></a></p></div>\r\n<a id=\"Oct 6\" name=\"Oct 6\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"7p3pz\">Oct. 6, 2026 | Judge won’t reinstate Stars and Stripes ombudsman; DOD official appointed acting publisher</h4><p data-block-key=\"48hmj\">A federal judge denied Jacqueline Smith’s request to be reinstated as ombudsman for the military news outlet Stars and Stripes, but ruled on Oct. 6, 2026, that her unlawful termination lawsuit could proceed.</p><p data-block-key=\"55nuq\">Smith was fired in April after the outlet published her <a href=\"https://www.stripes.com/opinion/2026-04-08/stripes-ombudsman-bring-back-color-comics-21317857.html\">op-ed</a> criticizing the Department of Defense and various officials within it for efforts to increase oversight and take over editorial decision-making at the newspaper.</p><p data-block-key=\"emjcl\">U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta concluded that Smith’s column was written as part of her official duties, so not protected by the First Amendment, Stars and Stripes <a href=\"https://www.stripes.com/theaters/us/2026-10-06/stripes-ombudsman-fired-court-ruling-23076326.html\">reported</a>. He expressed reticence, however, about extending that precedent more broadly to all government-employed journalists.</p><p data-block-key=\"81pab\">“It would mean the First Amendment is but a hollow promise for Stars and Stripes journalists — and perhaps its ombudsman,” Mehta wrote.</p><p data-block-key=\"cfsq7\">A week later, the DOD announced the appointment of Christian Devine, an executive director and principal adviser in the Pentagon’s public affairs office, as acting publisher of the newspaper.</p><p data-block-key=\"at7d0\">Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell <a href=\"https://www.military.com/pentagon-names-one-of-its-public-affairs-officials-to-run-stars-and-stripes\">told Military.com</a> that Devine brings “unmatched expertise, strategic vision, and a commitment to ensuring Stars and Stripes maintains editorial independence while delivering exclusive, mission-focused reporting that directly serves America’s war fighters and their families.”</p><p data-block-key=\"675s2\">Devine will split his time between working as a public affairs official and overseeing the newspaper until a permanent publisher is hired. No timeline has been provided.</p><p data-block-key=\"e469d\">When asked what safeguards would separate these responsibilities, Parnell said that Devine will be “expected to act in the best interest of Stars and Stripes and the Department of War.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#top\"><i>Back to Top</i></a></p></div>\r\n<a id=\"August\" name=\"August\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"qqjx1\">August 2026 | Pentagon carries out unprecedented polygraphing of Joint Staff in leak investigation</h4><p data-block-key=\"1s32u\">The Pentagon polygraphed approximately 50 members of the U.S. military’s Joint Staff in August 2026 as part of an investigation into the sources behind recent reporting on the nation’s dwindling weapons stockpiles.</p><p data-block-key=\"73jfo\">The polygraph tests, first <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/04/us/politics/pentagon-staff-polygraph-tests.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share\">reported</a> by The New York Times, were administered to both military officers and civilian employees of the senior military advisory body that helps the president and defense secretary make decisions about U.S. military strategy and operations. They were asked about general disclosures to the press, as well as the depletion of crucial munitions amid the ongoing U.S.-Iran war.</p><p data-block-key=\"90u11\">In a statement to the Times, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said that the department “does not comment on internal personnel or investigative matters but takes all leaks of classified national security information extremely seriously and investigates accordingly.”</p><p data-block-key=\"4b6ra\">“Securing classified information is critical to ensuring the security of the United States and of our troops deployed around the world,” he continued.</p><p data-block-key=\"epcmk\">The investigation followed not only <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/defense-secretary-pete-hegseth-targets-news-outlets-leakers/#July%2013\">the announcement</a> of the Pentagon and Justice Department’s joint task force to identify and prosecute leakers, but also President Donald Trump’s <a href=\"https://taps.pressfreedomtracker.us/post/b7580759710d/\">post on Truth Social</a> disputing the reports of the munition shortages.</p><p data-block-key=\"302v1\">“The ‘leakers’ of these treasonous statements are being hunted down,” he wrote. “Long term jail sentences will be sought!”</p><p data-block-key=\"74nk9\">According to the Times, mass polygraphing of senior military officials is unprecedented in modern history, and appears intended not only to identify leakers but also to deter others from doing the same.</p><p data-block-key=\"9nn6k\">Pentagon <a href=\"https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/521091p.pdf\">guidelines</a> for polygraphing employees require investigators conducting counterintelligence examinations to have interviewed the subject, reasonably believe they have relevant knowledge or involvement, pursued other investigative avenues as thoroughly as possible and determined that a polygraph is essential.</p><p data-block-key=\"ae7c3\">CBS News <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/top-military-officials-polygraphs-leaks-pentagon-weapons-hegseth-trump/\">reported</a> that none of the targeted staff members failed the polygraph.</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#top\"><i>Back to Top</i></a></p></div>\r\n<a id=\"July 13\" name=\"July 13\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"qqjx1\">July 13, 2026 | Pentagon, DOJ launch joint task force to identify and prosecute leakers</h4><p data-block-key=\"1s32u\">Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on July 13, 2026, that he and <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/todd-blanche-targets-press-leakers-as-acting-attorney-general/\">acting Attorney General Todd Blanche</a> have created a joint task force to expedite the identification and prosecution of those leaking to the media.</p><p data-block-key=\"9g17m\">In a <a href=\"https://x.com/SecWar/status/2076673841913344136\">video posted to social media</a>, Hegseth said that the Defense Department’s Office of General Counsel had been given the authority “to request and receive all information, records and support across the department concerning media leak investigations.”</p><p data-block-key=\"53jb0\">He added that all department components and personnel will be expected to prioritize the OGC’s requests.</p><p data-block-key=\"6qolj\">“Access to confidential and secret information is a sacred trust, and those who betray that trust will be met with the full force of the law,” Hegseth said.</p><p data-block-key=\"aakqk\">Neither the Justice Department nor Blanche made their own public announcements of the joint task force, and they did not respond to requests for comment.</p><p data-block-key=\"75ccv\">The announcement came just days after the Justice Department subpoenaed <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?date_lower=2026-07-10&date_upper=2026-07-10&targeted_institutions=The+New+York+Times\">multiple New York Times reporters</a>, seeking grand jury testimony “in regard to an alleged violation of federal criminal law.”</p><p data-block-key=\"ah3iv\">The journalists, citing sources who only agreed to speak if kept anonymous, had reported that the Secret Service urged President Donald Trump to revert to the old Air Force One because the new, Qatari-donated aircraft lacks the same defensive countermeasures.</p><p data-block-key=\"c218n\">When asked about the subpoenas, a Justice Department spokesperson <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/11/business/media/new-york-times-trump-subpoenas.html\">told the Times</a> that “reporters are not the targets, those leaking classified information are.”</p><p data-block-key=\"8j1hd\">The task force is the latest effort to root out leakers undertaken by the Pentagon under Hegseth’s leadership.</p><p data-block-key=\"f1h2s\">In October 2025, the department <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/pete-hegseth-targets-news-outlets-leakers-as-defense-secretary/#Oct%201\">announced plans</a> to require all employees within the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Staff to sign nondisclosure agreements, and to subject them to random polygraph testing.</p><p data-block-key=\"bf6jf\">The Defense Department has also issued multiple rounds of new press restrictions — <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/pete-hegseth-restricts-journalists-access-inside-pentagon/#update-1009\">compelling journalists to pledge</a> not to solicit unapproved information, mandating they have escorts inside the building and <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/pentagon-responds-to-court-ruling-with-new-press-access-restrictions/\">moving their offices</a> into a separate annex — intended to prevent any future “unauthorized disclosure.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#top\"><i>Back to Top</i></a></p></div>\r\n<a id=\"June 25\" name=\"June 25\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"qtkwm\">June 25, 2026 | Fired Stars and Stripes ombudsman sues Defense Department</h4><p data-block-key=\"e6cam\">Jacqueline Smith, the former ombudsman for the military news outlet Stars and Stripes, sued the Department of Defense on June 25, 2026, alleging that her firing in April was in retaliation for her criticism of the Pentagon’s new restrictions on the newspaper.</p><p data-block-key=\"6ff9i\">She was hired in December 2023 for a three-year term as ombudsman, a position charged by Congress with defending the outlet’s editorial independence.</p><p data-block-key=\"2huqm\">But according to <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.293839/gov.uscourts.dcd.293839.1.0.pdf\">the complaint</a>, Smith was fired 10 days after publishing an April 8 <a href=\"https://www.stripes.com/opinion/2026-04-08/stripes-ombudsman-bring-back-color-comics-21317857.html\">op-ed</a> in Stars and Stripes that criticized the DOD and various officials within the department. Her piece took aim at their efforts to increase oversight and take over editorial decision-making at the newspaper.</p><p data-block-key=\"84unv\">Smith’s suit argues she was terminated “for telling the public the truth: That Defendants were working to undermine Stripes’ editorial independence as part of a broader effort to control and neuter the mainstream media’s ability to report on matters of national security and public interest.”</p><p data-block-key=\"5dpi9\">The complaint — which names Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Deputy Secretary Stephen Feinberg and chief spokesman Sean Parnell — alleges First Amendment retaliation against Smith and asks the court to grant an injunction to restore her as ombudsman until the conclusion of her term.</p><p data-block-key=\"5kbvc\">The Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment.</p><p data-block-key=\"244r\">Smith’s suit came less than a month after two journalists on the advisory board for Stars and Stripes filed their own lawsuit against the department and the same officials. That complaint alleges that the department’s “modernization” efforts, put into effect in March, violate the paper’s First Amendment press freedom rights and federal law.</p><p data-block-key=\"5al65\">Parnell <a href=\"https://x.com/SeanParnellASW/status/2062279338582552631?s=20\">wrote</a> on social media at the time that the DOD was aware of that case. “The lawsuit is without merit, and the Department expects to prevail,” he continued.</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#top\"><i>Back to Top</i></a></p></div>\r\n<a id=\"June 3\" name=\"June 3\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"hdzd8\">June 3, 2026 | Lawsuit alleges Pentagon is censoring military newspaper</h4><p data-block-key=\"bbsfp\">Two journalists who serve on the advisory board of the military news outlet Stars and Stripes filed a federal lawsuit against the Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and two senior Department of Defense officials on June 3, 2026. The suit alleges that the department’s “modernization” efforts violate the paper’s First Amendment press freedom rights and federal law, and asks a judge to strike down a March 2026 memo that put the changes into effect.</p><p data-block-key=\"3ub0l\">In the March memo, the DOD laid out plans to expand military oversight of the newspaper, while maintaining that Stars and Stripes will continue to “operate with editorial independence.” But <a href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/03/14/nx-s1-5748020/pentagon-tightens-controls-over-stars-and-stripes-after-calling-it-woke\">directives included</a> barring the outlet from republishing wire content and shifting the outlet’s ombudsman position from an independent congressional adviser to one operating within the military chain of command.</p><p data-block-key=\"9mi7l\">The lawsuit was filed by Susan “Suki” Dardarian, former editor of The Minnesota Star Tribune, and Bill Church, executive editor of the Santa Fe New Mexican.</p><p data-block-key=\"9kjfp\">“The changes that have been forced upon Stripes are a disservice to a global military audience that has relied on this First Amendment-protected and Congressionally backed institution for generations,” Church said in a <a href=\"https://democracyforward.org/news/press-releases/in-fight-for-freedom-of-speech-journalists-challenge-trump-vance-administrations-censorship-of-stars-and-stripes/\">statement</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"2koae\">The <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.293084/gov.uscourts.dcd.293084.1.0_2.pdf\">complaint</a> alleges that the DOD’s actions are a violation of the First Amendment, due to its restriction of “rights guaranteed to the press” and denial of readers’ access to a wide range of material, especially by interfering with editorial curation of wire content.</p><p data-block-key=\"31ae7\">The suit also contends that the DOD’s memo violated the Administrative Procedure Act when it was published without notice and comment. Journalists at Stars and Stripes first learned of the memo from the DOD’s website, rather than being informed directly.</p><p data-block-key=\"e29rs\">Of the suit, Dardarian <a href=\"https://democracyforward.org/news/press-releases/in-fight-for-freedom-of-speech-journalists-challenge-trump-vance-administrations-censorship-of-stars-and-stripes/\">said</a>, “It was clear to us that this action was the only way to protect Stars and Stripes and preserve its mission and values at such a critical time in our nation’s history.”</p><p data-block-key=\"f3akk\">Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell — a defendant in the suit — <a href=\"https://x.com/SeanParnellASW/status/2062279338582552631?s=20\">said</a> on X, “The Department of War is aware of the lawsuit filed today by two civilian members of the Stars and Stripes publisher’s advisory board challenging the Department’s modernization of Stars and Stripes. The lawsuit is without merit, and the Department expects to prevail.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#top\"><i>Back to Top</i></a></p></div>\r\n<a id=\"March 9\" name=\"March 9\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"moywj\">March 9, 2026 | Pentagon sets increased oversight, content limits for military newspaper <i>(updated April 2026)</i></h4><p data-block-key=\"7q35q\">The Department of Defense laid out plans to expand oversight of military newspaper Stars and Stripes in a March 9, 2026, memo, as part of a “modernization” of the outlet that left some press freedom observers alarmed over the potential loss of independence.</p><p data-block-key=\"3bvdp\">The memo, sent by Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg and first <a href=\"https://www.stripes.com/theaters/us/2026-03-13/pentagon-modernization-plan-stars-and-stripes-21051529.html\">reported</a> by Stars and Stripes, outlines an “interim policy” governing the outlet that takes effect immediately.</p><p data-block-key=\"8s0f0\">The memo states that Stars and Stripes will continue to “operate with editorial independence.” But it prohibits the outlet’s use of wire service stories, comic strips and editorial cartoons due to the “digital availability of such content globally,” unless an exception is granted by the assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs.</p><p data-block-key=\"a88r0\">According to the memo, the “primary justification for Stripes’ continued existence is to deliver content, specifically relevant to Service members and their families, that is not usually covered by commercial media.”</p><p data-block-key=\"1o8nu\">It continued, “Accordingly, there is no operational need to serve as a reprint vehicle for commercial news publications that are otherwise readily accessible.”</p><p data-block-key=\"8o3io\">Jacqueline Smith, Stars and Stripes’ ombudsman who is charged by Congress with defending the outlet’s editorial independence, told the outlet that without access to wire service content, the paper would lose the ability to provide reporting on topics such as national sports and entertainment, which “contribute to the morale of troops.”</p><p data-block-key=\"5ifde\">Among other changes, the memo states that the outlet “should” republish Defense Department public affairs materials — clearly labeled as such — as deemed necessary by the publisher, and requires the outlet’s ombudsman to send information previously sent directly to Congress through the department’s Legislative Affairs Office first.</p><p data-block-key=\"81tc\">It also bans reporters from making Freedom of Information Act requests in an official capacity, though it does allow for them to make submissions “in their individual capacities” when not acting on behalf of the outlet.</p><p data-block-key=\"1a5rr\">The policy changes came in the wake of a <a href=\"https://x.com/seanparnellasw/status/2011802849903009991?s=46\">January social media post</a> by Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell, in which he announced plans to overhaul Stars and Stripes and “refocus its content away from woke distractions.”</p><p data-block-key=\"3grph\">Stars and Stripes reported that its leadership and staff were not informed of the changes directly, but instead learned of them when the memo was found in a search of the Defense Department website.</p><p data-block-key=\"e4g8l\">Erik Slavin, Stars and Stripes’ editor-in-chief, said in a statement published by the outlet, “It is unlikely that the Pentagon was aware of the extensive modernization that Stars and Stripes had already begun.”</p><p data-block-key=\"5atj0\">He added, “Over the past year, the changes to our digitally produced news and information have resulted in significant increases in pageviews, engagement and subscribers.”</p><p data-block-key=\"c98k\">The Pentagon memo also states that all content must be consistent with “good order and discipline,” a phrase used in the Uniform Code of Military Justice.</p><p data-block-key=\"6t5m8\">In an <a href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/03/14/nx-s1-5748020/pentagon-tightens-controls-over-stars-and-stripes-after-calling-it-woke\">interview with NPR</a>, Slavin expressed concern about that aspect of the policy as it applied to staff who are members of the military. “If they were to complete a story that the Defense Department did not like, and did not find ‘consistent with good order and discipline,’ would they be in legal jeopardy?” Slavin said. “We don’t know the answer to that.”</p><p data-block-key=\"1ihho\">Smith, the ombudsman, told <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/03/13/pentagon-memo-stars-stripes/\">The Washington Post</a> in an interview that the memo “threatens Stars and Stripes’ continued editorial independence, and it does so at the detriment of the troops who rely on the newspaper for complete coverage and continued accurate coverage that is not propaganda.”</p><p data-block-key=\"aulgt\">Smith was <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/04/23/stars-stripes-ombudsman-fired-pentagon/\">later terminated without explanation,</a> according to the Post — she told the paper’s staff she believed she was fired for publicly opposing the changes at the paper.</p><p data-block-key=\"6gq1f\">Tim Richardson, journalism and disinformation program director at PEN America, <a href=\"https://pen.org/press-release/alarm-over-pentagon-move-to-impose-restrictions-on-stars-and-stripes-editorial-independence/\">said</a>, “We are alarmed that a Pentagon memo claims to preserve the independence of Stars and Stripes while simultaneously imposing new restrictions that undermine it.”</p><p data-block-key=\"7dc4r\">He called on Congress to “reaffirm First Amendment protections for Stars and Stripes’ editorial independence and ensure the decades-long firewall between the Pentagon and the newsroom remains firmly intact.”</p><p data-block-key=\"d8fi6\">Parnell, in a March 13 statement reported by Stars and Stripes, said that the Defense Department is returning the outlet to “its original mission: an independent news source for service members stationed overseas that is by the warfighter and for the warfighter.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#top\"><i>Back to Top</i></a></p></div>\r\n<a id=\"Jan 15\" name=\"Jan 15\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"9b0q7\">Jan. 15, 2026 | Defense Department announces overhaul of military newspaper, calling it ‘woke’</h4><p data-block-key=\"5vfqn\">The Department of Defense announced plans on Jan. 15, 2026, to take over editorial decision-making for the military newspaper Stars and Stripes, in a move that jeopardizes its long-held editorial independence.</p><p data-block-key=\"idmh\">In a <a href=\"https://x.com/seanparnellasw/status/2011802849903009991?s=46\">statement</a> posted to social media, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell defended the move as “returning Stars & Stripes to its original mission: reporting for our warfighters.”</p><p data-block-key=\"140gb\">“We will modernize its operations, refocus its content away from woke distractions that syphon morale, and adapt it to serve a new generation of service members,” he continued. “It will focus on warfighting, weapons systems, fitness, lethality, survivability, and ALL THINGS MILITARY. No more repurposed DC gossip columns; no more Associated Press reprints.”</p><p data-block-key=\"2q9uv\">While the newspaper is partially funded by the Pentagon and its staffers are department employees, the outlet <a href=\"https://www.stripes.com/theaters/us/2026-01-15/pentagon-refocus-stars-and-stripes-content-20415816.html\">reported</a> that it is directed to emulate the best practices of commercial news organizations and provide a free flow of “news and information to its readership without news management or censorship.”</p><p data-block-key=\"b3d3r\">Stars and Stripes Editor-in-Chief Erik Slavin wrote in a Jan. 15 note to staff that the military deserves independent news.</p><p data-block-key=\"8ih8b\">“The people who risk their lives in defense of the Constitution have earned the right to the press freedoms of the First Amendment,” Slavin wrote. “We will not compromise on serving them with accurate and balanced coverage, holding military officials to account when called for.”</p><p data-block-key=\"1prks\">The Daily Wire <a href=\"https://www.dailywire.com/news/pentagon-refocuses-stars-stripes-on-reporting-for-our-warfighters\">reported</a> that department officials told the outlet that Stars and Stripes’ content will no longer be written by its civilian staff but by active-duty service members. Half the newspaper’s content will be generated by the Pentagon, including materials written by the department and images captured by combat cameras.</p><p data-block-key=\"a8srp\">Stars and Stripes reported that its ombudsman, Jacqueline Smith, said the changes would amount to “unnecessary control and the perception of propaganda.” The ombudsman is a congressionally mandated position tasked with ensuring the outlet’s editorial independence.</p><p data-block-key=\"9q4s1\">“That is public relations, not independent journalism,” she said. “The other ‘fifty percent’ of the content would hold no credibility.”</p><p data-block-key=\"5gce4\">The news came the day after The Washington Post <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/01/14/stars-and-stripes-trump-loyalty-test/\">reported</a> that applicants for positions at the newspaper were being asked, “How would you advance the President’s Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role? Identify one or two relevant Executive Orders or policy initiatives that are significant to you, and explain how you would help implement them if hired.”</p><p data-block-key=\"7ttls\">Leadership at Stars and Stripes wasn’t aware of the questions until asked about them, Smith told the Post, later confirming that they had been added by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management without notifying them.</p><p data-block-key=\"ci8hr\">“Asking prospective employees how they would support the administration’s policies is antithetical to Stripes’ journalistic and federally mandated mission,” Smith told the Post. “Journalistically, it’s against ethics, because reporters or any staff member — editors, photographers — should be impartial.”</p><p data-block-key=\"boqov\">Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee told Stars and Stripes that any efforts to infringe on the newspaper’s editorial independence amounted to an attack on the First Amendment, with several voicing support for the newspaper. None of the Republican lawmakers contacted by Stars and Stripes responded to requests for comment.</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#top\"><i>Back to Top</i></a></p></div></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/2026-01-07T171026Z_1872362065_RC2.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"mi657\">Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks to the media in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 7, 2026.</p>",
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{
"title": "Reporters shut out of 2026 election night events",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/reporters-shut-out-of-2026-election-night-events/",
"first_published_at": "2026-11-06T18:21:14.232000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-11-09T21:49:20.489266Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-11-09T21:49:20.292945Z",
"date": "2026-11-01",
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"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"2yfaj\"><i>On Nov. 3, 2026, Americans turned out in record numbers to vote in midterm elections, culminating months of bruising campaigns that were diligently covered by journalists across the country.</i></p><p data-block-key=\"bqbcs\"><i>As the election season entered its final days, the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker identified reports of journalists being denied access to election-night events of both parties in multiple states or otherwise prevented from covering the events in full.</i></p><p data-block-key=\"84qea\"><i>The Tracker does not typically log incidents where journalists are barred from campaign events under the</i> <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/denial-access/\"><i>denial of access category</i></a><i>, since these events aren’t official government business. However, we’ve provided a roundup of them below, organized by date and location. This roundup will be updated as additional incidents are verified.</i></p><p data-block-key=\"b0q5s\"><i>To learn more about how the Tracker documents and categorizes violations of press freedom, visit our</i> <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/frequently-asked-questions/\"><i>FAQ page.</i></a></p><p data-block-key=\"a7rle\"></p><hr/><p data-block-key=\"3hvi2\"></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><h3 data-block-key=\"2yfaj\">Nov. 2, 2026</h3><h4 data-block-key=\"7qe2a\"><b>Minnesota</b></h4><ul><li data-block-key=\"24ppp\">The <b>Minnesota Reformer</b> was informed that deputy editor <b>Max Nesterak</b> would not be given media credentials to cover a Republican election night watch party in Bloomington. While the outlet was not given a reason for the denial, Editor-in-Chief J. Patrick Coolican, in comments made to the Sahan Journal, <a href=\"https://sahanjournal.com/democracy-politics/sahan-journal-banned-republican-election-watch-party/\">attributed</a> the move to being considered “an unfriendly outlet,” adding, “But I think if you look at our history over six years, we’ve written a lot of damaging stories about Democrats.”</li></ul><h4 data-block-key=\"f0n2h\"><b>New York</b></h4><ul><li data-block-key=\"1bfb3\"><b>Bloomberg News</b> was notified by the campaign of Mike Lawler, a Republican running in New York’s 17th Congressional District, that the outlet would be <a href=\"https://x.com/maxwelltani/status/2117406333465170411\">banned</a> from the campaign’s election night event in Pearl River the next day. The move came after Bloomberg <a href=\"https://www.thewrap.com/media-platforms/journalism/mike-lawler-bloomberg-reporters-banned-new-york-election/\">reported on a lawsuit</a> by Lawler canvassers alleging discrimination and unpaid wages, which the campaign accused the news organization of not giving it enough time to respond to. Lawler’s campaign manager said in a <a href=\"https://x.com/ciroriccardi/status/2117434512623767554\">social media post</a>, “Any requests for an exemption will be answered promptly, after the event, in keeping with Bloomberg’s own standards of professionalism.”</li></ul><p data-block-key=\"1fleo\"></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><h3 data-block-key=\"2yfaj\">Nov. 3, 2026</h3><h4 data-block-key=\"4frq2\"><b>California</b></h4><ul><li data-block-key=\"54q6t\">Reporter <b>Io Yeh Gilman</b> for <b>Mission Local</b> was initially denied entry to an election night event in San Francisco for Scott Wiener, running for California’s 11th Congressional District as a Democrat. The campaign “cited a perception of bias in coverage of Wiener’s position on Israel and Palestine,” according to the <a href=\"https://x.com/MLNow/status/2117830703476043950\">outlet</a>. Approximately an hour later, the reporter was granted entry. “Mission Local‘s coverage of the congressional candidates this election season has been fair and consistent,” Joe Rivano Barros, Mission Local‘s executive editor, <a href=\"https://missionlocal.org/2026/11/scott-wiener-campaign-bars-mission-local/\">said</a>. “We are glad Scott Wiener recognized his mistake and rectified it.” <b>Joel Rosenblatt</b> of the<b> Gazetteer</b> <b>San Francisco</b> was told earlier that day that the outlet was <a href=\"https://sf.gazetteer.co/let-the-right-ones-in\">not on</a> the list of approved media outlets for the event for alleged “one-sided” coverage, but his colleague Eddie Kim was later allowed into the party. Also, <b>Julian Myers</b> was told the event was at capacity after he <a href=\"https://48hills.org/2026/11/democrats-and-the-progressive-movement-win-big-nationally-sf-votes-with-the-billionaires/\">identified himself</a> as a correspondent for <b>48 Hills</b>, even as he watched people enter the venue. He reported overhearing a campaign staff member whisper, “No 48 Hills.”</li></ul><h4 data-block-key=\"9cui1\"><b>Minnesota</b></h4><ul><li data-block-key=\"2fuuc\"><b>Katelyn Vue</b> for the <b>Sahan Journal</b> was kicked out of a Republican election watch party in Bloomington, despite having been added to the attendance list the day before. A Republican staffer <a href=\"https://sahanjournal.com/democracy-politics/sahan-journal-banned-republican-election-watch-party/\">told Vue</a> that one of the reasons the Sahan Journal was not allowed entry was its Oct. 27 article on an ad made by the Republican gubernatorial candidate. Vue was escorted out by security guards. “This was probably the most blatant example I’ve experienced of someone trying to stop me from doing my reporting work,” Vue later <a href=\"https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/minnesota-gop-bars-2-news-183349856.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAACAihWPVvuPSuhztWqPtp-GXW-p36iYECk7sFXOZwNkVCWFmlz_jIn5VQ7Qb5aqXFZ4l2f-hDxmqU74bd_TfR15NLQS6Yuggg5OPIFDQaQX5zltlKAF4RTLxRSy0CDd8C6EdaKqGtD2xItojE-2XUG-VsUD9oPcN1kbkyc0lzhL-\">wrote</a>.</li></ul><h4 data-block-key=\"2ioml\"><b>Ohio</b></h4><ul><li data-block-key=\"5dgk9\"><b>Abby Vesoulis,</b> a journalist for<b> Mother Jones,</b> reported in a <a href=\"https://x.com/nivenpolitics/status/2118382293559783664\">social media post</a> that she was told by the Ohio Democratic Party that she was confined to a gated press area at a Columbus election night party and was barred from talking to attendees. “It was the first I had heard of this ‘rule,’” she said.</li></ul><h4 data-block-key=\"31iff\"><b>New Jersey</b></h4><ul><li data-block-key=\"7c3bp\">Tom Kean Jr., a Republican running for reelection in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, barred <b>all press</b> from attending an election night watch party held in Basking Ridge with the state’s Republican Party, according to Politico’s <a href=\"https://x.com/joeymdfox/status/2117350609380634822\">Joey Fox</a>.</li></ul><h4 data-block-key=\"d0b43\"><b>New York</b></h4><ul><li data-block-key=\"i7pq\">A reporter and cameraman for <b>WWNY-TV</b> were <a href=\"https://www.wcax.com/2026/11/04/obscenity-laced-speech-constantino-orders-7-news-crew-leave-election-night-party/\">ordered</a> to leave an Amsterdam election night party in an expletive-laden speech by Anthony Constantino, a Republican running in New York’s 21st Congressional District. Although journalist <b>Garrett Domblewski</b> was invited by the campaign to cover the event, he was singled out by the candidate, called a vulgarity, and then escorted out by at least five security guards, while the crowd chanted “Kick him out.” Domblewski and his cameraman continued to cover the event from the parking lot.</li><li data-block-key=\"8ts51\">The editor-in-chief of <b>The Metropolitan Review, Ross Barkan,</b> reported that members of the press were instructed to stay in a roped-off area at the back of the room of the New York Democratic Party election event in New York City. Journalists were not allowed to interview attendees at the midtown Manhattan gathering. “This was bad, and not the way it used to be,” he said in a<a href=\"https://x.com/RossBarkan/status/2118059791511687579\"> social media post.</a></li><li data-block-key=\"cnb57\">Student journalist <b>Carina Imbornone</b> was booted from a Democratic Socialists of America watch party at a New York City bar. In an <a href=\"https://cramsesh.substack.com/p/it-happened-to-me-i-got-thrown-out\">article</a> about the incident, Imbornone described being told to leave the Queens venue and that the party was for campaign volunteers to celebrate. “There’s nothing illegal about what they did, of course,” she said, adding, “But it is notable that the DSA’s watch party press policy appears to be more restrictive and opaque than Donald Trump’s press policy at his 2024 watch party.”</li></ul><h4 data-block-key=\"1ghvm\"><b>Maine</b></h4><ul><li data-block-key=\"rdtp\"><b>Noah Hurowitz</b> of <b>The Intercept</b> reported in a <a href=\"https://x.com/NoahHurowitz/status/2118070299098808560\">social media post</a> that the campaign of Troy Jackson, running as a Democrat for Maine’s Senate seat, roped off press to the back of the room at the campaign headquarters’ party in Portland. “Not cool,” he wrote.</li></ul></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"byx5s\">Celebrations at a Democratic Party event in Columbus, Ohio, on Nov. 3, 2026. A member of the media reported being limited in their access to cover the event.</p>",
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{
"title": "Pentagon fires top general for alleged leaks to the media",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/pentagon-fires-top-general-for-alleged-leaks-to-the-media/",
"first_published_at": "2026-11-04T16:56:52.682262Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-11-04T16:56:52.682262Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-11-04T16:40:38.584619Z",
"date": "2026-10-29",
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"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"5mumz\">The Department of Defense referred Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia for criminal prosecution in late October 2026 following an internal investigation into his alleged disclosures of classified information to multiple members of the press, according to various news outlets. Sylvia was also abruptly fired from his position at the Pentagon.</p><p data-block-key=\"87scn\">Sylvia’s removal as the head of the Directorate for Strategy, Plans and Policy for the Joint Chiefs of Staff was <a href=\"https://www.theatlantic.com/national-security/2026/10/brett-sylvia-hegseth-general-pentagon/689199/\">first reported</a> by The Atlantic on Oct. 28.</p><p data-block-key=\"88nal\">The following day, however, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a <a href=\"https://x.com/SeanParnellASW/status/2115814273322570231\">statement posted to social media</a> that the DOD has “zero tolerance for the intentional, unauthorized disclosure of classified information.” He added that, following an investigation led by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, the department “took necessary personnel action to protect sensitive information.”</p><p data-block-key=\"7kncm\">While Parnell didn’t name Sylvia directly, a defense official <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/10/29/general-ousted-by-hegseth-referred-criminal-prosecution-officials-say/\">confirmed to The Washington Post</a> that the comments were in reference to the general’s removal.</p><p data-block-key=\"4c6sq\">“Classified information is not personal property. Leaking it for personal, political or professional gain is a betrayal of the trust placed in those responsible for keeping it,” Parnell wrote. “Our commitment was not an empty promise. We vowed to find you, and we meant it.”</p><p data-block-key=\"4rmru\">Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has overseen an extensive crackdown on unauthorized disclosures coming out of the department. Beginning in <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/pete-hegseth-targets-news-outlets-leakers-as-defense-secretary/#March%2021\">March 2025</a>, he has <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/pete-hegseth-restricts-journalists-access-inside-pentagon/\">implemented</a> <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photographers-barred-from-pentagon-briefings-after-unflattering-photos/\">new</a> <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/pentagon-responds-to-court-ruling-with-new-press-access-restrictions/\">restrictions</a> on journalists’ access to the Pentagon, ordered the <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/pete-hegseth-targets-news-outlets-leakers-as-defense-secretary/#Oct%201\">extensive use</a> <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/defense-secretary-pete-hegseth-targets-news-outlets-leakers/#August\">of polygraphs</a> to question civilian and military staff, and launched a <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/defense-secretary-pete-hegseth-targets-news-outlets-leakers/#July%2013\">joint task force</a> with the Justice Department to expedite leak investigations.</p><p data-block-key=\"68qe4\">On Nov. 3, Axios <a href=\"https://www.axios.com/2026/11/03/fired-general-leak-probe-wsj-nyt\">disclosed</a> details from an internal Pentagon report that stated that Sylvia failed four polygraphs and admitted during interviews to leaking to reporters Greg Jaffe of The New York Times and Michael Gordon of The Wall Street Journal.</p><p data-block-key=\"c866k\">According to the report, Sylvia first shared information about Ukraine and Iran with Gordon in the fall of 2025, later meeting with the journalist at a diner in Arlington, Virginia, after the Journal and other outlets were barred from the Pentagon. He allegedly spoke to Jaffe only once, concerning the ouster of military leadership for an <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/us/politics/hegseth-firing-military-leaders.html\">article</a> published that November.</p><p data-block-key=\"702gg\">Parnell said in his statement that the matter, along with others, had been referred to the Justice Department for further investigation and potential prosecution.</p><p data-block-key=\"77r95\">“The president has no tolerance for leakers, so Sylvia’s termination is the first step in the accountability process, not the last,” a source told Axios on the condition of anonymity.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"iq5z8\">Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia, seen in Iraq in 2016 while serving as a colonel, was fired in October 2026 from the U.S. military’s Joint Staff for allegedly leaking classified information to the press.</p>",
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"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [
"Greg Jaffe (The New York Times)",
"Michael Gordon (The Wall Street Journal)"
],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"Department of Defense"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Leak Case"
],
"targeted_journalists": [],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "CIA contractor charged with leaking classified reports to journalist",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/cia-contractor-charged-with-leaking-classified-reports-to-journalist/",
"first_published_at": "2026-10-28T13:26:07.698000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-10-29T20:56:56.221883Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-10-29T20:56:56.030108Z",
"date": "2026-10-23",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Washington",
"longitude": -77.03637,
"latitude": 38.89511,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"b8m8x\">The FBI on Oct. 23, 2026, arrested Washington, D.C.-based government contractor Ian Brinksman and charged him with leaking classified national defense information to a reporter.</p><p data-block-key=\"76ih8\">Authorities <a href=\"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/us-government-contractor-arrested-allegedly-leaking-national-defense-information\">charged Brinksman</a>, who had a top-secret security clearance, with unlawfully transmitting the information in violation of the Espionage Act. They allege he repeatedly accessed classified intelligence reports outside his work duties and shared information with a journalist he knew intended to publish it.</p><p data-block-key=\"abt6l\">According to a Justice Department press release, Brinksman began working for a U.S. government agency in 2020, before becoming a systems integration developer for a private contractor serving the same agency in 2022. The release also said Brinksman provided services to the CIA.</p><p data-block-key=\"6usis\">Authorities, who searched his Washington, D.C., home before his arrest, allege Brinksman accessed five classified reports between March and October 2026 that fell outside the scope of his work. They allege he also communicated with a journalist he was romantically involved with around the time he viewed them.</p><p data-block-key=\"b2huo\">An <a href=\"https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1468496/dl?inline\">FBI affidavit</a> identifies the journalist only as “Individual 1.” It cites a September 2026 fundraising post by a Substack outlet in which the reporter said she had published reporting based on classified assessments from the agency where Brinksman worked.</p><p data-block-key=\"4gqds\">A <a href=\"https://capitalandempire.com/p/support-independent-reporting\">Sept. 28 post</a> by Aída Chávez, who publishes the Substack newsletter Capital & Empire, contains the same statement, “Over the past year, I’ve published reporting based on classified CIA assessments that I believe the public deserves to know about.” Capital & Empire did not respond to a request for comment.</p><p data-block-key=\"dudib\">The affidavit alleges the journalist published at least five articles containing information that matched classified reports Brinksman accessed, some marked “top secret.” It cites phone records, database logs, building access records and emails as evidence.</p><p data-block-key=\"8mg2j\">Brinksman was one of no more than six people who accessed the Substack page from the government facility between March and October 2026, according to the affidavit. He was the only one investigators identified as having accessed all five reports and viewed all five articles.</p><p data-block-key=\"4rf80\">The affidavit also describes Brinksman and “Individual 1” exchanging edits on a Google document about geopolitical issues in the Middle East before an article on the subject was published. Investigators said they had not identified classified information in that article.</p><p data-block-key=\"9kd32\">In a Nov. 20, 2025, email to a friend, Brinksman described helping a journalist he was dating launch an independent foreign policy publication. “I’m getting a surprising amount enrichment/fulfilment from working on that,” he wrote, according to the affidavit.</p><p data-block-key=\"c9qjl\">FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement that protecting U.S. secrets was a top counterintelligence priority. “Anyone caught abusing their position of trust within the government by jeopardizing national security and putting our brave warriors at risk will be met with the full weight of justice.”</p><p data-block-key=\"pd9g\">A federal judge ordered Brinksman released from custody on Oct. 27, but the government objected, <a href=\"https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/75012886/united-states-v-brinksman/\">court records show</a>. At a hearing the next day, the judge affirmed his decision and granted Brinksman’s release.</p><p data-block-key=\"9cvb9\"><i>Update: This story was revised to include information about Ian Brinksman’s custody status.</i></p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Screenshot_2026-10-26_at_1.36.20P.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"76nop\">A portion of an FBI affidavit supporting a criminal complaint against Ian Brinksman, a federal contractor in Washington, D.C., charged on Oct. 23, 2026, with leaking classified information to a reporter.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": null,
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": null,
"case_type": null,
"status_of_seized_equipment": null,
"is_search_warrant_obtained": false,
"actor": null,
"border_point": null,
"target_us_citizenship_status": null,
"denial_of_entry": false,
"stopped_previously": false,
"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access": null,
"did_authorities_ask_about_work": null,
"assailant": null,
"was_journalist_targeted": null,
"charged_under_espionage_act": true,
"subpoena_type": null,
"name_of_business": null,
"third_party_business": null,
"legal_order_venue": null,
"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
"equipment_broken": [],
"state": {
"name": "District of Columbia",
"abbreviation": "DC"
},
"updates": [],
"case_statuses": [],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [
"Aída Chávez (Capital & Empire)"
],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"Department of Justice",
"Espionage Act"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Leak Case"
],
"targeted_journalists": [],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Correspondent booted from Air Force One following Oval Office showdown",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/correspondent-booted-from-air-force-one-following-oval-office-showdown/",
"first_published_at": "2026-10-22T16:57:10.027783Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-10-22T16:57:10.027783Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-10-22T16:49:22.163111Z",
"date": "2026-10-21",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Washington",
"longitude": -77.03637,
"latitude": 38.89511,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"iw8fm\">The Independent’s White House correspondent Andrew Feinberg learned on Oct. 21, 2026, that he would be excluded from traveling with President Donald Trump aboard Air Force One the following day for a planned trip.</p><p data-block-key=\"8cs17\">Feinberg was scheduled to join the traveling press pool accompanying the president to a campaign rally in Iowa on Oct. 22. However, White House communications staff removed him from the approved list of travelers on the eve of the trip, the British news outlet <a href=\"https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-reporter-air-force-one-ban-b3071098.html\">reported</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"8d689\">The move followed a contentious exchange between the reporter and the president in the Oval Office on Oct. 20. After Feinberg asked Trump a question about the construction of a golf course in Washington, D.C., the president told him to be quiet and <a href=\"https://www.nj.com/politics/2026/10/white-house-reporter-fires-back-after-trump-lost-control-in-the-oval-office.html\">said</a>, “What’s wrong with you? Are you a sick person?”</p><p data-block-key=\"55r0s\">The White House’s Rapid Response X account later <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2112623477341733264\">referred to</a> Feinberg with a slur for a person with Down syndrome, while Vice President JD Vance referred to the reporter with a similarly offensive term on his <a href=\"https://x.com/VP/status/2112625751279518029\">social media</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"2hc44\">The administration has in recent weeks booted reporters, including from <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/cnn-barred-from-trumps-air-force-one-flight/\">CNN</a> and <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/white-house-excludes-politico-from-air-force-one-travel-press-pool/\">Politico</a>, off Air Force One flights amid a high-profile legal battle over whether the president can <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/trump-bans-three-outlets-from-white-house-access-citing-fake-news/\">unilaterally ban outlets</a> from the White House complex.</p><p data-block-key=\"397iu\">Despite a judge ordering a temporary pause on a ban on CNN, Politico and MS NOW, administration officials have argued that ad hoc access cutoffs from Air Force One are another matter.</p><p data-block-key=\"flnei\">“The judge basically ordered them to renew their access back to the White House, but that’s different than allowing the pool into the events in the Oval Office or on Air Force One,” White House Communications Director Steven Cheung <a href=\"https://time.com/article/2026/10/01/donald-trump-2026-interview-transcript/\">told Time magazine</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"bf7og\">Feinberg’s exclusion from the aircraft was <a href=\"https://x.com/JacquiHeinrich/status/2113044373684531217\">condemned</a> by the president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, Jacqui Heinrich.</p><p data-block-key=\"5eh4f\">“The White House Correspondents’ Association strongly objects to the decision to restrict a journalist’s coverage simply because the president didn’t care for their questioning,” she said, adding, “That is retaliation.”</p><p data-block-key=\"b8m43\">Of his showdown with the president, Feinberg <a href=\"https://www.cnn.com/newsletters/reliable-sources-10-22-26-090846\">told</a> CNN’s Chief Media Analyst Brian Stelter: “Obviously the polls aren’t looking great for the president’s party, his approval ratings are in the subbasement and changing the subject isn’t working, so the White House is punishing the press because it’s easy and because they can. They’re creating a safe space for the president.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/2026-10-22T035711Z_1748247812_RC2.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"9qa7q\">President Donald Trump boarding Air Force One on Oct. 21, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. That day, his administration informed reporter Andrew Feinberg of The Independent he would be barred from traveling on the aircraft the next day.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": null,
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": null,
"case_type": null,
"status_of_seized_equipment": null,
"is_search_warrant_obtained": false,
"actor": null,
"border_point": null,
"target_us_citizenship_status": null,
"denial_of_entry": false,
"stopped_previously": false,
"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access": null,
"did_authorities_ask_about_work": null,
"assailant": null,
"was_journalist_targeted": null,
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": null,
"name_of_business": null,
"third_party_business": null,
"legal_order_venue": null,
"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
"equipment_broken": [],
"state": {
"name": "District of Columbia",
"abbreviation": "DC"
},
"updates": [],
"case_statuses": [],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"Donald Trump"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [
"Federal government: White House"
],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Denial of Access"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Andrew Feinberg (The Independent [United Kingdom])"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": [
"Press credential or media list"
]
},
{
"title": "Trump targets news media, punishing critical coverage of his second term",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/trump-targets-news-media-punishing-critical-coverage-of-his-second-term/",
"first_published_at": "2026-05-28T20:16:43.455000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-10-22T20:21:04.629162Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-10-22T20:10:47.458241Z",
"date": "2026-10-19",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Washington",
"longitude": -77.03637,
"latitude": 38.89511,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"f2qh8\">President Donald Trump and his administration are continuing to take steps in his second term to punish and intimidate news outlets covering them unfavorably. We’re documenting Trump’s direct actions and public statements in this regularly updated report.</p><p data-block-key=\"9c5k2\">Trump’s social media posts denigrating the media are being catalogued separately in our ongoing project, the <a href=\"https://taps.pressfreedomtracker.us/\">Trump Anti-Press Social Media Tracker</a>. Read about Trump’s efforts in <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/trump-administration-allies-move-to-punish-outlets-during-first-weeks-in-office/\">2025</a>, and how his appointees and allies in Congress are striving to chill reporting, revoke funding, censor critical coverage and more <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/blog/trump-allies-pursue-multipronged-campaign-against-the-press/\">here</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"b2rcv\"><i>This article was first published on May 28, 2026.</i></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><p><a id=\"top\" name=\"top\"></a></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"f2qh8\"></p><hr/><p data-block-key=\"esvrn\"></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#Oct 19\">Oct. 19, 2026 | White House demands retraction, apology from Politico; threatens unspecified ‘consequences’</a>\r\n<p><a href=\"#Sept 21\">Sept. 21, 2026 | News outlets sue Trump administration over White House ban</a>\r\n<p><a href=\"#Sept 18\">Sept. 18, 2026 | Trump orders CNN, MS NOW and Politico barred from White House</a>\r\n<p><a href=\"#May 15\">May 15, 2026 | Trump calls journalists’ reporting on Iran war ‘treasonous’</a>\r\n<p><a href=\"#April 6\">April 6, 2026 | Trump says news outlet must identify source or ‘go to jail’</a></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"f2qh8\"></p><hr/><p data-block-key=\"3vd46\"></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><a id=\"Oct 19\" name=\"Oct 19\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"8vlhj\">Oct. 19, 2026 | White House demands retraction, apology from Politico; threatens unspecified ‘consequences’</h4><p data-block-key=\"7b84r\">The White House demanded in an Oct. 19, 2026, letter that Politico retract and apologize for three articles it published about President Donald Trump and his chief of staff or “face the consequences.”</p><p data-block-key=\"10cta\">The <a href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28827792-261019-scharf-ltr-to-greenberger/\">letter</a>, first <a href=\"https://www.axios.com/2026/10/21/white-house-politico-retract-stories-or-face-consequences\">reported by Axios</a>, was addressed to Politico’s Global Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Greenberger. Counsel to the President Will Scharf alleged that the articles — published Oct. 15-16 — knowingly included false allegations about Trump considering replacements for White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and her purported involvement in arranging a Fox News appearance for the then-new press secretary.</p><p data-block-key=\"31kvg\">“These publications reflect far more than sloppy reporting or an unfortunate, inadvertent reliance on unreliable sources,” he wrote. “Put simply, your publication was told the truth and presented with corroborating evidence, and yet chose to publish fanciful fiction regardless.”</p><p data-block-key=\"a8rt7\">Scharf added that failure to unpublish the articles or provide justifications would “prompt an immediate review of Politico’s relationship with the White House, and, of course, consideration of all other appropriate and available legal remedies.”</p><p data-block-key=\"7d732\">The news outlet was already one of three that Trump <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/trump-bans-three-outlets-from-white-house-access-citing-fake-news/\">attempted to bar</a> from the White House in September on the basis of their alleged “constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!” The outlets — CNN, MS NOW and Politico — filed a lawsuit challenging the ban and, on Oct. 13, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction requiring the White House to restore their access.</p><p data-block-key=\"3ld\">As of Oct. 22, Politico had not unpublished any of the three articles, but <a href=\"https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/16/susie-wiles-offered-positive-reinforcement-for-press-secretary-fox-news-interview-ahead-of-her-exit-01125176\">changed the headline and issued a correction</a> on the piece concerning then-press secretary Katie Zacharia’s interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity.</p><p data-block-key=\"79nva\">“An earlier version of this report, including its headline, mischaracterized the role White House chief of staff Susie Wiles played in then-press secretary Katie Zacharia’s interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News,” the correction states. “POLITICO’s follow-up reporting indicates she did not play a direct role in setting up the interview.”</p><p data-block-key=\"epql\">The Washington Post <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/10/21/white-house-takes-new-swipes-press-blocking-reporter-threatening-an-outlet/\">reported</a> that Politico sent a <a href=\"https://x.com/brianstelter/status/2113262638323114115/photo/1\">letter</a> to the White House on Oct. 21, acknowledging the error in the corrected article but also pushing back on the allegations. Theodore Boutrous Jr., an attorney representing Politico, added that the timing and substance of the letter also confirm the retaliatory and viewpoint-discriminatory motives of the Trump ban.</p><p data-block-key=\"7g0sh\">“To the extent your letter is, as it transparently appears to be, an attempt to manufacture some justification predicated on vague ‘standards of professionalism’ for the White House to continue its pattern of unconstitutional conduct targeting POLITICO, it fails,” he wrote.</p><p data-block-key=\"2akc2\">“POLITICO will defend its journalism and the right of its reporters to pursue their mission and report fearlessly on the President and other White House officials for the benefit of the American public,” Boutrous added, “notwithstanding the White House’s ongoing attempts to intimidate POLITICO and chill and punish that reporting.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#top\"><i>Back to Top</i></a></p></div>\r\n<a id=\"Sept 21\" name=\"Sept 21\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"x93ai\">Sept. 21, 2026 | News outlets sue Trump administration over White House ban</h4><p data-block-key=\"7gqqe\">CNN, MS NOW and Politico sued the Trump administration on First Amendment grounds on Sept. 21, 2026, to challenge a ban that left at least some of their news personnel unable to access the White House.</p><p data-block-key=\"eg87\">President Donald Trump had announced the ban on <a href=\"https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/117293599348325006\">Truth Social</a> on Sept. 18. A day later, journalists from the three outlets were <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/trump-bans-three-outlets-from-white-house-access-citing-fake-news/\">informed</a> by security personnel at the White House complex that their press credentials had been deactivated as they attempted to enter it.</p><p data-block-key=\"o75j\">CNN, which was slated to take over pool TV coverage of the president on Sept. 21 as part of a predetermined rotation, was also removed from that assignment by the White House, prompting an effective boycott of TV pool coverage of the president by the four other network members of the pool.</p><p data-block-key=\"3pmk3\">The White House ban drew strong condemnation from press freedom advocates and others, as well as the outlets themselves.</p><p data-block-key=\"4ggtd\">“Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists’ credentials because it objected to our reporting,” the outlets wrote in a statement announcing the suit. “Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference.”</p><p data-block-key=\"li4m\">The <a href=\"https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/74823502/1/cable-news-network-inc-v-trump/\">suit</a> characterizes the ban as a First Amendment violation and a clear example of unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination.</p><p data-block-key=\"dof7g\">“The President was expressly clear about his viewpoint-discriminatory motive for targeting CNN, MS NOW, and POLITICO. He called it the ‘result of their constant “reporting” FAKE NEWS!’—a term he routinely applies not to reporting that is false, but to any reporting he dislikes,” lawyers for the outlets wrote in the filing.</p><p data-block-key=\"f78tm\">“This ban could not be a more direct assault on the First Amendment nor a more blatant violation of our most fundamental constitutional principles,” they added.</p><p data-block-key=\"5ceb7\">The outlets are asking that their credentials immediately be reinstated and that the ban be declared unconstitutional.</p><p data-block-key=\"9vt8l\">The case was <a href=\"https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/21/timothy-kelly-judge-white-house-ban-lawsuit-01086120?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter\">assigned</a> to District Judge Timothy J. Kelly, who presided over a similar case in 2018 that saw then-CNN correspondent <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/white-house-suspends-cnn-reporter-jim-acostas-press-credentials-and-falsely-accuses-him-manhandling-intern/\">Jim Acosta</a>’s press credentials suspended. Kelly quickly ruled that Acosta’s credentials be reinstated.</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#top\"><i>Back to Top</i></a></p></div>\r\n<a id=\"May 15\" name=\"May 15\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><a id=\"Sept 18\" name=\"Sept 18\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"5h4wx\">Sept. 18, 2026 | Trump orders CNN, MS NOW and Politico barred from White House</h4><p data-block-key=\"5bvma\">President Donald Trump announced on Sept. 18, 2026, that he was banning multiple news outlets from the White House, asserting it was “a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!”</p><p data-block-key=\"fjh40\">In a 3 p.m. <a href=\"https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/117293599348325006\">post on Truth Social</a>, the platform he owns, Trump wrote that CNN, MS NOW and Politico were barred, effective immediately, warning that other “Fake News Media Outlets” would face similar bans soon.</p><p data-block-key=\"5r4nd\">“Media Outlets shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, or the United States of America,” he wrote.</p><p data-block-key=\"8ji4j\">During an event in the Oval Office shortly after the message was posted, Trump was questioned about his justification for the move.</p><p data-block-key=\"41iab\">“Because they’re fake news,” he responded. “I get so tired of reading and seeing fake news.”</p><p data-block-key=\"dvraa\">When another reporter asked why he announced the ban now, Trump said there’s “no reason.”</p><p data-block-key=\"8a3cl\">“It’s really just cumulative stories of the last two years,” he said. “You get sick of it.”</p><p data-block-key=\"4pd4u\">In an article published an hour later, CNN <a href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/18/media/trump-claims-ban-cnn-msnow-politico-white-house\">reported</a> that its journalists remained seated in their White House workspace, and there was no indication that Trump’s administration had taken steps to follow through on his announcement.</p><p data-block-key=\"bbhbi\">The New York Times also <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/18/business/media/trump-cnn-ms-now-politico-white-house-ban.html\">reported</a> that journalists from the three outlets were continuing to work as usual on the White House grounds.</p><p data-block-key=\"b3a1r\">In a <a href=\"https://x.com/CNNPR/status/2101046410577588701\">statement</a> posted on social media, CNN said it stands behind its White House team and their reporting.</p><p data-block-key=\"cj159\">“We have a right under the U.S. Constitution to do that reporting without hindrance or interference from the government,” it said. “Should the ban which President Trump threatened go ahead, it would be an illegal assault on that fundamental and constitutionally-protected right.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#top\"><i>Back to Top</i></a></p></div>\r\n<a id=\"May 15\" name=\"May 15\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"f2qh8\">May 15, 2026 | Trump calls journalists’ reporting on Iran war ‘treasonous’</h4><p data-block-key=\"bkhgk\">President Donald Trump accused David Sanger — a White House and national security correspondent for The New York Times — and others of treason for their coverage of the Iran war during a press gaggle on Air Force One on May 15, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"9nu97\">Trump, who was returning from a series of meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, held an informal press gaggle on the plane. In <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d33H5BImAI8\">footage</a> posted by Forbes, Sanger is heard asking the president what could be gained by resuming a bombing campaign against Iran.</p><p data-block-key=\"3ptbo\">“I had a total military victory. But the fake news, guys like you, write it incorrectly. You’re a fake guy and guys like you write about it incorrectly,” Trump responds. “We’ve had a total victory except by people like you that don’t write the truth. You know, you should write … I actually think it’s sort of treasonous what you write. But you and The New York Times and CNN, I would say, are the worst.”</p><p data-block-key=\"9j8sf\">As another journalist begins to ask a question, Trump turns back to Sanger, addressing him as David, and says that the reporter just writes what his editors tell him to, that he should be ashamed and that the reporting amounts to treason.</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-video block-video\">\n\n<figure class=\"inline-media full-width\">\n <div style=\"padding-bottom: 56.49999999999999%;\" class=\"responsive-object\">\n <iframe width=\"200\" height=\"113\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/d33H5BImAI8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen title=\"Trump Accuses Reporters To Their Faces Of 'Treason' For Their Coverage Of The Iran War\"></iframe>\n</div>\n\n \n</figure>\n</div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"f2qh8\">Sanger defended his reporting and the importance of the new media generally during an <a href=\"https://x.com/kaitlancollins/status/2055460965500567761\">appearance on CNN</a> later that day.</p><p data-block-key=\"9hqvk\">“We all know what this is about: It’s an effort to intimidate news organizations into not doing the reporting,” Sanger told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. “The president seems to conflate news he doesn’t want to hear with treason, and that’s not the case.”</p><p data-block-key=\"7json\">In a <a href=\"https://x.com/NYTimesPR/status/2055372950035939766\">statement</a> posted to social media, Times spokesperson Charlie Stadtlander defended the newspaper’s coverage.</p><p data-block-key=\"9hjeg\">“Reporting isn’t treason. It’s foundational to a free press and the work that America’s founders wrote the First Amendment to protect,” he said. “That includes making clear when the claims of government officials and the reality of their actions don’t line up.”</p><p data-block-key=\"19equ\">The incident came just days after The Wall Street Journal <a href=\"https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/trumps-complaints-about-iran-war-leaks-prompt-aggressive-doj-investigations-b5d31c13\">reported</a> that Trump had complained in April to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche about leaks concerning the Iran war, and in one meeting passed a stack of news articles to Blanche with a sticky note that read “treason.”</p><p data-block-key=\"demg2\">The newspaper also revealed that it and other news outlets were <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/doj-subpoenas-wall-street-journal-amid-internal-leak-investigation/\">issued subpoenas</a> earlier this year as part of ongoing leak investigations, and that Blanche had vowed to secure such legal orders for the records of journalists working on sensitive national security stories.</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#top\"><i>Back to Top</i></a></p></div>\r\n<a id=\"April 6\" name=\"April 6\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"f2qh8\">April 6, 2026 | Trump says news outlet must identify source or ‘go to jail’</h4><p data-block-key=\"djlil\">President Donald Trump vowed to investigate the source behind a leak concerning the downing of a U.S. fighter jet by Iran during a news conference on April 6, 2026, adding that he would not hesitate to take action against the media outlet that published the information.</p><p data-block-key=\"8vu4e\">The F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down over Iran April 3, and while the pilot was quickly rescued, the weapons systems officer could not be immediately located, triggering a frantic two-day search to find him before Iranian forces did. The incidents were covered by <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/03/us/politics/us-fighter-jet-iran.html\">multiple</a> <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/04/03/f-15-crash-iran-missing/\">national</a> <a href=\"https://www.axios.com/2026/04/03/iran-us-fighter-shot-down\">and</a> <a href=\"https://x.com/N12News/status/2040123744799141937\">international</a> <a href=\"https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-fighter-jet-shot-down-over-iran-search-underway-crew-us-official-says-2026-04-03/\">newsrooms</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"5e3cg\">Trump asserted that news reporting on the incident endangered the airman and others, and that the administration would approach the unnamed outlet that had published it as part of ongoing efforts to identify the leaker, The New York Times <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/06/business/media/trump-jail-journalists-fighter-crew.html\">reported</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"1bobr\">“We’re going to go to the media company that released it,” Trump said, “and we’re going to say, ‘National security — give it up or go to jail.’ And we know who, and you know who, we’re talking about.”</p><p data-block-key=\"9fmu3\">The White House did not clarify which news outlet the president was referring to, the Times reported.</p><p data-block-key=\"b91j6\">Gabe Rottman, vice president of policy at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, told the Times he was not aware of another instance of a president issuing such a threat.</p><p data-block-key=\"fll13\">“During times of armed conflict in a democracy,” Rottman said in a statement, “it is essential that the press be able to gather and report information in the public interest and thus provide an independent check on the official government narrative.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#top\"><i>Back to Top</i></a></p></div></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"cmvxh\">President Donald Trump speaks during an announcement at the White House in Washington, D.C., on May 21, 2026.</p>",
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{
"title": "Photojournalist pushed, accused of being a protester at LA demonstration",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-pushed-accused-of-being-a-protester-at-la-demonstration/",
"first_published_at": "2026-10-22T20:13:51.761000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-10-22T20:33:21.701230Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-10-22T20:33:21.581955Z",
"date": "2026-10-17",
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"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"fb0zt\">Photojournalist Cassandra Church was shoved from behind by a police sergeant while she covered a “No Kings” protest on Oct. 17, 2026, in Los Angeles, California.</p><p data-block-key=\"88voj\">Church was on assignment for The Southlander at the demonstration, one of thousands of <a href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/10/17/nx-s1-6004887/no-kings-voting-trump\">nationwide “No Kings” protests</a> opposing the current state of the U.S. government and urging voter turnout ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections. Later that day, protesters gathered near the downtown Metropolitan Detention Center, where immigrants are held.</p><p data-block-key=\"2jnn1\">LA Police Department officers arrived at the demonstration after a street fight near the detention center, Church told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. After police arrested a protester who was later released, officers formed a skirmish line and pushed demonstrators and journalists down the street.</p><p data-block-key=\"cfi41\">At an intersection farther along the route, officers tackled and arrested independent photojournalist <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-thrown-to-the-ground-arrested-at-la-protest/\">Angel Perez</a>. Church and fellow photojournalist Christopher Almaraz called out to police that Perez was a member of the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"a04mj\">As the journalists turned to continue down the sidewalk, officers suddenly surged forward to arrest another protester.</p><p data-block-key=\"e3vhl\">Church was photographing the arrest when officers ordered her to move around a bush and into the street. With her back against a wall, she began repositioning herself to avoid walking through the arrest.</p><p data-block-key=\"7jc5d\">“I was no way in their path,” she said.</p><p data-block-key=\"dh12a\">As Church moved into the street, a sergeant began forcefully shoving her from behind, she said, repeatedly shouting, “I don’t give a fuck.” Church wore press markings on her chest and had her credentials visibly displayed.</p><p data-block-key=\"24fu1\">After officers pushed journalists into the street, they ordered them back onto the sidewalk. Once there, the same officer pointed his flashlight at Church and Almaraz, <a href=\"/all-incidents/la-police-officer-pushes-photojournalist-covering-no-kings-protest/\">who was also shoved</a>, and accused them of participating in the protest rather than working as journalists, Church said.</p><p data-block-key=\"an0pa\">“The girl in the green vest is participating,” the officer said in a video shared with the Tracker. “The one in the green vest is not press.”</p><p data-block-key=\"ahv91\">Church disputed the accusation, saying, “In no way have I participated.”</p><p data-block-key=\"7g0n8\">A police captain eventually intervened and de-escalated the confrontation, allowing the journalists to leave.</p><p data-block-key=\"e0sc4\">As Church and Almaraz walked away, a police helicopter tracked them with a spotlight and warned through the helicopter’s loudspeaker that they would be arrested if they returned to the detention center, Church said. The helicopter continued following them for several blocks.</p><p data-block-key=\"5oni2\">Church told the Tracker she believed the police actions against her and Almaraz were retaliation for their efforts to prevent Perez from being detained. Police had also announced an “evacuation order” for the area, but California <a href=\"https://law.justia.com/codes/california/code-pen/part-1/title-11/section-409-5/\">law</a> allows members of the press to cover protests and exempts them from dispersal orders. A <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-struck-with-baton-finger-injured-amid-protests-in-downtown-la/\">federal preliminary injunction</a> against the city is in place to uphold those protections.</p><p data-block-key=\"4ipck\">“It felt retaliatory toward both of us for that advocacy,” Church told the Tracker. “That one officer was attempting to have us arrested by accusing us of participating.”</p><p data-block-key=\"fou72\">In response to a request for comment about the Oct. 17 incident, the LAPD said it makes reasonable efforts to accommodate the media and recognizes journalists’ right to cover events. The department said allegations of mistreatment involving members of the media would be thoroughly investigated and appropriately addressed.</p><p data-block-key=\"8kp9n\">“We remain steadfast in fostering strong, respectful relationships with our media partners,” the statement said.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"487va\">A Los Angeles police officer shines a light at photojournalist Cassandra Church, who was pushed by a sergeant while documenting a “No Kings” protest on Oct. 17, 2026.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"name": "California",
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},
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"Assault"
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{
"title": "Photojournalist thrown to the ground, arrested at LA protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-thrown-to-the-ground-arrested-at-la-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-10-21T20:40:13.947000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-10-27T20:13:15.791624Z",
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"longitude": -118.24368,
"latitude": 34.05223,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"jphc2\">Independent photojournalist Angel Perez was tackled, handcuffed and detained by Los Angeles police while covering a “No Kings” protest on Oct. 17, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"e33qe\">The demonstration was one of thousands of <a href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/10/17/nx-s1-6004887/no-kings-voting-trump\">nationwide “No Kings” protests</a> opposing the current state of the U.S. government and urging voter turnout ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections. Later in the day, protesters gathered near the downtown Metropolitan Detention Center, where immigrants are held.</p><p data-block-key=\"9k832\">Perez told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he was photographing the demonstration around 7:30 p.m. when LA Police Department officers began pushing people down the street and directing journalists to the sidewalk. Police also announced an “evacuation order” for the area.</p><p data-block-key=\"b2vse\">Perez said he complied with police instructions to move to the sidewalk, but officers suddenly began running toward him, so he ran and turned down another street to get out of their way.</p><p data-block-key=\"d7o5l\">Video <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Desfx3KBgGl/\">posted to Instagram</a> by photojournalist Jake Crandall shows officers chasing Perez, grabbing him from behind and shoving him to the ground before taking him to a police car.</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"jphc2\">Other journalists can be heard shouting in the video, “He’s press,” as officers surround Perez and restrain him with his hands behind his back. Over a megaphone, an officer warns: “Members of the press. Do not get in the way, do not interfere,” before ordering people to “leave the area or you are subject to arrest.”</p><p data-block-key=\"dl0u\">California <a href=\"https://law.justia.com/codes/california/code-pen/part-1/title-11/section-409-5/\">law</a> allows members of the press to cover protests and exempts them from dispersal orders. It also protects them from arrest or interference by police while doing so. A <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-struck-with-baton-finger-injured-amid-protests-in-downtown-la/\">federal preliminary injunction</a> against the city is in place to uphold those protections.</p><p data-block-key=\"d1t1j\">Perez, who regularly publishes his photos on <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/apr_visuals/\">Instagram</a>, told the Tracker he repeatedly identified himself as a journalist during the takedown and while officers searched him. He was carrying his camera but was not wearing a press badge.</p><p data-block-key=\"9jtus\">“I wasn’t doing anything else besides taking pictures,” Perez said. “Then they, for some reason, just chased after me.”</p><p data-block-key=\"c1rs3\">Officers took Perez to a police station, where he said they handcuffed him to a bench facing a wall. He was released after roughly two hours, once police reviewed body camera footage and determined Perez had been taking photographs and not participating in the protest.</p><p data-block-key=\"8633n\">Adam Rose, press rights chair of the Los Angeles Press Club and deputy director of advocacy at Freedom of the Press Foundation, which operates the Tracker, also contacted police on Perez’s behalf.</p><p data-block-key=\"4t7ka\">The altercation left Perez with a deep cut on his right elbow, bruising on his upper right shoulder and bruises on both sides of his face. He said he went to an emergency room after his release to have his injuries evaluated and documented. His camera and lens were scratched in the scuffle, and he lost his camera’s lens hood and viewfinder.</p><p data-block-key=\"1ooer\">“They don’t take under consideration the protection of the press,” Perez said of his experience with police.</p><p data-block-key=\"1f6lj\">In response to questions about Perez’s detention, LAPD said it investigates all uses of force, including those involving members of the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"evlq2\">“Any individual who identified themselves as ‘duly authorized’ members of the media were contacted, verified, and separated from those arrested,” the department said. “We remain steadfast in fostering strong, respectful relationships with our media partners.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"iickx\">Independent photographer Angel Perez being arrested at a “No Kings” protest in Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 17, 2026. He was later released without charges.</p>",
"arresting_authority": "Los Angeles Police Department",
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"Assault",
"Equipment Damage"
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],
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{
"title": "LA police officer pushes photojournalist covering ‘No Kings’ protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/la-police-officer-pushes-photojournalist-covering-no-kings-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-10-22T20:29:40.791894Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-10-22T20:29:40.791894Z",
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"longitude": -118.24368,
"latitude": 34.05223,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"ndlpv\">Photojournalist Christopher Almaraz was shoved into the street by Los Angeles police while he photographed officers arresting a protester at a “No Kings” protest on Oct. 17, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"1a93v\">Almaraz was taking photos for The Southlander at the demonstration, one of thousands of <a href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/10/17/nx-s1-6004887/no-kings-voting-trump\">nationwide “No Kings” protests</a> opposing the current state of the U.S. government and urging voter turnout ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections. Later that day, protesters gathered near the downtown Metropolitan Detention Center, where immigrants are held.</p><p data-block-key=\"ckoo0\">Almaraz told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that the LA Police Department arrived after a fight broke out and began pushing demonstrators and journalists down the street. Officers directed journalists to move onto the sidewalk and announced an “evacuation order,” rather than a dispersal order.</p><p data-block-key=\"6qcvu\">California <a href=\"https://law.justia.com/codes/california/code-pen/part-1/title-11/section-409-5/\">law</a> allows members of the press to cover protests and exempts them from dispersal orders. It also protects them from arrest or interference by police while doing so. A <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-struck-with-baton-finger-injured-amid-protests-in-downtown-la/\">federal preliminary injunction</a> against the city is in place to uphold those protections.</p><p data-block-key=\"2mmk8\">As officers advanced, they tackled independent photojournalist <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-thrown-to-the-ground-arrested-at-la-protest/\">Angel Perez</a> and arrested him. Almaraz approached a police captain and repeatedly explained that Perez was a member of the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"3r6dv\">After speaking with the captain, Almaraz returned to documenting police activity, as officers moved to arrest another protester. Almaraz stood beside a parked car near the curb, with one foot in the gutter and the other on the curb, as he photographed officers tackling the demonstrator near bushes on the sidewalk. Then he felt a shove against his back.</p><p data-block-key=\"5b3dq\">“I was in the gutter, so that way I could be out of their way,” he said. “And they still found the need to push me.”</p><p data-block-key=\"cgmkk\">The officer pushed him again, prompting Almaraz to move forward and into the street. Photojournalist <a href=\"/all-incidents/photojournalist-pushed-accused-of-being-a-protester-at-la-demonstration/\">Cassandra Church</a> was also shoved while documenting the arrest.</p><p data-block-key=\"aiufv\">As officers directed journalists back onto the sidewalk, Almaraz heard an officer repeatedly accuse him and Church of participating in the protest. He turned and saw the officer shining a flashlight into their faces.</p><p data-block-key=\"4hkg5\">Almaraz pointed to the press markings on his chest and challenged the accusation.</p><p data-block-key=\"47ekf\">“Me? How?” he said in a video shared with the Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"4k4nm\">After both photojournalists left the protest area, a police helicopter tracked them with a spotlight and warned through the helicopter’s loudspeaker not to return to the detention center or else be arrested.</p><p data-block-key=\"73c2v\">Almaraz questioned why the helicopter continued tracking them after they had left the area. He characterized its actions as an attempt to mock and intimidate journalists.</p><p data-block-key=\"apgg3\">“It was all escalation,” he said.</p><p data-block-key=\"fas8b\">In response to a request for comment about the Oct. 17 incident, the LAPD said it makes reasonable efforts to accommodate the media and recognizes journalists’ right to cover events. The department said allegations of mistreatment involving members of the media would be thoroughly investigated and appropriately addressed.</p><p data-block-key=\"3qp7c\">“We remain steadfast in fostering strong, respectful relationships with our media partners,” the statement said.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"w3dgd\">Members of the Los Angeles Police Department form a skirmish line during a “No Kings” protest on Oct. 17, 2026. Photojournalist Christopher Almaraz was shoved by an officer while covering the demonstration.</p>",
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"immigration",
"protest"
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{
"title": "Florida TV stations threatened with prosecution; sued for airing election ad",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/florida-tv-stations-threatened-with-prosecution-sued-for-airing-election-ad/",
"first_published_at": "2026-10-21T18:07:54.369000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-10-28T16:11:54.130463Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-10-28T16:11:53.919770Z",
"date": "2026-10-16",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Tallahassee",
"longitude": -84.28073,
"latitude": 30.43826,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"lqwxr\">At least 14 broadcast stations in Florida were accused of criminal conduct and a dozen were then sued by the state’s Republican Party on Oct. 16, 2026, in a push to prevent further airing of a political advertisement produced by state Democrats.</p><p data-block-key=\"2map0\">Benjamin Gibson, an attorney for the state Republicans, sent a <a href=\"https://www.cltampa.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/1-RPOF-Complaint-For-Injunctive-Relief.pdf\">cease and desist letter</a> that day to the managers for stations belonging to Cox Media, Fox, Graham Media, Hearst, Ion, New World, Nexstar, Scripps and Tegna.</p><p data-block-key=\"eo2mr\">He argued that, by televising an ad that referenced a grand jury finding about alleged misappropriation of state funds by the state’s Republican administration, the stations violated state laws protecting the confidentiality of testimony and findings, and they were additionally liable for the ad’s purported defamatory content.</p><p data-block-key=\"eicbe\">“An advertisement telling viewers that a grand jury ‘found’ anything, presents to the public, as authoritative, a finding that is expunged and legally void,” he wrote, referring to an Oct. 7 court ruling striking the grand jury report.</p><p data-block-key=\"8ncv4\">Gibson also noted that a copy of the letter was sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and other relevant prosecutorial authorities, including several state attorneys.</p><p data-block-key=\"6vgmj\">According to the <a href=\"https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article317701134.html\">Miami Herald</a>, 13th Judicial Circuit State Attorney Suzy Lopez, whose jurisdiction encompasses Hillsborough County and the city of Tampa, then sent a similar letter that day to several Tampa Bay-area outlets — including WTVT, Spectrum Bay News 9, Telemundo-owned WRMD-CD and WTSP.</p><p data-block-key=\"bscmh\">The letter noted that Lopez was “writing to ensure that you are fully aware of the potential criminal consequences” of broadcasting the ad. “Whether to proceed is your decision, but you do so at your own legal risk,” she added.</p><p data-block-key=\"cta43\">Brian Haas, the state attorney for the 10th Judicial Circuit, sent an identical letter to stations in Hardee, Highland and Polk counties, the Herald reported. The newspaper did not specify which stations were targeted.</p><p data-block-key=\"f5l7o\">The state Republican Party’s <a href=\"https://www.cltampa.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/1-RPOF-Complaint-For-Injunctive-Relief.pdf\">lawsuit</a>, filed in Highlands County Circuit Court the evening of Oct. 16, asks the court to rule that further distribution of the ad would be unlawful and to bar the stations from televising it. The suit names a dozen TV stations, the Florida Democratic Party and several of its candidates.</p><p data-block-key=\"8btb8\">Freedom of the Press Foundation, of which the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker is a project, <a href=\"https://freedom.press/issues/florida-gop-lawsuit-to-censor-tv-stations-fails-sunshine-state-and-first-amendment/\">wrote</a> that the suit not only violates the First Amendment but also threatens voters’ right to information about a matter of public interest ahead of an election.</p><p data-block-key=\"22kcf\">“Whether related grand jury records were improperly released has no bearing whatsoever on the First Amendment rights of the press,” FPF’s Deputy Director of Advocacy Adam Rose said in a statement. “The Florida GOP should know that news outlets cannot be punished or censored for publishing information from whistleblowers, especially when the appellate court blamed a government employee for failing to keep it secret.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"q6k0t\">TV stations across Florida were sent cease and desist letters, issued warnings or named in lawsuits on Oct. 16, 2026, alleging that televising a Democratic campaign ad violates state law protecting grand jury secrecy.</p>",
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"state": {
"name": "Florida",
"abbreviation": "FL"
},
"updates": [
"(2026-10-21 12:02:00+00:00) GOP drops suit against Florida TV stations over election ad"
],
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"Spectrum Bay News 9",
"WESH",
"WFLA-TV",
"WFTS-TV",
"WFTV",
"WKCF",
"WKMG-TV",
"WOFL",
"WRDQ",
"WRMD-CD",
"WTSP",
"WTTA",
"WTVT",
"WXPX-TV"
],
"tags": [
"election"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Chilling Statement"
],
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{
"title": "Maryland congressman threatens student journalist over recording",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/maryland-congressman-threatens-student-journalist-over-recording/",
"first_published_at": "2026-10-16T18:40:49.781000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-10-20T16:32:39.466312Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-10-20T16:32:36.193201Z",
"date": "2026-10-13",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Cambridge",
"longitude": -76.07883,
"latitude": 38.56317,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"swa2c\">Reporter Cat Murphy was threatened with prosecution by Rep. Andy Harris while recording the Maryland Republican at a news conference in Cambridge, Maryland, on Oct. 13, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"cb1s1\">Murphy, a graduate student who writes for the University of Maryland’s Capital News Service, was recording Harris with her phone after his debate against Democratic challenger Dan Schwartz when the congressman confronted her.</p><p data-block-key=\"4dfg\">“You do not have my permission to record. If you record, we will refer you to prosecutors,” Harris told Murphy, pointing his finger at her, <a href=\"https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fx.com%2FBaltimoreBanner%2Fstatus%2F2110353543022752199%3Fs%3D20&data=05%7C02%7CJohn.R.Parkinson%40abc.com%7C755792b4dded4222c69708df2a1534d3%7C56b731a8a2ac4c32bf6b616810e913c6%7C1%7C0%7C639275942812136306%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=kPLs5POcNFDcx6WU61IzpX19GS%2F2b6vR0EJ3uTACrrs%3D&reserved=0\">according to a video</a> of the encounter posted by the Baltimore Banner.</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-tweet block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Republican Rep. Andy Harris incorrectly told a reporter they were breaking the law as the reporter and others recorded an exchange with him last night. <br><br>Harris had just wrapped up a debate with Democratic challenger Dan Schwartz. <a href=\"https://t.co/J0pWnt2lki\">pic.twitter.com/J0pWnt2lki</a></p>— The Baltimore Banner (@BaltimoreBanner) <a href=\"https://x.com/BaltimoreBanner/status/2110353543022752199?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 14, 2026</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.x.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"g8ea6\">“Everyone in here is recording,” Murphy responded. “Why am I not allowed to?”</p><p data-block-key=\"ba34s\">“Because I refuse to give you permission to do recording,” Harris said.</p><p data-block-key=\"47g5m\">As other journalists continued recording, Murphy asked a colleague to hold her phone. Other reporters told Harris that they were in a public forum where reporting was permitted. Maryland’s two-party consent law does not apply to situations — such as news conferences — where there is no reasonable expectation of privacy.</p><p data-block-key=\"f3uja\">“I’m a legislator,” Harris said. “I actually know the law well.”</p><p data-block-key=\"8hak6\">Murphy continued questioning Harris, asking him a question about the conflict in Iran.</p><p data-block-key=\"9qs7o\">“Take her camera,” Harris said in the video, speaking to someone off camera. “She is violating the law. In fact, get an officer in here.”</p><p data-block-key=\"co9kg\">Harris accused Murphy of being disrespectful and insisted that it made no difference whether the exchange took place in public.</p><p data-block-key=\"1bp1a\">“Congressman, you said that you supported the First Amendment; what does this say about that?” Murphy asked.</p><p data-block-key=\"bvglg\">The congressman replied by telling the group of reporters, “All right, guys, she’s ruining all your chances to get an answer about anything.” As he walked away, he added: “Thank her profusely.”</p><p data-block-key=\"ehad7\">Murphy told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that she has regularly covered Harris during his congressional race, so he is familiar with her. She added that his reprimand came after the congressman dismissed another reporter’s question, and Murphy commented, “You should respect their question as much as mine.”</p><p data-block-key=\"3ufhl\">Harris then told her he would no longer take her questions either. But Murphy continued asking them, which prompted Harris to threaten her.</p><p data-block-key=\"3s5p4\">“I didn’t take this personally,” Murphy told the Tracker. “I will continue covering him. I will continue covering the race. Journalism goes on.”</p><p data-block-key=\"7tr85\">In a <a href=\"https://x.com/merrillcollege/status/2110448612786467003\">statement</a> Oct. 14, the university’s Merrill College of Journalism said that their students “know their rights as journalists.”</p><p data-block-key=\"fgdbq\">“Cat recorded openly in a public space alongside other news outlets, and that is her legal right,” the college’s dean, Rafael Lorente, said, adding that he is “proud of how she handled herself in a difficult situation.”</p><p data-block-key=\"dt49j\">In an Oct. 14 <a href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/14/politics/video/student-journalist-responds-after-congressman-threatens-to-have-her-prosecuted-lead-jake-tapper\">interview with CNN</a>, Murphy described the encounter as overwhelming but emphasized that she was determined to keep reporting.</p><p data-block-key=\"1q9nv\">“I was focused on doing my job and asking my questions that I wanted answers to, and I think I did that,” she said.</p><p data-block-key=\"co1ov\">Harris did not respond to a request for comment.</p><p data-block-key=\"a4lvd\"><i>Update: This article was revised to include comments from Cat Murphy.</i></p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Screenshot_2026-10-15_at_12.14.59.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"p1jhr\">Cat Murphy, a student reporter for Capital News Service, recounts on CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper” being threatened with legal action by Rep. Andy Harris for recording him during an Oct. 13, 2026, news conference in Cambridge, Maryland.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"tags": [
"election",
"student journalism"
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"categories": [
"Chilling Statement"
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"targeted_journalists": [
"Cat Murphy ([University of Maryland] Capital News Service)"
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},
{
"title": "California TV stations hit by gunfire for second time in four days",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/california-tv-stations-hit-by-gunfire-for-second-time-in-four-days/",
"first_published_at": "2026-10-16T22:33:26.960618Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-10-16T22:33:26.960618Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-10-16T22:33:01.071714Z",
"date": "2026-10-13",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Bakersfield",
"longitude": -119.01871,
"latitude": 35.37329,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"dnk5b\">California television stations KBAK-TV and KBFX-CD were struck by gunfire for a second time in four days when additional shots hit their joint Bakersfield studios the morning of Oct. 13, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"3kh0\">The <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/gunman-fires-shots-into-california-tv-studios\">first shooting</a> occurred the night of Oct. 9, when a gunman fired 10 shots into a conference room and an office. Surveillance <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDtjgIGJJWM\">footage</a> released by the station shows a dark vehicle stopping outside the building before apparent muzzle flashes appear near the driver-side window. The vehicle then speeds away.</p><p data-block-key=\"co82t\">During the second shooting, officers found <a href=\"https://bakersfieldnow.com/news/local/investigation-underway-after-shots-fired-at-kbakkbfx-studio-in-bakersfield-shooting-kern-county-california\">multiple bullet strikes</a> and recovered 11 shell casings. Three employees were inside during the second shooting, but no one was injured, according to the Bakersfield Police Department.</p><p data-block-key=\"1r6fo\">At the time, Jessica Bellucci, a spokesperson for the sister stations’ parent company, Sinclair Broadcast Group, said they were taking steps to secure the workplace.</p><p data-block-key=\"6vmks\">Police arrested a Bakersfield woman, Thomashana Renee Zeigler, on Oct. 15 after stopping her vehicle en route to the station, according to a department news release.</p><p data-block-key=\"juhb\">Officers found a handgun that police said matched shell casings recovered at the scene, along with an additional loaded magazine. Search warrants led investigators to recover additional firearms and evidence connected to the investigation, police said.</p><p data-block-key=\"763ce\">Detectives also uncovered further threats against the station and prevented what police described as a potential third shooting.</p><p data-block-key=\"4t9lq\">In a statement, Bellucci, the Sinclair spokesperson, said the company was relieved by the arrest and grateful for police efforts.</p><p data-block-key=\"945u1\">Zeigler faces multiple charges, including shooting at an occupied building and carrying a loaded firearm.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"w5szo\">A screengrab of police investigating a shooting at the joint KBAK-TV and KBFX-CD studios in Bakersfield, California. The sister stations were targeted in separate shootings on Oct. 9 and Oct. 13, 2026.</p>",
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{
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"name": "California",
"abbreviation": "CA"
},
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"targeted_institutions": [
"KBAK-TV",
"KBFX-CD"
],
"tags": [
"shot / shot at"
],
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"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Equipment Damage"
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"subpoena_statuses": null,
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},
{
"title": "Gunman fires shots into California TV studios",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/gunman-fires-shots-into-california-tv-studios/",
"first_published_at": "2026-10-16T22:29:47.766000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-10-16T22:31:34.687780Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-10-16T22:31:34.558437Z",
"date": "2026-10-09",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Bakersfield",
"longitude": -119.01871,
"latitude": 35.37329,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"i5th3\">California television stations KBAK-TV and KBFX-CD were targeted in a shooting the night of Oct. 9, 2026, when a gunman fired 10 shots into a conference room and office at their joint Bakersfield studios.</p><p data-block-key=\"3o04o\">Surveillance footage <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDtjgIGJJWM\">released by the stations</a> shows a black vehicle pulling up to the building and remaining there for nearly three minutes. The driver moved forward, backed up, then appeared to fire from the driver’s side before speeding away. Apparent muzzle flashes are visible in the video.</p><p data-block-key=\"93n1\">The morning of Oct. 13, <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/california-tv-stations-hit-by-gunfire-for-second-time-in-four-days\">additional gunfire struck the building</a>. Three employees were inside during the second shooting, but no one was injured, according to the Bakersfield Police Department. At the time, Jessica Bellucci, a spokesperson for the sister stations’ parent company, Sinclair Broadcast Group, said they were taking steps to secure the workplace.</p><p data-block-key=\"dhqfd\">Police arrested a Bakersfield woman, Thomashana Renee Zeigler, on Oct. 15 after stopping her vehicle en route to the station, according to a department news release.</p><p data-block-key=\"a84u4\">Officers found a handgun that police said matched shell casings recovered at the scene, along with an additional loaded magazine. Search warrants led investigators to recover additional firearms and evidence connected to the investigation, police said.</p><p data-block-key=\"b1hg0\">Detectives also uncovered further threats against the station and prevented what police described as a potential third shooting.</p><p data-block-key=\"qpm\">In a statement, Bellucci, the Sinclair spokesperson, said the company was relieved by the arrest and grateful for police efforts.</p><p data-block-key=\"fqgcg\">Zeigler faces multiple charges, including shooting at an occupied building and carrying a loaded firearm.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Screenshot_2026-10-16_at_9.44.38A.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"hivvb\">An apparent muzzle flash is seen from a car in surveillance footage released by KBAK-TV and KBFX-CD, after the Bakersfield, California, stations said their joint studios were fired at on Oct. 9, 2026.</p>",
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{
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],
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"name": "California",
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},
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"KBAK-TV",
"KBFX-CD"
],
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"shot / shot at"
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"Equipment Damage"
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},
{
"title": "Todd Blanche targets press, leakers as acting attorney general",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/todd-blanche-targets-press-leakers-as-acting-attorney-general/",
"first_published_at": "2026-05-15T17:53:11.227000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-10-13T21:49:27.816949Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-10-13T21:48:55.054698Z",
"date": "2026-10-09",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Washington",
"longitude": -77.03637,
"latitude": 38.89511,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"f7fjk\">As President Donald Trump’s second term continued in 2026, he removed <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/pam-bondi-targets-journalists-leakers-as-us-attorney-general/\">Pam Bondi</a> as attorney general. Her deputy, now-Attorney General Todd Blanche, joined Trump in efforts to punish and intimidate news outlets that have covered Trump and his administration critically. We’re documenting Blanche’s efforts in this regularly updated report.</p><p data-block-key=\"eb0qq\">Read about how Trump’s appointees and allies in Congress are striving to chill reporting, revoke funding, censor critical coverage and more <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/blog/trump-allies-pursue-multipronged-campaign-against-the-press/\">here</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"e754c\"><i>This article was first published on May 15, 2026.</i></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><p><a id=\"top\" name=\"top\"></a></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"f7fjk\"></p><hr/><p data-block-key=\"d93s\"></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#Oct 9\">Oct. 9, 2026 | DOJ opens antitrust investigation into TV networks following pool boycott</a></p>\r\n<p><a href=\"#July 13\">July 13, 2026 | Pentagon, DOJ launch joint task force to identify and prosecute leakers</a></p>\r\n<p><a href=\"#May 12\">May 12, 2026 | Acting attorney general defends DOJ subpoenas to WSJ, others</a></p>\r\n<p><a href=\"#April 7\">April 7, 2026 | Acting attorney general willing to subpoena journalists in leak investigations</a></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"f7fjk\"></p><hr/><p data-block-key=\"d93s\"></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><a id=\"Oct 9\" name=\"Oct 9\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"hzxrt\">Oct. 9, 2026 | DOJ opens antitrust investigation into TV networks following pool boycott</h4><p data-block-key=\"cte5m\">The Department of Justice launched an investigation into the major television broadcasters — ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox and NBC — ordering the networks on Oct. 9, 2026, to turn over documents concerning allegations that they violated federal antitrust laws.</p><p data-block-key=\"foq89\">According to <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/10/business/media/trump-justice-department-tv-networks.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share\">The New York Times</a>, the DOJ alleges that the networks may have broken the law when they suspended pooled coverage in a group boycott of President Donald Trump after he barred CNN journalists from the White House, preventing them from participating in the pool.</p><p data-block-key=\"98mgp\">DOJ spokesperson Emily Covington told the Times in a written statement that the networks had “proudly boycotted covering White House events.”</p><p data-block-key=\"bunem\">“The Antitrust Division is simply investigating to determine whether these news organizations have violated the antitrust laws,” she continued.</p><p data-block-key=\"9pgvm\">The department specifically commanded the networks to turn over communications and materials concerning pool coverage of Trump and the removal of CNN’s access.</p><p data-block-key=\"462bp\">Freedom of the Press Foundation, of which the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker is a project, <a href=\"https://freedom.press/issues/dojs-antitrust-investigation-into-tv-networks-is-nonsense/\">dismissed</a> the antitrust investigation as “nonsense.”</p><p data-block-key=\"93n6t\">“News outlets standing up for their constitutional rights has nothing to do with antitrust law,” FPF Chief of Advocacy Seth Stern said in a statement. “Depriving Trump of the attention he craves is not a competitive harm and, in any case, antitrust law has long recognized First Amendment exceptions even when there is anticompetitive impact.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#top\"><i>Back to Top</i></a></p></div>\r\n<a id=\"July 13\" name=\"July 13\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"r2v0t\">July 13, 2026 | Pentagon, DOJ launch joint task force to identify and prosecute leakers</h4><p data-block-key=\"7b9og\"><a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/defense-secretary-pete-hegseth-targets-news-outlets-leakers/\">Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth</a> announced on July 13, 2026, that he and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche have created a joint task force to expedite the identification and prosecution of those leaking to the media.</p><p data-block-key=\"52ss4\">In a <a href=\"https://x.com/SecWar/status/2076673841913344136\">video posted to social media</a>, Hegseth said that the Defense Department’s Office of General Counsel had been given the authority “to request and receive all information, records and support across the department concerning media leak investigations.”</p><p data-block-key=\"86epc\">He added that all department components and personnel will be expected to prioritize the OGC’s requests.</p><p data-block-key=\"e54ma\">“Access to confidential and secret information is a sacred trust, and those who betray that trust will be met with the full force of the law,” Hegseth said.</p><p data-block-key=\"8s7tj\">Neither the Justice Department nor Blanche made their own public announcements of the joint task force, and they did not respond to requests for comment.</p><p data-block-key=\"4h299\">The announcement came just days after the Justice Department subpoenaed <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?date_lower=2026-07-10&date_upper=2026-07-10&targeted_institutions=The+New+York+Times\">multiple New York Times reporters</a>, seeking grand jury testimony “in regard to an alleged violation of federal criminal law.”</p><p data-block-key=\"21b7b\">The journalists, citing sources who only agreed to speak if kept anonymous, had reported that the Secret Service urged President Donald Trump to revert to the old Air Force One because the new, Qatari-donated aircraft lacks the same defensive countermeasures.</p><p data-block-key=\"b3qtg\">When asked about the subpoenas, a Justice Department spokesperson <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/11/business/media/new-york-times-trump-subpoenas.html\">told the Times</a> that “reporters are not the targets, those leaking classified information are.”</p><p data-block-key=\"28h3l\">In April, Blanche affirmed his willingness to demand records and testimony from journalists as part of leak investigations, and the following month he defended the issuing of subpoenas to <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?date_lower=2026-03-04&date_upper=2026-03-04&targeted_institutions=The+Wall+Street+Journal&categories=Subpoena%2FLegal+Order\">three Wall Street Journal reporters</a>. The Washington Post later reported that <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/doj-withdraws-subpoena-seeking-washington-post-reporters-testimony/\">one of its journalists</a> had been targeted in the investigation as well.</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#top\"><i>Back to Top</i></a></p></div>\r\n<a id=\"May 12\" name=\"May 12\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"f7fjk\">May 12, 2026 | Acting attorney general defends DOJ subpoenas to WSJ, others</h4><p data-block-key=\"p6id\">Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the issuing of federal subpoenas to The Wall Street Journal as part of a leak investigation, after the legal orders were made public on May 11, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"7s95r\">In a May 12 social media post, Blanche <a href=\"https://x.com/DAGToddBlanche/status/2054197699486908639\">wrote</a>, “Prosecuting leakers who share our nation’s secrets with reporters, in turn risking our national security and the lives of our soldiers, is a priority for this administration.</p><p data-block-key=\"d7qvc\">“Any witness, whether a reporter or otherwise, who has information about these criminals should not be surprised if they receive a subpoena about the illegal leaking of classified material,” he continued.</p><p data-block-key=\"f7977\">A Justice Department official <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/justice-department-wall-street-journal-subpoenas/\">emphasized to CBS News</a> the same day that the subpoenas were issued as part of an investigation into the source behind the leaks, not the journalists themselves.</p><p data-block-key=\"daqon\">Freedom of the Press Foundation, of which the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker is a project, <a href=\"https://freedom.press/issues/national-security-lies-fuel-wall-street-journal-probe/\">condemned</a> the subpoenas and the use of “national security” as justification.</p><p data-block-key=\"auj8c\">“These subpoenas are a direct threat to the public’s right to know, and the Journal is correct to fight them,” FPF Chief of Advocacy Seth Stern said. “Since the Department of Justice has abandoned the First Amendment, it’s up to the courts to restrain the government’s attempts to crush investigative journalism.”</p><p data-block-key=\"cj4b3\">The subpoenas to the Journal are just the latest instance of the news media being caught up in or deliberately targeted in federal investigations since then-Attorney General Pam Bondi <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/pam-bondi-targets-journalists-leakers-as-us-attorney-general/#April%2025\">rescinded Biden-era protections</a> for journalists in April 2025.</p><p data-block-key=\"ahqkq\">Earlier this year, the DOJ <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/washington-post-subpoenaed-as-part-of-doj-leak-investigation/\">subpoenaed</a> The Washington Post, and the FBI <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/washington-post-reporters-home-searched-by-fbi-devices-seized/\">executed a search warrant</a> at the home of its reporter, Hannah Natanson, seizing her equipment. Independent photojournalist <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/fbi-questions-oregon-photographer-about-protesters-identities/\">Robert Scherle</a> was questioned by two FBI agents at his home seeking information about protesters. And FBI Director Kash Patel has reportedly ordered investigations into <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/fbi-director-kash-patel-targets-press/#Feb%2028\">two</a> <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/fbi-director-kash-patel-targets-press/#May%206\">reporters</a> following unfavorable coverage.</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#top\"><i>Back to Top</i></a></p></div>\r\n<a id=\"April 7\" name=\"April 7\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"f7fjk\">April 7, 2026 | Acting attorney general willing to subpoena journalists in leak investigations</h4><p data-block-key=\"fpi77\">During his first press briefing as acting attorney general on April 7, 2026, Todd Blanche said he would not hesitate to subpoena members of the press to uncover sources behind leaks of classified information.</p><p data-block-key=\"31aph\">The previous day, President Donald Trump vowed to investigate the source behind a leak concerning the downing of a U.S. fighter jet by Iran.</p><p data-block-key=\"ch61v\">“We’re going to go to the media company that released it,” Trump said, “and we’re going to say, ‘National security — give it up or go to jail.’”</p><p data-block-key=\"1so1d\">When asked about Trump’s <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/06/business/media/trump-jail-journalists-fighter-crew.html\">comments</a>, Blanche <a href=\"https://www.c-span.org/program/news-conference/acting-attorney-general-todd-blanche-announces-developments-in-federal-fraud-cases/676945\">said</a> that classified information leaks will always be investigated.</p><p data-block-key=\"lc80\">“If that means sending a subpoena to the reporter, that’s exactly what we should do, and that’s exactly what we will be doing,” Blanche said. “If it means doing regular investigations to identify who within the government feels like it’s OK to leak classified information, to put lives at risk, then we’ll try to root him or her out as well.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#top\"><i>Back to Top</i></a></p></div></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/2026-04-29T204145Z_1143287252_RC2.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"jrlkd\">Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche at a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., on April 29, 2026.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": null,
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": null,
"case_type": null,
"status_of_seized_equipment": null,
"is_search_warrant_obtained": false,
"actor": null,
"border_point": null,
"target_us_citizenship_status": null,
"denial_of_entry": false,
"stopped_previously": false,
"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access": null,
"did_authorities_ask_about_work": null,
"assailant": null,
"was_journalist_targeted": null,
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": null,
"name_of_business": null,
"third_party_business": null,
"legal_order_venue": null,
"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
"equipment_broken": [],
"state": {
"name": "District of Columbia",
"abbreviation": "DC"
},
"updates": [],
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"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [
"ABC News",
"CBS News",
"CNN",
"Fox News",
"Media",
"NBC News"
],
"tags": [
"Department of Justice"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Chilling Statement"
],
"targeted_journalists": [],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Rep. Jason Smith targets press as chair of Ways and Means Committee",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/rep-jason-smith-targets-press-as-chair-of-ways-and-means-committee/",
"first_published_at": "2026-07-29T20:49:06.670000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-10-15T19:55:15.916139Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-10-15T19:54:50.531611Z",
"date": "2026-10-06",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Washington",
"longitude": -77.03637,
"latitude": 38.89511,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"ogfdc\">Jason Smith, a U.S. representative for Missouri, has used his position as chair of the House Committee on Ways and Means to further President Donald Trump’s efforts to punish and intimidate news outlets that have covered him and his administration unfavorably. We’re documenting Smith’s efforts in this regularly updated report.</p><p data-block-key=\"e5l7d\"><a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/blog/trump-allies-pursue-multipronged-campaign-against-the-press/\">Read about</a> how Trump’s appointees and allies in Congress are striving to chill reporting, revoke funding, censor critical coverage and more.</p><p data-block-key=\"fa2c5\"><i>This article was first published on July 29, 2026.</i></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><p><a id=\"top\" name=\"top\"></a></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"ogfdc\"></p><hr/><p data-block-key=\"r0vc\"></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#Oct 6\">Oct. 6, 2026 | Rep. Smith threatens to subpoena journalists at nonprofit newsroom</a></p>\r\n<div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#July 21\">July 21, 2026 | Ways and Means Committee demands financial records from nonprofit newsroom</a></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"ogfdc\"></p><hr/><p data-block-key=\"r0vc\"></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><a id=\"Oct 6\" name=\"Oct 6\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"46cxm\">Oct. 6, 2026 | Rep. Smith threatens to subpoena journalists at nonprofit newsroom</h4><p data-block-key=\"6p01u\">House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Jason Smith wrote to BreakThrough News on Oct. 6, 2026, threatening to individually depose reporters if the outlet did not comply with an earlier subpoena for documents.</p><p data-block-key=\"dcu0v\">According to an Oct. 9 release by the <a href=\"https://breakthroughnews.org/2026/10/09/maga-congress-escalates-against-bt-threatens-reporters-and-editorial-staff/\">outlet</a>, a letter from Smith lists journalists Rania Khalek, Zoe Alexandra and Amanda Yee, as well as other editorial staff, as potential targets for deposition subpoenas if the outlet failed to provide financial documents sought in July.</p><p data-block-key=\"d1lnc\">“The letter makes clear that this is a punishment for resisting their previous unconstitutional demands on our organization,” BreakThrough wrote. “The Committee is abusing their powers in a blatant attempt to shut us down.”</p><p data-block-key=\"fu1av\">Smith indicated in an Oct. 13 <a href=\"https://waysandmeans.house.gov/2026/10/13/chairman-smith-demands-ccp-linked-singham-network-nonprofits-comply-with-subpoenas/\">statement</a> that BreakThrough was one of three nonprofit organizations targeted with similar letters. His committee is investigating each of their ties to Neville Roy Singham, a U.S. citizen and tech financier based in Shanghai, who has reportedly donated to all three organizations. Singham has <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/husband-code-pink-founder-neville-roy-singham-investigation-tax-laws/\">repeatedly come under scrutiny</a> for his <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/05/world/europe/neville-roy-singham-china-propaganda.html\">financial support of far-left causes</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"2hhqo\">“Shanghai Singham has poured millions of dollars into these groups to take advantage of America’s nonprofit sector and promote Chinese Communist Party propaganda,” Smith said.</p><p data-block-key=\"7jnin\">The lawmaker added that the organizations, including BreakThrough, “have thus far refused the Committee’s request to provide information pursuant to our oversight role and responsibilities, and they are now defying congressional subpoenas.”</p><p data-block-key=\"civ0c\">The outlet alleges that Smith has offered shifting legal and legislative rationales for requesting the information since the chairman first asked for documents in February.</p><p data-block-key=\"1qphk\">“Our lawyers already provided a comprehensive reply to the House Committee in August, pointing out the serious legal flaws in their demands and failures to provide a valid legislative purpose,” BreakThrough wrote.</p><p data-block-key=\"8pmfi\">“So what’s this really about? It’s intimidation of the press, pure and simple. MAGA has made it a sport to target critical reporters just for doing their jobs,” the outlet added.</p><p data-block-key=\"hah4\">Smith said BreakThrough has until Oct. 20 to comply or the committee will pursue “more aggressive oversight actions.”</p><p data-block-key=\"3cghd\"><i>Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the date of a letter from Rep. Jason Smith to BreakThrough News as Oct. 9, 2026. A copy of the letter, shared after publication with the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, was dated Oct. 6, 2026.</i></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#top\"><i>Back to Top</i></a></p></div>\r\n<a id=\"July 21\" name=\"July 21\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"ogfdc\">July 21, 2026 | Ways and Means Committee demands financial records from nonprofit newsroom</h4><p data-block-key=\"d4jto\">The House Committee on Ways and Means, led by Rep. Jason Smith, issued a subpoena seeking documents from nonprofit outlet BreakThrough News on July 21, 2026, along with two other nonprofits.</p><p data-block-key=\"cvkcj\">In <a href=\"https://waysandmeans.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Subpoenas-to-The-Peoples-Forum-BreakThrough-News-Tricontinental.pdf\">letters</a> <a href=\"https://waysandmeans.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/050426-Letters-to-The-Peoples-Forum-BreakThrough-News-Tricontinental.pdf\">reviewed</a> by the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, Smith wrote that the committee was examining the tax-exempt status of the organizations as part of an investigation into whether existing tax laws “adequately account for foreign influence and control.”</p><p data-block-key=\"4bui9\">All three organizations have reportedly received funding from Neville Roy Singham, a U.S. citizen and tech financier based in Shanghai, purportedly as part of efforts to advance Chinese Communist Party interests.</p><p data-block-key=\"fkh98\">The House committee <a href=\"https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2026/02/2.9.26-letter-to-breakthrough-news.pdf\">first requested</a> BreakThrough’s financial records concerning donations or contracts involving foreign nationals or foreign entities, as well as any communications with Singham, on Feb. 9.</p><p data-block-key=\"bnanc\">“The Committee is disturbed by the connections between BreakThrough News and Chinese Communist Party linked organizations,” Smith wrote. “Therefore, given the Committee’s concerns, and in furtherance of the Committee’s oversight, I seek to understand why, and if, BreakThrough News deserves their tax-exempt status.”</p><p data-block-key=\"1bia5\">BreakThrough refused in a response letter dated Feb. 23. The committee <a href=\"https://waysandmeans.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/050426-Letters-to-The-Peoples-Forum-BreakThrough-News-Tricontinental.pdf\">responded to the challenges</a> May 4, asserting that not only does it have jurisdiction to request the documents but that doing so does not violate the news outlet’s First Amendment rights to freedom of the press, nor of free speech or association.</p><p data-block-key=\"ff3mm\">After BreakThrough again refused, Smith wrote in a <a href=\"https://waysandmeans.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Subpoenas-to-The-Peoples-Forum-BreakThrough-News-Tricontinental.pdf\">July 21 letter</a> that the committee would be “issuing compulsory process,” in this case a subpoena compelling production of documents and materials.</p><p data-block-key=\"cj2a\">In an <a href=\"https://breakthroughnews.org/2026/07/22/breakthrough-news-is-under-attack/\">article</a> published the following day, BreakThrough wrote that it was “under attack.”</p><p data-block-key=\"c9imh\">“For years, Republican lawmakers have painted a target on our backs, falsely claiming that our political views and reporting are part of some foreign plot,” it wrote. “Make no mistake, this is a flagrant abuse of power, and a direct attack on our work as journalists and on the First Amendment generally.”</p><p data-block-key=\"bc3p\">BreakThrough Editor-in-Chief Ben Beckler said in an email to Freedom of the Press Foundation, of which the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker is a project, that the First Amendment was written precisely to protect journalism that the government does not approve of.</p><p data-block-key=\"3hurq\">“That’s why so many of the country’s decisive free speech cases involved the abolitionist press, the radical labor press and the antiwar press,” Beckler <a href=\"https://theintercept.com/2026/07/27/breakthrough-news-journalists-subpoena/\">wrote</a> in an email to FPF Chief of Advocacy Seth Stern. “But history looks back on these episodes for what they were — shameful violations of free speech — and that’s the same thing that’s happening here.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#top\"><i>Back to Top</i></a></p></div></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/2023-12-13T231843Z_857665934_RC2N.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"59mtv\">U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., in 2023.</p>",
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"BreakThrough News"
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"Chilling Statement"
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},
{
"title": "Former FBI director charged with leaking defense information",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/former-fbi-director-charged-with-leaking-defense-information/",
"first_published_at": "2026-10-30T21:17:56.174806Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-10-30T21:17:56.174806Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-10-30T21:11:33.079664Z",
"date": "2026-10-05",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Washington",
"longitude": -77.03637,
"latitude": 38.89511,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"d0it9\">Former FBI Director James Comey was charged by the U.S. government on Oct. 5, 2026, in connection with a leak of classified information to The New York Times 10 years prior. Attorneys representing him have maintained Comey’s innocence and called for the case to be dismissed.</p><p data-block-key=\"66hr9\">According to court records reviewed by the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, federal prosecutors filed a “<a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.297298/gov.uscourts.dcd.297298.1.0.pdf\">criminal information</a>” — a statement of charges without a grand jury indictment or court’s finding of probable cause — in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.</p><p data-block-key=\"fe1tl\">The information, initially filed under seal, charges Comey with two counts under the Espionage Act: knowingly communicating defense information and collaborating with unnamed co-conspirators.</p><p data-block-key=\"be9kn\">“Both counts revolve around one instance of an alleged unauthorized transmission of national defense information by someone else to a reporter for a national news publication on October 5, 2016,” Comey’s attorneys <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.297297/gov.uscourts.dcd.297297.6.0.pdf\">wrote</a>. They added that the incident had been investigated twice previously, in 2017 and 2019, and both concluded that no charges were warranted.</p><p data-block-key=\"7puph\">Each charge is punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment.</p><p data-block-key=\"2rjqf\">Attorneys for the former FBI director filed a <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.297297/gov.uscourts.dcd.297297.6.0.pdf\">motion to dismiss</a> the criminal information Oct. 9, and <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.297297/gov.uscourts.dcd.297297.11.0.pdf\">subsequently asked</a> that the case be unsealed.</p><p data-block-key=\"41p45\">“No legitimate interest counsels against a full public airing of the government’s extraordinary conduct in this case—as well as Mr. Comey’s denial of the unfounded, untimely attempt to charge him through a unilateral information that neither a court nor a grand jury approved,” they wrote. “Sunlight is the best disinfectant, and the Court should unseal the proceedings in this case.”</p><p data-block-key=\"3inc7\">District Judge Trevor McFadden unsealed the case Oct. 26. Later that day, Comey posted a <a href=\"https://jamescomey.substack.com/p/yet-another-case-now\">video on social media</a> about the charges, stating that he is unafraid.</p><p data-block-key=\"9onu\">“Well, they’re back. Again. It would almost be funny if it weren’t such an appalling abuse of the Department of Justice, one that we cannot become numb to,” he said. “The next couple years are going to be hard for all of us. It’s really important that we stand straight and keep the faith in America.”</p><p data-block-key=\"1fhsr\">Times spokesperson Charlie Stadtlander <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/26/us/politics/james-comey-charges-doj.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share\">said in a statement</a> that the newspaper “does not comment on the sourcing behind our reporting, but we know from experience that prosecutions like this one are designed to discourage sources from providing journalists with the kind of valuable and illuminating information that the public needs to know.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"os240\">Former FBI Director James Comey, who was charged by federal prosecutors on Oct. 5, 2026, with releasing defense information to The New York Times a decade ago, at a forum in Massachusetts in 2020.</p>",
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"state": {
"name": "District of Columbia",
"abbreviation": "DC"
},
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"The New York Times"
],
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"Department of Justice",
"Espionage Act"
],
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"categories": [
"Leak Case"
],
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},
{
"title": "White House excludes Politico from Air Force One travel press pool",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/white-house-excludes-politico-from-air-force-one-travel-press-pool/",
"first_published_at": "2026-10-07T20:27:47.196000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-10-29T21:24:27.853940Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-10-29T21:24:27.660792Z",
"date": "2026-10-04",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Washington",
"longitude": -77.03637,
"latitude": 38.89511,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"llxvl\">Politico was notified Oct. 4, 2026, that it would be excluded from traveling with President Donald Trump aboard Air Force One the following day. The publication was scheduled to serve as the primary print representative in the White House travel pool for Trump’s campaign trip to Nebraska.</p><p data-block-key=\"cl9so\">The print pool typically travels with the president and distributes notes and updates with the broader press corps.</p><p data-block-key=\"a1e75\">The White House offered the open seat to other news organizations that regularly rotate through the travel pool, but they declined, <a href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/05/media/politico-white-house-print-pool-media-cnn-msnow\">CNN reported</a>. It marked the first time in recent years that the president traveled without a primary print pool reporter, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/10/05/white-house-blocks-politico-trip-air-force-one/\">according to The Washington Post.</a></p><p data-block-key=\"avihn\">The Post, which had already been assigned a <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/10/05/white-house-blocks-politico-trip-air-force-one/\">secondary print seat</a>, continued with its scheduled role and sent occasional updates to the wider press corps. CBS, the designated television pool representative, also agreed to share its notes with print outlets under the unusual circumstances.</p><p data-block-key=\"80ijk\">“Neither news organization is replacing Politico,” Josh Gross of CBS News wrote in an internal email, according to CNN.</p><p data-block-key=\"2l2db\">The move is the latest escalation in a dispute between the Trump administration and several news organizations over access to the president. On Sept. 18, Trump announced that he was <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/trump-bans-three-outlets-from-white-house-access-citing-fake-news/\">“banning” Politico, CNN and MS NOW</a> from the White House. The news organizations sued, arguing the decision violated the First and Fifth amendments.</p><p data-block-key=\"m9eq\">U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly agreed and issued a temporary restraining order requiring the administration to restore the journalists’ White House press badges.</p><p data-block-key=\"64oom\">The administration has nevertheless continued to restrict the outlets’ access to presidential travel. The White House <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/cnn-barred-from-trumps-air-force-one-flight/\">barred CNN</a> from traveling aboard Air Force One on days when the network was scheduled to serve as the television pool representative.</p><p data-block-key=\"6619t\">A White House spokesperson told CNN that the outlets remain free to cover presidential events independently but argued that traveling aboard Air Force One is different.</p><p data-block-key=\"923us\">“Many outlets including Politico are granted access to attend and cover presidential events unilaterally, but traveling with the President of the United States aboard Air Force One is a privilege not a right,” the spokesperson said.</p><p data-block-key=\"6if25\">Trump made a similar distinction in an interview with <a href=\"https://time.com/article/2026/10/01/donald-trump-2026-interview-transcript/\">Time magazine</a>, saying that allowing the outlets access to the White House grounds, as required by Kelly’s order, was different from allowing them into the <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/ap-reporters-barred-from-white-house-events-over-editorial-style-policy/\">Oval Office or aboard Air Force One.</a></p><p data-block-key=\"50vii\">Trump also defended the restrictions in a Sept. 21 post on <a href=\"https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/117308890736529824\">Truth Social</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"3i31t\">“The White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish. It is instituting an assault on the FAKE NEWS, something that has grown like Cancer in our beloved United States of America,” he wrote.</p><p data-block-key=\"aqr83\">Theodore J. Boutrous Jr., the attorney for three news outlets suing over the access restrictions, told CNN in a statement that it’s critical the White House be barred from enforcing what he described as an unconstitutional ban on a free press.</p><p data-block-key=\"8i547\">“The law is absolutely clear. The harm to our clients, the First Amendment, and the public as a whole is profound,” Boutrous said.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/2026-10-05T230009Z_788474611_RC27.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"yjj98\">President Donald Trump, at center left, walks to board Air Force One for a flight to Nebraska on Oct. 5, 2026. The day before, the White House barred Politico from joining the president’s travel press pool for the trip.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": null,
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": "1:26-cv-03287",
"case_type": "CIVIL",
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"border_point": null,
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},
"updates": [
"(2026-10-28 17:05:00+00:00) Politico says bumping its reporters from Air Force One infringed its rights"
],
"case_statuses": [
"ongoing"
],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [
"Politico"
],
"tags": [],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [
"Federal government: White House"
],
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"categories": [
"Denial of Access"
],
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},
{
"title": "Maine man nearly hits reporter with car",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/maine-man-nearly-hits-reporter-with-car/",
"first_published_at": "2026-10-06T20:44:28.835143Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-10-06T20:44:28.835143Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-10-06T19:11:34.221946Z",
"date": "2026-10-01",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Bangor",
"longitude": -68.77265,
"latitude": 44.79884,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"ruq35\">Journalist Joe Sokol was allegedly almost hit by a car while reporting in Bangor, Maine, on Oct. 1, 2026. The vehicle also knocked his camera and tripod to the ground.</p><p data-block-key=\"23vqk\">Sokol, an investigative reporter for the <a href=\"https://www.themainewire.com/\">Maine Wire</a> — a conservative digital media outlet and project of the nonprofit think tank Maine Policy Institute — was reporting from the side of the road across from a drug addiction treatment center, according to the <a href=\"https://www.themainewire.com/2026/10/breaking-driver-accused-of-trying-to-run-down-maine-wire-reporter-outside-bangor-methadone-clinic/\">outlet</a> and <a href=\"https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/crime/bangor-man-charged-after-maine-wire-incident/97-52a1c770-9f0b-485f-b75f-53301615ee6a\">other</a> <a href=\"https://www.foxnews.com/media/video-shows-maine-wire-reporter-nearly-being-run-over-car-after-confrontation\">reports</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"tj0g\">A <a href=\"https://x.com/TheMaineWire/status/2105661052662775911\">video</a> posted by the outlet shows a vehicle pull up next to Sokol, who is standing in the grass holding a microphone and wearing a hat with the outlet’s logo.</p><p data-block-key=\"ealjs\">“You’re invading people’s privacy here. Confidentiality. You realize that?” the male driver says.</p><p data-block-key=\"bguhm\">“I’m invading people’s privacy? By being in public with a camera? And doing a report?” Sokol responds.</p><p data-block-key=\"e9qu4\">The man then drives out of the video frame. Sokol continues his report, describing the driver as “probably intoxicated.” The journalist can then be seen looking to his right and pivoting out of the way as a revving car engine is heard. The video is obscured as his camera and tripod are knocked to the ground.</p><p data-block-key=\"d62sg\">Sokol can be heard on the video repeating a car’s license plate number.</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-tweet block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Some lunatic just attempted to murder our reporter <a href=\"https://x.com/iAmJoeSokol?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@iAmJoeSokol</a>.<br><br>We have the entire chilling interaction on camera.<br><br>We will take all necessary actions to demand justice. <a href=\"https://t.co/Iwlpf3BWIx\">pic.twitter.com/Iwlpf3BWIx</a></p>— The Maine Wire (@TheMaineWire) <a href=\"https://x.com/TheMaineWire/status/2105661052662775911?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 1, 2026</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.x.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"ruq35\">The video then shows security footage from a nearby business that captures another angle of the incident. The vehicle drives toward the spot where Sokol is standing on the side of the road, appears to run over his camera and tripod, and then drives away.</p><p data-block-key=\"4bnm7\">In an <a href=\"https://youtu.be/1vMhFgaQWoE?t=1390\">interview</a> with commentator Scott Jennings about the incident, Sokol said, “I felt like he was aiming for me” and that he believed his life was in danger.</p><p data-block-key=\"btb13\">Sokol added that the driver hit his tripod and camera, which flipped over the car. He said the tripod was “still good to go,” despite being hit.</p><p data-block-key=\"ea2hi\">The Bangor Police Department said in an emailed statement Oct. 2 that the driver, Ryan Hayward, had been arrested and charged with two felonies — reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon and criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon — as well as two misdemeanors.</p><p data-block-key=\"8sqnv\">A Bangor court clerk told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that as of Oct. 6, Hayward had been released on bail. He had yet to be indicted or enter a plea, the clerk added.</p><p data-block-key=\"b2r88\">The Tracker has documented <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?search=Maine+Wire&date_lower=2026-01-01\">three other assaults</a> of Maine Wire reporters in 2026. In September, an assault charge against a man who shoved Sokol while he was covering a July anti-Trump protest in Bangor was <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/reporter-shoved-while-covering-maine-demonstration/\">dismissed</a> after the man wrote an apology letter and attended a three-hour meeting.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Sokol_assault.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"esvhn\">Maine Wire reporter Joe Sokol speaks with a driver while reporting near an addiction treatment center in Bangor, Maine, on Oct. 1, 2026; seconds later, the man drove toward Sokol, knocking over his camera. The driver was arrested the following day.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"denial_of_entry": false,
"stopped_previously": false,
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"assailant": "private individual",
"was_journalist_targeted": "yes",
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": null,
"name_of_business": null,
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"state": {
"name": "Maine",
"abbreviation": "ME"
},
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"tags": [],
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"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Joe Sokol (Maine Wire)"
],
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},
{
"title": "CNN barred from Trump’s Air Force One flight",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/cnn-barred-from-trumps-air-force-one-flight/",
"first_published_at": "2026-09-28T21:03:48.666000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-10-29T21:27:52.534528Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-10-29T21:27:52.224051Z",
"date": "2026-09-25",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Washington",
"longitude": -77.03637,
"latitude": 38.89511,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"ya10w\">CNN was told by the White House on Sept. 25, 2026, that its journalists would not be allowed on Air Force One for a presidential trip the following day.</p><p data-block-key=\"dlgsv\">The denial followed a turbulent week after President Donald Trump said on Sept. 18 that he would ban the network and two other outlets, MS NOW and Politico, from the White House. <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/trump-bans-three-outlets-from-white-house-access-citing-fake-news/\">Reporters were then kept out</a> starting Sept. 19, before the ban was temporarily overturned by a federal judge on Sept. 24.</p><p data-block-key=\"6soup\">CNN was slated to accompany Trump on his plane as he traveled to attend a college football game in Knoxville, Tennessee, on Sept. 26, and planned to cover him as part of its responsibility with the White House TV pool, which rotates presidential TV coverage duties with four other networks as a cost-saving measure.</p><p data-block-key=\"dg8r5\">However, a note from the White House on the evening of Sept. 25 announcing the president’s schedule for the next day showed that CNN had been removed from the trip, the network <a href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/25/politics/white-house-blocks-cnn-air-force-one-travel-pool\">reported</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"2pol3\">CNN’s slot was not filled by the other member networks of the pool — Fox News, ABC, NBC and CBS. Instead, two conservative outlets, LindellTV and Real America’s Voice News, were assigned by the White House to provide TV coverage of the trip, according to <a href=\"https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/cnn-blocked-air-force-one-014031568.html\">Mediaite</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"98brk\">Trump repeated his disapproval of CNN’s coverage on the morning of Sept. 26 in a <a href=\"https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/117336958253518518\">Truth Social post</a>, using a pejorative description of MS NOW: “Why should perpetrators of FAKE NEWS, like CNN and MSDNC, be allowed access to a very sacred place, the White House? Despite my big Election Win, almost 100% of ‘TRUMP’ coverage is negative, and has been for years!”</p><p data-block-key=\"abctp\">As he was leaving for his Knoxville trip, the president was <a href=\"https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-claims-loves-open-free-164630316.html\">asked</a> by an MS NOW reporter whether he preferred outlets that supported him to be part of the White House pool.</p><p data-block-key=\"55ljc\">“I want real news. I love an open, free press. What I don’t like is the fake press,” he responded.</p><p data-block-key=\"duuhr\">While the White House TV pool initially staged what was essentially a boycott of pool coverage of the president in response to Trump’s ban of CNN from the White House, its members released guidance over the weekend indicating that they would decide on an ad hoc basis whether to provide coverage if CNN was barred from the pool again, according to <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/26/business/media/trump-white-house-tv-pool-cnn.html\">The New York Times</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"41r76\"><i>Correction: This article has been updated to correct the spelling of Theodore J. Boutrous Jr.’s name.</i></p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/2026-09-26T141255Z_804340472_RC22.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"g52jw\">After CNN was blocked from traveling with President Donald Trump on Air Force One, reporters from conservative network Real America’s Voice News, seen above, cover his departure from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, to Tennessee, on Sept. 26, 2026.</p>",
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"case_number": "1:26-cv-03287",
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"name": "District of Columbia",
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"updates": [
"(2026-09-30 15:09:00+00:00) CNN once again blocked by Trump from Air Force One",
"(2026-10-16 11:57:00+00:00) CNN turned away from Air Force One for campaign trips",
"(2026-10-21 17:15:00+00:00) CNN shut out of Air Force One yet again",
"(2026-10-28 17:07:00+00:00) CNN alleges constitutional violations in Air Force One exclusions"
],
"case_statuses": [
"ongoing"
],
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"CNN"
],
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"Federal government: White House"
],
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"categories": [
"Denial of Access"
],
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},
{
"title": "Trump bans three outlets from White House access, citing ‘fake news’",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/trump-bans-three-outlets-from-white-house-access-citing-fake-news/",
"first_published_at": "2026-09-21T18:47:54.670000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-10-29T21:15:22.558300Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-10-29T21:15:22.324890Z",
"date": "2026-09-19",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Washington",
"longitude": -77.03637,
"latitude": 38.89511,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"nkvh3\">Reporters from CNN, Politico and MS NOW were denied access to the White House in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 19, 2026, following the announcement of a ban by President Donald Trump a day earlier. The outlets subsequently filed a First Amendment legal challenge to the ban.</p><p data-block-key=\"1l9vg\">Trump said on <a href=\"https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/117293599348325006\">Truth Social</a> on Sept. 18 that he was barring the outlets from the White House as “a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!” The announcement was met with widespread criticism by press freedom advocates and others.</p><p data-block-key=\"4e3rl\">Then, on the morning of Sept. 19, the press badges of journalists from the three outlets were deactivated and confiscated by security personnel as they attempted to enter the White House grounds.</p><p data-block-key=\"8vcap\">In an <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EawhWTdxp6w\">interview</a>, MS NOW’s White House correspondent Akayla Gardner said that her badge had been disabled at a checkpoint inside the complex and a security officer then asked her to hand it over, saying that “it was above his head” when asked to explain why.</p><p data-block-key=\"bnnj7\">Gardner added that an MS NOW photographer was also denied access, but that a producer for the network was allowed entry.</p><p data-block-key=\"8j35\">CNN reporter Betsy Klein reported a <a href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/19/media/trump-msnow-cnn-politico-white-house-ban\">similar experience</a>. When she tried to enter the White House, she was informed by a security officer that her badge had been deactivated and was referred to the White House press office for more information.</p><p data-block-key=\"5colq\">Politico reporter Cheyenne Haslett was also denied entry and had her badge taken, according to an <a href=\"https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/19/ms-now-journalists-denied-access-to-white-house-after-trump-media-ban-01085082\">internal email</a> by Politico’s Global Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Greenberger published shortly afterward. He added that Politico “will vigorously defend our First Amendment rights.”</p><p data-block-key=\"4k2pn\">The three outlets condemned the denials of access in Sept. 19 statements and indicated that they would fight the ban.</p><p data-block-key=\"4gnlv\">“CNN’s mission to report on the U.S. government will continue regardless of any attempts to restrict physical access to the White House and other government buildings, or any other attempts to impede our journalism,” CNN said in a statement.</p><p data-block-key=\"bnpva\">MS NOW said that it intended “to take any and all steps necessary to defend our First Amendment rights and the essential role of independent journalism in our democracy.”</p><p data-block-key=\"fhbqs\">The White House Correspondents’ Association’s president, Jacqui Heinrich, said on the social platform <a href=\"https://x.com/JacquiHeinrich/status/2101371262224433216\">X</a>, “Today’s action revoking access for journalists from CNN, POLITICO, and MSNOW violates the First Amendment.”</p><p data-block-key=\"a8u5j\">“The American people, through a free and independent press, must be able to scrutinize those elected to power, regardless of whether government officials view it favorably,” she added.</p><p data-block-key=\"ci7k\"><a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?politicians_or_public_figures_involved=Federal+government%3A+White+House&type_of_denial=PRESS_CREDENTIAL&categories=Denial+of+Access\">Previous attempts</a> to deny individual journalists’ access to the White House by Trump have been overturned in court, including for CNN reporter <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/white-house-suspends-cnn-reporter-jim-acostas-press-credentials-and-falsely-accuses-him-manhandling-intern/\">Jim Acosta</a>, whose 2018 suspension was reversed after a federal judge ordered a temporary reinstatement of his press badge.</p><p data-block-key=\"f62hm\">The affected outlets announced a suit opposing the ban Sept. 21. In a joint statement saying that they had notified the administration of an imminent filing, the outlets <a href=\"https://www.politico.com/blogs/politico-press/2026/09/21/joint-statement-from-cnn-ms-now-and-politico-01086012\">characterized</a> the ban as an assault on press freedom.</p><p data-block-key=\"d179l\">“Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists’ credentials because it objected to our reporting. Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference,” they said.</p><p data-block-key=\"elgfm\">The <a href=\"https://www.ms.now/news/read-ms-now-lawsuit-trump-cnn-politico-pdf\">complaint</a> itself asks the judge to immediately block the ban and reinstate credentials for the affected outlets.</p><p data-block-key=\"9897l\">Meanwhile, CNN, as part of its duties in the White House pool that rotates responsibility for TV coverage with other networks, was scheduled to take on TV coverage of the president Sept. 21.</p><p data-block-key=\"2m7ta\">However, the network was removed from the assignment by the White House, prompting the rest of the pool to announce that it would suspend its TV pool reporting in solidarity.</p><p data-block-key=\"45nn\">Bryan Boughton, the Washington bureau chief at Fox News and acting chair of the television pool consortium, wrote to the other stations in a note obtained by <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/21/business/media/cnn-trump-press-pool-ban.html\">The New York Times</a>: “Effective today, the TV pool will not be covering events designated as pool coverage of the President. There will be no replacement pool put in place.”</p><p data-block-key=\"7gjn6\">The TV pool, which includes NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox and CNN, released a joint <a href=\"https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/joint-network-statement-on-white-house-press-ban-302884835.html\">statement</a>, saying, “The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government. No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting.”</p><p data-block-key=\"d3ono\">Trump returned to <a href=\"https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/117308890736529824\">Truth Social</a> on Sept. 21 to defend the ban. “The White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish. It is instituting an assault on the FAKE NEWS, something that has grown like Cancer in our beloved United States of America,” he wrote.</p><p data-block-key=\"6mvhe\">Seth Stern, chief of advocacy at Freedom of the Press Foundation, of which the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker is a project, condemned the ban in a <a href=\"https://freedom.press/issues/fpf-comments-on-trumps-media-ban-announcement/\">statement</a>, saying, “It’s difficult to imagine a more blatant violation of the First Amendment than Trump banning news outlets from the People’s House for criticizing the government.”</p><p data-block-key=\"eqj04\">Bruce Brown, president of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, <a href=\"https://www.rcfp.org/statement-white-house-ban-politico-cnn-msnow/\">echoed</a> Stern’s concerns, adding: “The First Amendment is clear that once the White House invites in some journalists, it can’t ban others because it doesn’t like their reporting. This is textbook viewpoint discrimination and will be quickly struck down by the courts if challenged.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/2026-09-16T223457Z_1809581127_RC2.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"wmi44\">President Donald Trump speaks to members of the press in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Sept. 16, 2026. Two days later, he announced a ban on three news outlets reporting from the White House, and they were barred on Sept. 19.</p>",
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"case_number": "1:26-cv-03287",
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"denial_of_entry": false,
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"state": {
"name": "District of Columbia",
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},
"updates": [
"(2026-09-24 09:53:00+00:00) Judge restores White House access to banned outlets; Trump defies order",
"(2026-10-28 17:02:00+00:00) Banned news outlets file amended suit over presidential access",
"(2026-09-24 14:05:00+00:00) Banned outlets back in White House after initial denials",
"(2026-10-13 14:48:00+00:00) Banned outlets to regain access to White House"
],
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"ongoing"
],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [
"CNN",
"MSNBC/MS NOW",
"Politico"
],
"tags": [
"Donald Trump"
],
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"Federal government: White House"
],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Denial of Access"
],
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"Press credential or media list"
]
},
{
"title": "Florida official demands outlets delete document",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/florida-official-demands-outlets-delete-document/",
"first_published_at": "2026-09-22T18:02:03.705665Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-09-22T18:02:13.879544Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-09-22T18:02:13.748725Z",
"date": "2026-09-15",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Tallahassee",
"longitude": -84.28073,
"latitude": 30.43826,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"vx5ts\">The Florida Senate in Tallahassee ordered the South Florida Sun Sentinel and the Orlando Sentinel to destroy an insurance report obtained through a public records request, warning in a Sept. 15, 2026, letter that refusing to do so could lead to “civil or criminal legal implications.”</p><p data-block-key=\"52o06\">The report, which the Senate inadvertently sent to the newspapers as an email attachment, revealed that 20 Florida property insurers paid fees to corporate affiliates that exceeded the state’s legal standard of “fair and reasonable.”</p><p data-block-key=\"eg9qf\">In a letter to Sun Sentinel reporter David Fleshler, Senate General Counsel Tom Thomas said the chamber had inadvertently released the record containing “sensitive, proprietary, trade secrets,” the newspaper <a href=\"https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2026/09/19/how-florida-fights-to-hide-insurers-finances/?utm_campaign=mrf-facebook-sunsentinel&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&mrfcid=202609196aad7e6d8764f756f12aa624\">reported</a>. Thomas wrote that any further use of the records would constitute a third-degree felony under Florida law.</p><p data-block-key=\"cjlki\">The reporters initially obtained the unredacted report through a broad public records request for legislative emails. Later, the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation provided the news organizations with a heavily redacted version in response to a specific request for the report.</p><p data-block-key=\"598j2\">The reporters challenged the legality of the redactions and told the office that they had already obtained an unredacted copy. The next day, the Senate emailed Fleshler, the requesting journalist, a “mandatory demand for compliance.”</p><p data-block-key=\"4vuj9\">Thomas’ email, published by the <a href=\"https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2026/09/19/how-florida-fights-to-hide-insurers-finances/\">Orlando Sentinel</a>, ordered the newspapers to stop reviewing, copying or distributing the records, and to permanently delete all electronic copies and destroy any printed copies.</p><p data-block-key=\"1tif4\">Thomas conceded that the Senate had released the report as part of an “extremely large response” to a public records request, but attributed the disclosure to an “inadvertent administrative oversight.”</p><p data-block-key=\"8hs5t\">He directed the Sun Sentinel to notify anyone else who had received the records and instruct them to destroy their copies. It gave the newspaper 48 hours to acknowledge the notice and certify that the records had been destroyed.</p><p data-block-key=\"2bbg\">Both newspapers declined.</p><p data-block-key=\"b2j7f\">“We obtained these records legally and appropriately through the state’s public records process,” Gretchen Day-Bryant, executive editor of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, and Roger Simmons, executive editor of the Orlando Sentinel, said in a joint statement published by the news outlets.</p><p data-block-key=\"ch2km\">“The First Amendment guarantees our right to publish these findings, and we will not allow the Florida Senate’s threats to prevent us from reporting,” the statement added.</p><p data-block-key=\"brovp\">The editors said the information was important to Florida homeowners because insurance costs affect their household finances.</p><p data-block-key=\"deht7\">Barbara Petersen, president and CEO of the Florida Center for Government Accountability, told the news outlets the Senate could not compel them to destroy information it had released, even if the disclosure was accidental.</p><p data-block-key=\"3db9g\">“It is an attempt to chill and intimidate,” Petersen said.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Screenshot_2026-09-21_at_5.56.24P.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"gflod\">A portion of the Sept. 15, 2026, email from the general counsel of the Florida Senate to Sun Sentinel reporter David Fleshler, demanding the news organization destroy a report obtained via a public records request or else face legal action.</p>",
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"arrest_status": null,
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"actor": null,
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"state": {
"name": "Florida",
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},
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"targeted_institutions": [
"Orlando Sentinel",
"South Florida Sun Sentinel"
],
"tags": [],
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"authors": [],
"categories": [
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],
"targeted_journalists": [
"David Fleshler (South Florida Sun Sentinel)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Nicaraguan journalist detained by ICE in Florida",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/nicaraguan-journalist-detained-by-ice-in-florida/",
"first_published_at": "2026-09-18T20:35:25.589000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-10-27T19:13:40.167500Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-10-27T20:24:07.464911Z",
"date": "2026-09-14",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Orlando",
"longitude": -81.37924,
"latitude": 28.53834,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"a0bws\">Exiled Nicaraguan journalist Luis Galeano was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents while working as a driver for a ride-hailing service in Orlando, Florida, on Sept. 14, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"bbfni\">Galeano, director of the Miami-based online news and opinion program <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQwKSYfg1X6ny80G7_vssEQ\">Café con Voz</a>, was able to briefly call his wife, Deykell Santamaría, from a police station after his detention and ask her to contact his attorney and notify other journalists, according to the Nicaraguan investigative outlet <a href=\"https://www.divergentes.com/ice-detained-me-journalist-luis-galeano-alerted-wife/\">Divergentes</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"g9aa\">Café con Voz later <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srMQkCySuFg\">reported</a> that Galeano was being held at the Krome facility, an ICE detention center in Miami, while his immigration proceedings continue. His hearing is scheduled for Oct. 2.</p><p data-block-key=\"cf9ih\">After his detention, Santamaría told The Guardian that Galeano said: “If God got me out of Nicaragua, he’ll get me out of here.”</p><p data-block-key=\"92s5q\">ICE has not publicly explained what prompted his detention. Galeano has an asylum application pending in the United States, filed in 2019 after fleeing political persecution for his journalism in Nicaragua. He also has a work permit and Social Security number, <a href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/16/nicaraguan-journalist-luis-galeano-detained-ice\">The Guardian reported</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"33s1e\">Before leaving Nicaragua, Galeano worked for the newspaper El Nuevo Diario and served as a reporter for the EFE news agency’s Nicaragua bureau between 2004 and 2006, according to the <a href=\"https://www.latintimes.com/miami-republicans-challenge-ice-detention-nicaraguan-journalist-luis-galeano-exile-community-599237?utm_source=chatgpt.com\">Latin Times</a>. He later directed Café con Voz, a Nicaraguan political news and interview program that aired on the 100% Noticias news service.</p><p data-block-key=\"dje6o\">Galeano faced threats over his journalism while in Nicaragua. In February 2011, Amnesty International issued an <a href=\"https://www.amnesty.org/ar/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/amr430012011en.pdf\">urgent action</a> after an unidentified caller threatened him over reporting for El Nuevo Diario on alleged government misuse of about $20 million. The caller warned Galeano that his family would not see him again if he proceeded with publication.</p><p data-block-key=\"3unan\">Galeano ultimately fled Nicaragua in 2018, days after police raided 100% Noticias and authorities issued an arrest order for him, according to multiple news outlets. The raid led to the arrests of the outlet’s director and news director.</p><p data-block-key=\"a6l44\">From exile in Miami, Galeano <a href=\"https://www.univision.com/noticias/america-latina/periodistas-exiliados-de-nicaragua-el-reto-de-informar-y-sobrevivir-con-muy-poco\">rebuilt Café con Voz</a> as an online program and continued reporting on Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega and then-Vice President Rosario Murillo (the husband and wife are now co-presidents). He also took up work as a driver to supplement his income.</p><p data-block-key=\"b4l8c\">In February 2023, Nicaragua <a href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/16/ortega-regime-strips-nicaraguans-citizenship\">stripped Galeano and 93 other dissidents</a> of their citizenship and ordered the confiscation of their property. The group included journalists, writers, human rights advocates, religious leaders and opposition figures.</p><p data-block-key=\"4k29a\">In an interview with <a href=\"https://niemanreports.org/how-independent-journalists-in-latin-america-are-finding-new-ways-to-hold-power-to-account/\">Nieman Reports</a> in 2020, Galeano talked about his large online following and the power and importance of social media.</p><p data-block-key=\"b4u8\">“It’s a way of telling the Nicaraguan public that we haven’t surrendered. That we’re still here and putting up a fight from outside the country,” he said.</p><p data-block-key=\"edfn7\">Following his detention, Republican Rep. María Elvira Salazar of Florida warned <a href=\"https://x.com/MaElviraSalazar/status/2099553888814629351?s=20\">in a statement</a> that America must know the difference between a criminal and a political exile, and added, “He cannot be sent back into the hands of the people that targeted him.”</p><p data-block-key=\"1p1hp\">A coalition of press freedom groups, including Freedom of the Press Foundation, of which the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker is a project, condemned Galeano’s arrest <a href=\"https://www.freepress.net/news/press-freedom-coalition-calls-immediate-release-ice-detained-journalist-luis-galeano\">in a letter</a> and also warned of the dangers of deporting him.</p><p data-block-key=\"20kku\">“The U.S. government’s targeting and detention of Galeano are a troubling escalation of attacks on journalists and media workers, particularly immigrant journalists, who consistently provide much-needed journalism and civic information for their communities,” the coalition letter said.</p><p data-block-key=\"av2hl\">An estimated 268 Nicaraguan journalists have fled into exile, according to a January 2026 <a href=\"https://cpj.org/2026/01/they-are-hunting-journalists-nicaraguas-covert-repression-tactics-strike-fear-beyond-borders/\">report</a> from the Committee to Protect Journalists. Many now produce news from Costa Rica, the United States, Spain and other countries while relatives remaining in Nicaragua face surveillance and intimidation.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/PFT_header_images_18.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"2mez3\">Florida-based Nicaraguan journalist Luis Galeano, seen reporting for his online news program Café con Voz. Galeano was detained by federal agents while driving in Orlando on Sept. 14, 2026.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"state": {
"name": "Florida",
"abbreviation": "FL"
},
"updates": [
"(2026-10-23 02:00:00+00:00) U.S. grants asylum to Florida-based Nicaraguan journalist",
"(2026-09-26 11:45:00+00:00) Nicaraguan journalist released from ICE custody"
],
"case_statuses": [],
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"tags": [
"Department of Homeland Security",
"ICE detention"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Other Incident"
],
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"Luis Galeano (Café con Voz)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Markwayne Mullin targets press as secretary of homeland security",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/markwayne-mullin-targets-press-as-secretary-of-homeland-security/",
"first_published_at": "2026-08-05T15:57:22.565000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-09-17T19:01:52.351369Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-09-17T18:26:31.715477Z",
"date": "2026-09-14",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Washington",
"longitude": -77.03637,
"latitude": 38.89511,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"07hjk\">Upon replacing Kristi Noem as secretary of homeland security, Markwayne Mullin joined President Donald Trump in taking steps to punish and intimidate news outlets that covered him and his administration unfavorably. We’re documenting Mullin’s efforts in this regularly updated report.</p><p data-block-key=\"obdd\"><a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/blog/trump-allies-pursue-multipronged-campaign-against-the-press/\">Read about</a> how Trump’s appointees and allies in Congress are striving to chill reporting, revoke funding, censor critical coverage and more.</p><p data-block-key=\"jmo\"><i>This article was first published on Aug. 5, 2026.</i></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><p><a id=\"top\" name=\"top\"></a></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"07hjk\"></p><hr/><p data-block-key=\"8r7dm\"></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#Sept 14\">Sept. 14, 2026 | Judge prevents implementation of new visa restrictions on foreign journalists</a></p>\r\n<p><a href=\"#Aug 18\">Aug. 18, 2026 | Media union sues DHS over changes to journalist visa rules</a></p>\r\n<p><a href=\"#July 16\">July 16, 2026 | DHS secretary announces new visa limits for foreign journalists</a></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"07hjk\"></p><hr/><p data-block-key=\"8r7dm\"></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><a id=\"Sept 14\" name=\"Sept 14\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"4ln0h\">Sept. 14, 2026 | Judge prevents implementation of new visa restrictions on foreign journalists</h4><p data-block-key=\"4pr37\">A federal judge on Sept. 14, 2026, blocked the Department of Homeland Security from implementing new, tighter visa restrictions for foreign journalists.</p><p data-block-key=\"ecfv8\">The department announced July 16 that it would limit visas for journalists in the U.S. to just 240 days, and those for Chinese journalists to only 90 days. The proposal was part of a broader elimination of the “duration of status” system, which allows certain visa holders to remain as long as they meet eligibility requirements.</p><p data-block-key=\"5so35\">The policy, which would also impact foreign students, was <a href=\"https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/74661796/presidents-alliance-on-higher-education-and-immigration-v-united-states/?filed_after=&filed_before=&entry_gte=&entry_lte=&order_by=desc\">challenged in court</a> by a coalition of unions — including The NewsGuild-CWA — and higher education advocacy groups.</p><p data-block-key=\"cho\">District Judge Dennis Saylor granted the preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of the rule, writing in his <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mad.305059/gov.uscourts.mad.305059.50.0_3.pdf\">decision</a> that the policy would call for “the entirely unguided exercise of discretion by government officials, with no recourse and no appeal.”</p><p data-block-key=\"eshbf\">“The possibilities for abuse are rampant—in particular, the obvious likelihood that the visas of foreign journalists who are critical of the government (or, more particularly, DHS officials) will not be renewed,” he continued. “It also raises the very likely possibility of retaliation against American journalists working abroad.”</p><p data-block-key=\"b42up\">DHS General Counsel James Percival <a href=\"https://x.com/DHSGenCounsel/status/2099662078944375259\">condemned the ruling</a>, asserting in a post on social media that it will force Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to “permit this rampant abuse of our immigration system.”</p><p data-block-key=\"7kqf2\">Jon Schleuss, president of NewsGuild-CWA, <a href=\"https://newsguild.org/judge-blocks-new-homeland-security-restrictions-on-foreign-journalists-and-students/\">said</a> that it was a first step toward ensuring foreign journalists are able to report freely in the United States.</p><p data-block-key=\"2f4t8\">“This judge agreed that the Trump administration offered no evidence that shortening foreign journalists’ visas protects national security in any way,” he added.</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#top\"><i>Back to Top</i></a></p></div>\r\n<a id=\"Aug 18\" name=\"Aug 18\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"r462n\">Aug. 18, 2026 | Media union sues DHS over changes to journalist visa rules</h4><p data-block-key=\"29b7i\">The NewsGuild-CWA, the largest union representing media workers in the United States, joined a lawsuit on Aug. 18, 2026, against the Department of Homeland Security over new visa restrictions the agency has imposed on foreign journalists.</p><p data-block-key=\"9hjrc\">DHS announced July 16 that it would <a href=\"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/07/17/2026-14439/establishing-a-fixed-time-period-of-admission-and-an-extension-of-stay-procedure-for-nonimmigrant\">curtail visas for foreign journalists in the U.S</a>., which could previously last years, to just 240 days, and those for Chinese journalists to only 90 days.</p><p data-block-key=\"6u1qv\">The changes were part of a broader elimination of the “duration of status” system, which allows foreign journalists, students and exchange visitors to remain in the U.S. as long as they meet eligibility requirements.</p><p data-block-key=\"1so45\">The <a href=\"https://newsguild.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/DS-Complaint-Presidents-Alliance-et-al-v.-DHS.pdf\">lawsuit</a>, filed with associations representing universities, as well as unions for education and autoworkers, alleges that the new rule was set arbitrarily and violates the Administrative Procedure Act. The plaintiffs asked for a preliminary injunction halting its implementation.</p><p data-block-key=\"995am\">The complaint names DHS and its Secretary Markwayne Mullin, as well as Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its acting Director David Venturella as defendants.</p><p data-block-key=\"8mdef\">In <a href=\"https://newsguild.org/guild-joins-suit-challenging-visas-affecting-foreign-journalists-and-others/\">announcing</a> the suit, NewsGuild President Jon Schleuss wrote, “These rule changes are just another attempt by this administration to chill reporting done by talented journalists.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#top\"><i>Back to Top</i></a></p></div>\r\n<a id=\"July 16\" name=\"July 16\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"07hjk\">July 16, 2026 | DHS secretary announces new visa limits for foreign journalists</h4><p data-block-key=\"1v571\">The Department of Homeland Security <a href=\"https://www.dhs.gov/news/2026/07/16/trump-administration-issues-final-rule-end-foreign-student-visa-abuse\">announced</a> on July 16, 2026, that it would curtail visas for foreign journalists in the U.S. to 240 days, instead of years, and those for Chinese journalists to only 90 days.</p><p data-block-key=\"6pnoj\">The <a href=\"https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2026-14439.pdf\">new rule</a> specifically eliminates the “duration of status” system, which allows foreign journalists, students and exchange visitors to remain in the United States as long as they meet eligibility requirements.</p><p data-block-key=\"8cf7f\">DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin condemned the system as outdated, asserting that it had “compromised national security and created an environment ripe for immigration fraud.”</p><p data-block-key=\"4kvch\">“By implementing clear, finite limits on these visas, the United States is reclaiming its ability to properly screen, vet, and monitor individuals within our borders,” Mullin continued.</p><p data-block-key=\"dfi3d\">The policy change — specifically its changes to the nonimmigrant I visa for foreign journalists — was met with immediate condemnation from press freedom advocates.</p><p data-block-key=\"3ms0u\">“This change destroys international journalists’ ability to report from the US and makes it extremely difficult for international outlets to operate here at all,” <a href=\"https://rsf.org/en/us-imposes-sweeping-visa-restrictions-foreign-journalists-hindering-global-coverage-american?mc_cid=8e1149008c&mc_eid=77c7adaa85\">wrote</a> Ben Grazda, advocacy manager for Reporters Without Borders. “Not only does this impose unnecessary personal, legal, and financial burdens on journalists and their outlets, but it also represents yet another sanction on the press by the Trump administration and the unaccountable Department of Homeland Security. The relentless cycle of visa renewals restricts press freedom, as journalists will feel compelled to avoid drawing the administration’s ire, lest their applications be rejected.”</p><p data-block-key=\"3bjb6\">Jose Zamora, Americas regional director at the Committee to Protect Journalists, <a href=\"https://cpj.org/2026/07/cpj-condemns-trump-administration-rule-restricting-international-correspondents-access-to-the-united-states/\">called</a> it “the behavior of a backsliding democracy.”</p><p data-block-key=\"6vc3r\">The rule is scheduled to go into effect Sept. 15, and China’s Foreign Ministry has already called the policy discriminatory and warned that it may take retaliatory action, The Associated Press <a href=\"https://apnews.com/article/journalist-visas-trump-administration-china-357189fdffc55daecbc2585c4276a6cc\">reported</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"7j7n3\">In 2020, DHS announced 90-day restrictions on visas for Chinese journalists as part of <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/state-department-classifies-five-chinese-state-run-outlets-as-foreign-missions/\">at least eight months of escalations</a> between the U.S. and China, with journalists in the middle. The restrictions were ultimately <a href=\"https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2022-21898.pdf\">loosened</a> when President Joe Biden took office.</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#top\"><i>Back to Top</i></a></p></div></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/2026-06-03T151455Z_612530026_RC2E.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"qgr5q\">Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin testifies before the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C., on June 3, 2026.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
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"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": "1:26-cv-13799",
"case_type": "CIVIL",
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"is_search_warrant_obtained": false,
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"state": {
"name": "District of Columbia",
"abbreviation": "DC"
},
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"case_statuses": [
"ongoing"
],
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"targeted_institutions": [
"Media"
],
"tags": [
"Department of Homeland Security",
"Donald Trump"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Chilling Statement"
],
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},
{
"title": "Journalist attacked, microphone damaged at protest over donkey killing",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-attacked-microphone-damaged-at-protest-over-donkey-killing/",
"first_published_at": "2026-09-28T19:25:32.924577Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-09-28T19:25:32.924577Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-09-28T19:20:51.273115Z",
"date": "2026-09-11",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Cedartown",
"longitude": -85.25593,
"latitude": 34.01123,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"kv90s\">Salvatore “Sal” Insinga, a reporter and chief editor for independent local news outlet Eye on Cherokee, was assaulted and had his camera and microphone damaged while covering a Sept. 11, 2026, protest over the police killing of a pet donkey in Cedartown, Georgia.</p><p data-block-key=\"esc3h\">The protest outside the Polk County Courthouse called for the firing of the Cedartown police officer who <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/atlanta/news/georgia-police-investigate-fatal-shooting-of-beloved-baby-donkey-heehaw-at-rockmart-farm/\">shot and killed HeeHaw</a>, a young, bottle-raised miniature donkey, while helping search for a missing 12-year-old girl. Protesters also demanded the immediate release of video of the shooting. HeeHaw’s owner has <a href=\"https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/rally-miniature-donkey-heehaw-turns-violent-reporter-attacked/G45KWVXGNVHORN7WR2SA66CVUA/\">sought $1 million from the city</a> and sued the officer.</p><p data-block-key=\"8ahkn\">According to Eye on Cherokee, Insinga was interviewing protesters and counterprotesters when a man, <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/100076337888223/videos/3334693150065866\">later identified</a> as a family member of the police officer involved in the shooting, confronted and attacked him.</p><p data-block-key=\"97ofn\">In <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1274923368030941\">a video</a> posted to Facebook, Insinga said he approached the man and his group after hearing cursing and commotion. The man told him, “You do not hear what I have to say.” Insinga replied that he did.</p><p data-block-key=\"3i34u\">The man then called him a vulgar term and slapped his microphone, according to the video. “I’m telling you, you best go some fucking where,” the man said before grabbing the microphone again, breaking it and throwing it.</p><p data-block-key=\"1f1n\">According to <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/reel/2138855710398562\">Eye on Cherokee</a>, the man damaged Insinga’s camera, destroyed his microphone and threw a heavy piece of metal that struck the reporter in the face. Another <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/reel/1363171492649669\">video</a> posted by the outlet showed the man visibly angry, yelling obscenities at Insinga as people nearby tried to restrain him.</p><p data-block-key=\"d98il\">In a <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/100076337888223/videos/3334693150065866\">livestream video</a> afterward, Insinga filmed deputies speaking with the man and others in his group. He said somebody in the group had also tried to run him over with a car.</p><p data-block-key=\"1rlq7\">Later, counterprotesters followed Insinga to his car, Eye on Cherokee <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/reel/1613505766846337\">reported</a>. The journalist returned to the protest and then asked deputies to escort him back to his vehicle. About a mile into his drive, his tire went flat.</p><p data-block-key=\"1c83r\">After taking his car to a technician, Insinga learned the tire had been punctured by “an object such as a pick or screwdriver.” It remains unclear who damaged the tire, though Insinga said the timing concerned him because it followed the confrontation and alleged pursuit.</p><p data-block-key=\"71kk6\">Stephen Chad Garner <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/100076337888223/posts/-breaking-stephen-chad-garner-mugshot-publishedpolk-county-gathe-georgia-gazette/1103008572253729/\">was arrested</a> in connection with the confrontation and faces a charge of disorderly conduct. A <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/reel/840153435786227\">deputy at the scene</a> said additional charges could follow.</p><p data-block-key=\"67g83\">In the later video, Insinga said the attack was unprovoked.</p><p data-block-key=\"cl2p9\">“I put myself out there as a newsman, and these things can happen,” he said, explaining that journalists are trained to create distance and avoid antagonizing people while seeking statements. “As journalists, we never try to become the news; we only cover the news.”</p><p data-block-key=\"bn2o8\">Eye on Cherokee said it would continue covering the HeeHaw story.</p><p data-block-key=\"ae6vf\">“You don’t have to agree with us. You don’t have to talk to us. But you do not get to attack us because you don’t like the questions,” the outlet <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid026gn3LqmXdVr115kjqHHMHLGhDExFTjQv8pdNQTwsvKRsgvRpz9ZcMrS2AkWRi3Ysl&id=100076337888223\">wrote</a>.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Screenshot_2026-09-24_at_9.24.53A.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"27adr\">A man reaches for reporter Salvatore “Sal” Insinga’s microphone before damaging the equipment during a protest against the police shooting of a pet donkey in Cedartown, Georgia, on Sept. 11, 2026.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"actor": "private individual",
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"assailant": "private individual",
"was_journalist_targeted": "yes",
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{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "recording equipment"
},
{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "vehicle"
},
{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "camera"
}
],
"state": {
"name": "Georgia",
"abbreviation": "GA"
},
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"tags": [
"protest"
],
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"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault",
"Equipment Damage"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Sal Insinga ([Woodstock] Eye on Cherokee)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Louisiana judge files criminal complaint against TV station",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/louisiana-judge-files-criminal-complaint-against-tv-station/",
"first_published_at": "2026-10-06T20:52:24.764476Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-10-06T20:52:24.764476Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-10-06T20:52:24.608358Z",
"date": "2026-09-11",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "New Orleans",
"longitude": -90.07507,
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"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"zng5i\">New Orleans station WWL-TV was the target of a criminal complaint filed by a Louisiana judge on Sept. 11, 2026, after it reported on a property transfer involving the judge’s former fiance.</p><p data-block-key=\"ded0k\">A judicial administrator for the Orleans Parish Criminal Court first sent the station a letter Sept. 10 demanding it remove information published about Criminal Court Judge Kimya Holmes, who is seeking reelection, <a href=\"https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/investigations/new-orleans-judge-filed-criminal-complaint-against-wwl-under-repealed-law-provisions/289-9ecb62fe-43af-4f5e-b788-101b8639e8e1\">the outlet reported</a>. The letter cited provisions of state law that had been repealed weeks earlier.</p><p data-block-key=\"9roc5\">The station had <a href=\"https://www.wwltv.com/video/news/investigations/david-hammer/as-feds-charged-him-with-fraud-judges-then-fianc-gave-her-765k-home/289-e77bebf6-d3f4-4159-ae75-20510d8b5145\">reported in August</a> that Holmes’ ex-fiance, Arthur Allen, was negotiating a guilty plea with federal prosecutors for stealing COVID-19 relief money and knew he would have to pay back more than $712,000 when he transferred one of his homes to Holmes.</p><p data-block-key=\"4jn5j\">The station’s video report showed a small but readable image of the public document recording the property transfer, including the home’s address. The report also showed the license plate of Allen’s leased Corvette, which he had transferred to the judge, after a source had photographed the car in a courthouse garage.</p><p data-block-key=\"3m6or\">The court official’s letter cited a statute that, when it was in effect, had given third parties, including news organizations, 72 hours to remove certain personal information about judges from the internet. The letter sought to remove Holmes’ home address and the license plate number from its coverage and demanded that the station identify the person who photographed the Corvette.</p><p data-block-key=\"cr2dp\">WWL-TV took the videos offline within a day of receiving the letter and later reposted them with the address and license plate information blurred. The station refused to identify its source.</p><p data-block-key=\"fvu8u\">However, Holmes did not wait for the TV station to comply. She filed a criminal complaint against WWL-TV with the New Orleans Police Department, accusing it of “revealing her home address and vehicle information,” the station reported.</p><p data-block-key=\"cc3i6\">When the outlet reached out to the judge’s campaign spokesperson about the legal basis for the criminal complaint, the spokesperson cited the same outdated law, which had since been amended to remove any criminal penalty. The new statute only requires the removal of personal information of “protected individuals.”</p><p data-block-key=\"4l0a5\">Scott Sternberg, general counsel for the Louisiana Press Association, told WWL-TV that the amended law did not provide a basis for Holmes’ demands and that the letter had no effect.</p><p data-block-key=\"3nnfl\">“That’s probably why NOPD isn’t coming down here to arrest you,” Sternberg said. “Because there hasn’t been a crime.”</p><p data-block-key=\"8pk1o\">WWL-TV said its attorney Mary Ellen Roy wrote to the New Orleans police detective investigating Holmes’ complaint to make sure he knows the law “no longer applies to WWL-TV or its reporters at all, and, moreover, no longer contains any criminal penalties.”</p><p data-block-key=\"23gev\">Roy added, “We expect this investigation to be closed, forthwith.”</p><p data-block-key=\"coheu\">The New Orleans Police Department told the news outlet on Sept. 29 that it was still investigating the complaint.</p></div>",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"422s0\">Screengrab showing a letter sent to New Orleans station WWL-TV on Sept. 10, 2026, demanding it remove information from a story about a Louisiana judge. The judge filed a criminal complaint against the station the next day.</p>",
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"links": [],
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"state": {
"name": "Louisiana",
"abbreviation": "LA"
},
"updates": [],
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"targeted_institutions": [
"WWL-TV"
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"tags": [],
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"categories": [
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}
]
