All Incidents - U.S. Press Freedom Tracker

LAX_border stop

CBP agent asks British journalist entering U.S. if he’s part of the ‘fake news media’

August 23, 2019

British journalist James Dyer said a Customs and Border Protection agent asked him if he was “part of the ‘fake …

First Amendment YouTuber shot while live-streaming security guard

March 14, 2019

Civil liberties and First Amendment YouTuber Zhoie Perez was shot on Feb. 14, 2019, while live-streaming outside of a synagogue and high school in Los Angeles.Perez, who goes by “Furry Potato” on YouTube, was filming a security guard and his gun outside of the Etz Jacob Congregation and Ohel Chana High School in the Fairfax neighborhood of Los Angeles while the guard repeatedly asked her why she was recording.Perez did not answer, but said on the livestream that the guard …

Reporter hit in face, has phone stolen while interviewing voters in Los Angeles

April 10, 2019

On Jan. 26, 2019, reporter Tina-Desiree Berg was interviewing people outside of a regional meeting of the California Democratic Party …

LATimes_prior restraint_101018

Judge orders LA Times not to publish descriptions of defendant in murder trial

January 18, 2019

On Oct. 10, 2018, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Gustavo N. Sztraicher ordered The Los Angeles Times not to …

LATimes_prior restraint_121318

Los Angeles County judge orders reporters not to publish courtroom photographs

January 15, 2019

On Sept. 26, 2018, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Gustavo N. Sztraicher ordered journalists not to publish images taken …

Los Angeles times temporary restraining order

Judge orders Los Angeles Times to delete published article about plea deal

July 16, 2018

On July 17, the judge vacated the order, freeing the Times to write about the plea deal.

Suge Knight in court (facing away from camera)

Documentary journalist Nora Donaghy subpoenaed to testify before grand jury

February 2, 2018

After Donaghy interviewed rap mogul and accused murderer Suge Knight, police seized Donaghy’s phone and a grand jury subpoenaed her to testify.

Suge Knight in court

Documentary journalist William Erb subpoenaed to testify before grand jury

February 2, 2018

A police investigator told Erb that he broke the law when he interviewed rap mogul and accused murderer Suge Knight in prison. Now a grand jury has subpoenaed him to testify about the interview.

Category Results

Total Results	9
Journalists affected	6
Institutions affected	2

How we track Arrests And Criminal Charges

Journalists arrested and taken into custody and/or charged with a crime. Journalists who are still facing charges as of August 2, 2017 are included in this category even if the charges were filed in a previous year.

How we track Border Stops

Journalists stopped at the border and subjected to prolonged, invasive questioning or who have their electronic devices searched or are asked to provide passwords. We count border stops even if we are unable to draw a direct connection between the stop and the journalist’s work activities, because the resistance of U.S. authorities to provide information makes it extremely difficult to identify the motive and because invasive questioning or device searches could jeopardize source confidentiality no matter the motive. Not every stop at the border is a press freedom violation, but we believe it is essential to capture patterns related to these stops. This category also includes cases where journalists are prevented from entering the country if it appears that their inability to enter the country is related to their work.

How we track Subpoenas And Legal Orders

Subpoenas or legal orders requiring journalists to testify in court or produce journalistic records or work product. This category also includes orders targeted at third parties who have access to journalistic records or work product. Because many subpoenas are not publicly reported and legal orders for journalist records are conducted with high levels of secrecy, the numbers in this category are likely to underestimate actual cases.

How we track Leak Cases

Government employees or contractors investigated or prosecuted for disclosing information to journalists or media platforms. This category does not include leak cases where information was not leaked to the media.

How we track Equipment Searches And Seizures

Journalists’ equipment searched or seized by law enforcement in the course of their work.

How we track Physical Attacks

Journalists who face physical violence, either as the result of a targeted attack by a public or private individual or in the course of their work. If a journalist is hit by rubber bullets or bean bag rounds, it will be counted in this category.

Damage to equipment is counted in a separate "Equipment Damage" category, but may be also listed in this Physical Attack category if the damage occurs with an attack.

Journalists affected by tear gas, pepper spray, or other mass riot control agents will be counted if the individual suffers serious injury or appears to have been specifically targeted. Incidents that fall outside these parameters and in which multiple journalists were affected by riot control agents may be counted in the “Other” category.

How we track Denials Of Access

Denial of access to government events that are traditionally open or attended by the press and where the denial of access either deprives the public of significant information, appears to be retaliatory, or is done without meaningful justification. Concrete changes in policy or practice to restrict or deny access may also be included in this category.

Denial of access to individuals in some cases, such as where the available space limits the number of journalists allowed to attend or where individuals arguing for access do not meet reasonable standards for credentials, can be seen as meaningful justifications and will not be included.

How we track Chilling Statements

Selected public threats made to reporters and media organizations by U.S. politicians and other public figures, which can have a chilling effect on journalism.

FEATURED STORY

From ‘fake news’ to ‘enemy of the people’: An Anatomy of Trump’s tweets

From June 16, 2015, when Donald Trump declared his candidacy for president, to today, where he sits as leader of the free world, every tweet in which he mentions the media, individual journalists, news outlets, or journalistic sources in a negative tone is being tracked in a database.

Contributor Stephanie Sugars, who created that database with the Committee to Protect Journalists and manages its ongoing accounting, explored rhetoric from the first two years of Trump’s presidency in a blog post.

As the president continues to communicate through Twitter, this live database offers a continued tracking.

How we track Other Incidents

Incidents that fall outside of the other categories, but reach a threshold of interest as determined by editorial discretion. Incidents that may be counted in this category include threats, harassment, detentions that do not result in charges or arrest, clearly abusive lawsuits, and vandalism.

How we track Prior Restraints

News organizations or journalists who are ordered by a judge not to publish information under threat of punishment

How we track Equipment Damage

Damage to a journalist's equipment or property, either as the result of a targeted attack by a public or private individual or in the course of their work.