US journalist Evan Gershkovich faces 20-year sentence as trial begins in Russia
New York, June 26, 2024—As the closed-door trial of U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich opened in a Russian court on Wednesday, the Committee to Protect Journalists denounced it as a travesty of justice and renewed its call for the journalist’s immediate release. “U.S. reporter Evan Gershkovich goes on trial today after nearly 15 months of unjust…
CPJ welcomes reports that Assange will be released in plea deal
New York, June 24, 2024— The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes reports that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will be freed from prison in a plea deal with the United States Justice Department. “Julian Assange faced a prosecution that had grave implications for journalists and press freedom worldwide,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg. “While we welcome the…
Pulitzer-winning Mississippi Today appeals order to turn over confidential source material
Washington, D.C., June 11, 2024—A county judge’s order to Mississippi Today newspaper to turn over privileged documents in relation to a defamation lawsuit by the state’s former governor, Phil Bryant, against the nonprofit and three of its employees is a threat to press freedom, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. Mississippi Today appealed on…
CPJ joins letter calling for US Senate to push forward on PRESS Act
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined over 50 news and press freedom organizations in urging United States senators to support the Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying Act (PRESS Act). The bill would create a federal shield safeguarding reporter-source confidentiality and prevent government access to unreported source material. The letter, authored by the Reporters Committee for…
CPJ, partners join call for U.S. Senate to advance PRESS Act
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined more than 85 journalism and civil society organizations and 35 attorneys and law professors in urging the Senate Judiciary Committee to schedule a markup of the Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying Act (PRESS Act) as soon as possible so that it can be considered by the full Senate…
CPJ, others decry criminal charges against Texas photojournalist Carlos Sanchez
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined more than 40 journalism and civil society organizations in urging Texas authorities to decline prosecution of the criminal charges levied against FOX 7 Austin photojournalist Carlos Sanchez. Law enforcement officers arrested Sanchez while he was covering a pro-Palestinian protest on the University of Texas at Austin campus on April 24, 2024….
CPJ calls on authorities to allow journalists to safely cover US campus protests
Washington, D.C., May 1, 2024– With tensions over pro-Palestinian protests escalating on college campuses across the United States, the Committee to Protect Journalists calls on university authorities and law enforcement agencies to allow reporters to freely cover the demonstrations. “Journalists – including student journalists who have been thrust into a national spotlight to cover stories…
FOX 7 Austin photojournalist faces misdemeanor charges after felony charges dropped
Washington, D.C., May 1, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned by reports that FOX 7 Austin photojournalist Carlos Sanchez is again facing charges in connection with his work, and calls on Texas authorities to drop all charges against him and allow journalists to do their work without fear of arrest. “We are gravely concerned that…
Texas police detain, charge FOX 7 Austin journalist covering pro-Palestinian protest
New York, April 25, 2024 — Texas authorities should immediately drop all charges against a FOX 7 Austin journalist detained while covering a pro-Palestinian protest and take steps to ensure journalists can do their jobs safely and without interference, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. Law enforcement officers arrested a FOX 7 Austin photographer…
‘Part of the CPJ family’: Journalist, former hostage Terry Anderson dies at 76
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply saddened by the death of Terry Anderson, journalist and CPJ’s former vice chair and honorary chairman. Anderson, a former Associated Press journalist who was kidnapped and held hostage in Lebanon for six years, knew firsthand the threats that faced journalists seeking to report freely, and was an…