Our government shouldn't be spying on journalists.
Nor should law enforcement agencies force journalists to identify their confidential sources or go to prison.
The House of Representatives has passed the Protect Reporters from Exploitive State Spying Act, H.R. 4250, and it's one of the strongest federal shield bills for journalists we've seen.
The PRESS Act would do two critical things: first, it would bar federal law enforcement from surveilling journalists by gathering their phone, messaging, or email records.
Secondly, it strictly limits when the government can force a journalist to disclose their sources.
Since its introduction, the bill has had strong bipartisan support.
While journalists are well protected in many states, federal law is currently lacking in protections.
That's had serious consequences for journalists, and for all Americans' right to freely access information.
The Congressional report on this bill details abuses against journalists by all of the past three Presidential administrations.
Federal law enforcement officials improperly acquired reporters' phone records on numerous occasions since 2004, under both Democratic and Republican administrations.
On at least 12 occasions since 1990, law enforcement threatened journalists with jail or home confinement for refusing to give up their sources; some reporters served months in jail.
The PRESS Act bars the federal government from surveilling journalists through their phones, email providers, or other online services.
These digital protections are critical because they reflect how journalists operate in the field today.
The bill restricts subpoenas aimed not just at the journalists themselves, but their phone and email providers.
The PRESS Act also has an appropriately broad definition of the practice of journalism, covering both professional and citizen journalists.
It applies regardless of a journalist's political leanings or medium of publication.
The government surveillance of journalists over the years has chilled journalists' ability to gather news.
We can't know the important stories that weren't published, or weren't published in time, because of fear of retaliation on the part of journalists or their sources.
In addition to EFF, the PRESS Act is supported by a wide range of press and rights groups, including the ACLU, the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Freedom of the Press Foundation, the First Amendment Coalition, the News Media Alliance, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, and many others.
Our democracy relies on the rights of both professional journalists and everyday citizens to gather and publish information.
This Cyber News was published on www.eff.org. Publication date: Mon, 22 Jan 2024 20:13:03 +0000