Four more years … of government secrecy?

Dear friend of press freedom,

Here are some of the most important stories we’re following from the U.S. and around the world. If you enjoy reading this newsletter, please share it with your friends and family. Did a friend share with you this newsletter? You can subscribe on LinkedIn here or through our website here .

Government secrecy and the presidential election

How secretive would a second Trump or a Harris administration be? And how much could either presidential candidate rein in the government’s sprawling secrecy system if they wanted to?

The answers to these important questions will impact every American, because excessive secrecy undercuts the promise of a free press, effective oversight, and the public’s ability to self-govern.

Lauren Harper, Daniel Ellsberg Chair on Government Secrecy at Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF), analyzed past stances of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris on key transparency issues, including access to presidential records, agency compliance with congressional oversight requests, and press freedom issues, to get a sense of what may come. She also highlighted key secrecy issues that will need to be addressed regardless of who wins the election. Read her three-part series on our newly redesigned website .?

Drop charges against Indian Time journalist

Journalist Isaac White, who writes for Indian Time in northern New York, was arrested in May while reporting on a land claim demonstration. He’s not accused of doing anything other than his job, but prosecutors are pursuing criminal charges against him, along with several protesters, for allegedly not following orders to disperse.?

Here’s the problem: The U.S. Department of Justice has repeatedly said — most recently this month — that under the First Amendment, police dispersing protesters can’t also disperse journalists covering the protests, because how police respond to protests is news.?

We led a letter , signed by over 20 rights organizations, to St. Lawrence County District Attorney Gary Pasqua alerting him to the DOJ’s position and urging him to do the right (and the constitutional) thing and drop the case. Read it here .?

US must stop enabling Israel’s attacks on the press

“I am sorry, I have to leave (the conversation). Several of my colleagues are injured in Jabalia, and I have to cover the events.” That’s the direct message FPF Deputy Director of Audience Ahmed Zidan received via X from Palestinian journalist Mohammed Mhawish during a live discussion last month about Israel’s multipronged war on press freedom.

The Israel-Gaza war is the deadliest for journalists in the past four decades or more. Well over 100 journalists and media workers have been killed by Israel since October 2023. Beyond the numbers, there are stories of unimaginable human suffering: devastation, displacement, permanent disability, and loss of loved ones, friends, and colleagues. For those lucky enough to survive, the psychological trauma lingers.?

Read Zidan’s article reflecting on the conversation and calling, once again , for the U.S. to stop funding and arming a military that refuses to stop killing journalists.?

Keeping your data safe when reporting from the field

The 2024 U.S. presidential election has already been a magnet for protests, and covering any kind of protest is high risk for journalists. The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker covered demonstrations in advance of the presidential debate in September and during the Democratic National Convention in August, at which journalists were arrested and, in some cases, had their equipment confiscated or damaged.

David Huerta, Martin Shelton, and Davis Erin Anderson of the Digital Security Team at FPF sat down with FPF Senior Adviser Caitlin Vogus to discuss journalists’ constitutional rights in the event of device seizure, and what they can do now to plan ahead for reporting from the field. You can read the conversation here .?

What we’re reading

Tech exec sues S.F. journalist for $25M for publishing his sealed arrest report (San Francisco Chronicle). What’s even worse than the lawsuit is that the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office sent the journalist a letter demanding he take down the government record. As we told the Chronicle, “Journalists are entitled to publish documents that they lawfully obtained, specifically government documents.”

NBC asks judge to exempt Trump immunity hearings from camera ban (Bloomberg Law). The entire country should be able to watch hearings on Trump’s claimed immunity, not just those who can fit into a Washington courtroom. It’s ridiculous that the media even has to ask permission for cameras in a case this important.

How the U.S. military lost a $250 million war game in minutes (The Washington Post). The Post’s Nate Jones shouldn't have had to wait 11 years for the Department of Defense to release a report showing that, in 2002, the U.S. military took less than 10 minutes to lose a $250 million war game that was "in many ways ... a rehearsal" for the Iraq War.

America’s top archivist puts a rosy spin on U.S. history — pruning the thorny parts (The Wall Street Journal). This is disappointing if true. The U.S. National Archives needs a vocal advocate for preservation of records, not someone who wants to censor history to keep partisan fights at bay and the agency under the radar.

Palestinian-owned cafe where I spoke was attacked (The Dissenter). Days after hosting a discussion on press freedom organized by Defending Rights & Dissent , in which FPF was honored to participate, Chicago’s Nabala cafe was attacked for the second time in weeks. Fortunately, the community came through to fund the needed repairs. Read more about the conversation here .

Come see us in Washington or London

The Double Exposure Festival & Symposium , Nov. 7-10 in Washington, D.C., will have panels, workshops, and master classes focused on investigative storytelling. Don’t miss our Director of Advocacy Seth Stern, who will discuss dangerous government efforts to limit who is a journalist — such as by excluding documentary filmmakers. Purchase your tickets or passes here .

Or come see us in London, where we’re co-hosting Source! the London Logan Symposium with The Centre for Investigative Journalism Nov. 14-15. Hear from journalists from all over the world about press freedom issues and the challenges they face in protecting themselves and their sources. Register to attend here .