The US Press Freedom Tracker is a database that tracks and catalogs press freedom violations in the United States. A project of @freedom.press. DM or email tips@pressfreedomtracker.us Subscribe: freedom.press/newsletters/
Independent videographer Patrick Nealis was pushed to the ground by police and arrested while documenting a May 31 protest against ICE outside Delaney Hall in Newark, NJ.
Videographer pushed down by police, arrested at New Jersey immigration protestIndependent videographer Patrick Nealis was shoved to the ground by a law enforcement officer and arrested while documenting a protest …pressfreedomtracker.usIndependent journalist Aaron Johnson was pushed to the ground by police, smashing his camera, while he was filming officers chasing a suspect on foot in St. Paul, Minnesota, on July 14.
Journalist shoved to the ground by police in Minnesota, breaking his cameraIndependent journalist Aaron Johnson was pushed down by police while filming a law enforcement action in St. Paul, Minnesota, on …pressfreedomtracker.usLeak hunting with legal orders — we’ve already seen more subpoenas to journalists from the DOJ than any year in the last 10 years. This and more in this month’s Tracker newsletter by managing editor @kamccudden.bsky.social:
Leak hunting with legal ordersDOJ-issued legal orders to outlets, journalists by yearpressfreedomtracker.usThe House Ways and Means Committee, led by Rep. Jason Smith, subpoenaed nonprofit @btnewsroom.bsky.social on July 21, seeking financial records in an effort to prove the news outlet, which has covered ICE raids and pro-Palestinian protests, is under foreign influence.
Rep. Jason Smith targets press as chair of Ways and Means CommitteeJason Smith, a U.S. representative for Missouri, has used his position as chair of the House Committee on Ways and …pressfreedomtracker.usUpdate: MA newsletter co-publishers who were severely harassed and stalked by seven eBay employees reached new $55.7M settlement with e-commerce giant on Monday. Deal includes $6M in donations to nonprofits and $1M to First Amendment charity.
7 former eBay employees charged in harassment campaign against journalistsThe FBI announced charges against six former eBay employees on June 15, 2020, for their alleged participation in a campaign …pressfreedomtracker.usUpdate: Photographer Trisha Brownlee was released July 27 from a Warren County, NJ, jail after six-plus weeks in detention. She had been arrested on a weapons-related charge June 11 while interviewing two sources who were monitoring immigration agents.
Photojournalist arrested mid-interview, incarcerated since JuneTrisha Brownlee, an independent photographer, was arrested by state police on June 11, 2026, while interviewing two men who were …pressfreedomtracker.usAnita Wise, a freelance video producer, was thrown to the ground and arrested while documenting a protest at the Delaney Hall immigration detention center in Newark, NJ, on May 31; she faces a misdemeanor failure to disperse charge at a hearing Aug. 6.
Video producer thrown to ground, arrested while covering New Jersey protestFreelance video producer Anita Wise was tossed to the ground and arrested while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs …pressfreedomtracker.usIndependent photographer Trisha Brownlee remains jailed since her June 11 arrest by state police in Hardwick Township, NJ. She was detained while interviewing two individuals monitoring ICE officers.
Photojournalist arrested mid-interview, incarcerated since JuneTrisha Brownlee, an independent photographer, was arrested by state police on June 11, 2026, while interviewing two men who were …pressfreedomtracker.usAmid renewed strikes in Iran and the recent deaths of U.S. service members, the Pentagon hasn’t held a news briefing to answer questions for 2 1/2 months, a @cnn.com analysis found.
Wartime Pentagon goes two-plus months without media briefingThe Pentagon hasn’t held a news conference for 2 1/2 months, leaving renewed airstrikes with Iran and recent deaths of …pressfreedomtracker.usBrian StelterMany questions, very few answers about the deaths of two U.S. servicemembers in Jordan. The Pentagon is clearly trying to keep a tight lid on what happened — reflective of a larger effort to control information, limit access and avoid questions about the war
UPDATE: A federal appeals panel has reinstated a DOD rule requiring journalists to be accompanied by escorts while in the Pentagon. The July 16 order puts on hold a previous ruling that temporarily suspended the escort policy.
Pentagon responds to court ruling with new press access restrictionsPentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell announced March 23, 2026, that the Defense Department would move journalists from their designated offices in …pressfreedomtracker.usBREAKING: The Justice Dept. said today it will withdraw subpoenas ordering multiple @nytimes reporters to testify about their sources, and others seeking their phone records, following a hearing in which a judge rebuked the DOJ for its slapdash legal work.
NY Times investigative reporter subpoenaed by DOJ for testimonyEric Lipton, an investigative reporter for The New York Times, was subpoenaed by the U.S. Department of Justice on July …pressfreedomtracker.usThe IRS contractor who pleaded guilty to leaking President Trump’s tax returns to the press had his five-year prison sentence affirmed in a July 17 appeals panel ruling; Charles Littlejohn had argued the punishment was disproportionate.
IRS consultant charged with leaking tax returns to two news outletsCharles Littlejohn, a contractor for the Internal Revenue Service, was charged on Sept. 29, 2023, with disclosing tax returns without …pressfreedomtracker.us
📢 Are you a journalist who uses FOIA or other public records laws in your reporting? You could win $25K with our new journalism award, the Penlight Prize. Submission deadline: Sept. 1, 2026 Read more and apply today:
New $25K ‘Penlight’ journalism award honors paywall-free FOIA reportingThe Penlight Prize celebrates paywall-free reporting based on records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act or state public records laws.freedom.pressUPDATE: A federal appeals panel has reinstated a DOD rule requiring journalists to be accompanied by escorts while in the Pentagon. The July 16 order puts on hold a previous ruling that temporarily suspended the escort policy.
Pentagon responds to court ruling with new press access restrictionsPentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell announced March 23, 2026, that the Defense Department would move journalists from their designated offices in …pressfreedomtracker.usJournalists covering Delaney Hall immigration detention hunger strike in New Jersey met with targeted force, reporting from sports championships across the U.S. and more in our monthly newsletter from Tracker Managing Editor @kamccudden.bsky.social (and subscribe):
Press targeted at New Jersey immigration detention protestsIn a span of three weeks in late May and June, we documented more than 60 assaults of journalists and …pressfreedomtracker.usOn July 16, a man entered an unauthorized area near the "Today" show studio in New York City and shouted a racial slur at NBC News anchor Craig Melvin; he was arrested and charged with two hate crimes.
Intruder enters ‘Today’ show studio, shouts racial slur at anchorNBC News anchor Craig Melvin was harassed by a man who shouted a racial slur at him after entering an …pressfreedomtracker.us
The @freedom.press has a new journalism award, honoring the best FOIA-based reporting published outside a paywall. (As a proud board member, I am entirely recusing myself from judging or other involvement. They have a stellar lineup of judges for this fantastic award, which pays $25,000!)
New $25K ‘Penlight’ journalism award honors paywall-free FOIA reportingThe Penlight Prize celebrates paywall-free reporting based on records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act or state public records laws.freedom.pressBlumenthal was also stopped and questioned by CBP in February 2025, after returning from a vacation to Nicaragua.
Editor stopped and questioned by official at Virginia airportJournalist Max Blumenthal was stopped by a Customs and Border Protection agent at Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on …pressfreedomtracker.usThe founder-editor of The Grayzone was detained and questioned by Customs and Border Protection on July 10, after arriving at Dulles Airport in Virginia from a reporting trip to Iran. Agents also seized and searched Max Blumenthal's cellphones.
Editor questioned by officials at Virginia airport; phone seized and searchedJournalist Max Blumenthal was stopped, questioned and had his cellphones seized and searched by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents …pressfreedomtracker.us