Press Freedom

The National Press Club Journalism Institute has welcomed Devin Windelspecht as its press freedom program coordinator.  In his role at the Institute, Windelspecht will help coordinate and grow press freedom-related programming; support initiatives that equip journalists with the tools and resources they need to navigate legal, safety, and access challenges; and administer emergency assistance programs….

Journalists covering the escalation of federal immigration and border enforcement activities are adopting specialized safety protocols to protect themselves from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. At a recent Institute webinar, three reporters and an editor shared strategies for safely covering immigration sweeps under Operation Metro Surge, a contentious ICE-led operation that began in the Twin Cities on…

On Wednesday, FBI agents searched the home of a Washington Post reporter during an investigation into the disclosure of classified information, sparking significant press freedom concerns across the industry and country.  As news outlets like the New York Times noted, it is “exceedingly rare” for federal agents to search a journalist’s home. Under the Privacy…

The National Press Club is honoring The Associated Press, a global independent global news organization whose work is seen by billions of people each day, with its highest honor for press freedom, the John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award. This year, the National Press Club board unanimously agreed to recognize the AP for its leadership in…

The National Press Club will award its 2025 John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award to a group of nine journalists affiliated with the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) who remain imprisoned abroad following the agency’s dismantling earlier this year. The Club’s Board of Directors agreed the honor is meant both to recognize the journalists’ courage…

When journalist Ben Camacho set out to cover protests in Paramount, California, he did not expect to become a part of the story he was reporting. But that’s what happened after he was shot twice by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies on June 7. “As a reporter of color, there’s this dynamic where I’m out there on the…

Born during World War I, the Espionage Act of 1917 was created to prevent the disclosure of classified information that could threaten national security. Today, it’s being used to target journalists. Since the Obama administration, the use of the Espionage Act against leakers and whistleblowers has surged. What began as a tool of national defense…

It’s Sunshine Week, the annual celebration of access to public information, coordinated by the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project. To commemorate the power of public information, we’ve asked experts to share their tips for requesting open records and responding when facing roadblocks to access. Today we have advice from Amy Morona, who covers…

It’s Sunshine Week, the annual celebration of access to public information, coordinated by the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project. To commemorate the power of public information, we’ve asked experts to share their tips for requesting open records and responding when facing roadblocks to access. Nate Jones, AKA “FOIA Nate,” is FOIA director at…

It’s Sunshine Week, the annual celebration of access to public information, coordinated by the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project. To commemorate the power of public information, we’ve asked experts to share their tips for requesting open records and responding when facing roadblocks to access. We reached out to David Cuillier, Ph.D., director of…

It’s Sunshine Week, the annual celebration of access to public information, coordinated by the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project. To commemorate the power of public information, we’ve asked experts to share their tips for requesting open records and responding when facing roadblocks to access. We asked Gunita Singh, a staff attorney for the…

It’s Sunshine Week, the annual celebration of access to public information, coordinated by the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project. To commemorate the power of public information, we’ve asked experts to share their tips for requesting open records and responding when facing roadblocks to access. Libraries contain a treasure trove of public information. From…

It’s Sunshine Week, the annual celebration of access to public information, coordinated by the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project. To commemorate the power of public information, we’ve asked experts to share their tips for requesting open records and responding when facing roadblocks to access. Kicking off our spotlight on open access is an…

To help support journalists in the final stretch of election coverage, the Institute asked the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press for a primer on journalists’ rights at the polls. Jennifer Nelson, senior staff attorney running point on elections and RCFP’s hotline, and Chris Young, editorial manager, offer the following tips and resources: “As…

Each state has its own laws governing photography and recording devices at polling places. For example: While there is no federal law prohibiting “ballot selfies,” it is still illegal in certain states in 2024. To help journalists with their election coverage, the Institute reached out to attorney Mickey H. Osterreicher, general counsel to the National…

The National Press Club is honoring Mississippi Today — a nonprofit, non-partisan newsroom based in Jackson, Mississippi — with its highest honor for press freedom, the John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award.  Mississippi Today is currently involved in a legal case to protect privileged documents used in producing a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation and named in an…

In honor of World Press Freedom Day on May 3, members of the National Press Club’s Press Freedom Team and the National Press Club Journalism Institute have reached out to journalists in exile in the U.S. to highlight their ongoing work. We are featuring their stories this week to shed light on press freedom issues…

In honor of World Press Freedom Day on May 3, members of the National Press Club’s Press Freedom Team and the National Press Club Journalism Institute have reached out to journalists in exile in the U.S. to highlight their ongoing work. We are featuring their stories this week to shed light on press freedom issues…

In honor of World Press Freedom Day on May 3, members of the National Press Club’s Press Freedom Team have interviewed journalists in exile living in the U.S. We will feature their stories this week to shed light on global press freedom issues.  Juan Luis Font, a Guatemalan journalist living in exile in the U.S.,…

It’s Sunshine Week, the annual celebration of access to public information, this year coordinated by the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications. To commemorate the power of public information, we’ve asked experts to share their tips for requesting open records and responding when facing…

It’s Sunshine Week, the annual celebration of access to public information, this year coordinated by the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project. To commemorate the power of public information, we’ve asked experts to share their tips for requesting open records and responding when facing roadblocks to access. Kat Stafford is the global race and…

It’s Sunshine Week, the annual celebration of access to public information, this year coordinated by the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project. To commemorate the power of public information, we’ve asked experts to share their tips for requesting open records and responding when facing roadblocks to access. Jason Leopold, senior investigative reporter at Bloomberg…

It’s Sunshine Week, the annual celebration of access to public information, this year coordinated by the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications. To commemorate the power of public information, we’ve asked experts to share their tips for requesting open records and responding when facing…

A federal judge is ordering the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to justify its withholding of information about a Mexican journalist whom the agency detained while he was seeking asylum. Judge Rudolph Contreras’ ruling came in a Freedom of Information case brought by the National Press Club Journalism Institute and Kathy Kiely seeking records about…

Following is a statement from National Press Club President Eileen O’Reilly and National Press Club Journalism Institute President Gil Klein naming Iranian women journalists Niloofar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi as the 2023 International honorees for the John Aubuchon Award, the Club’s highest honor for press freedom. “This has been a year of momentous struggle for…

The Journalism Institute promotes an independent and free press to ensure the public has full access to information that affects their lives. We hold accountable those who restrict journalists in their pursuit of the truth. We help journalists obtain the tools to break barriers to a free press. And we salute those journalists who overcome…

Dutch media magnate Derk Sauer, the founder of the Moscow Times and Vedomosti and CEO of RBK, fled Russia with his family and colleagues after Russian President Vladimir Putin enacted legislation that banned journalists from spreading “disinformation” —  especially about the invasion of Ukraine. Sauer spoke with the National Press Club about moving his newsroom…

In honor of World Press Freedom Day on May 3, members of the National Press Club’s Press Freedom Team have interviewed journalists in exile from around the world. We will feature their stories every day this week to shed light on press freedom issues worldwide. Ten years ago, when he had to leave his country,…

In honor of World Press Freedom Day on May 3, members of the National Press Club’s Press Freedom Team have interviewed journalists in exile from around the world. We will feature their stories every day this week to shed light on press freedom issues worldwide. Masrat Zahra, a Kashmiri photojournalist living in exile since March 2021, simply…

In honor of World Press Freedom Day on May 3, members of the National Press Club’s Press Freedom Team have interviewed journalists in exile from around the world. We will feature their stories every day this week to shed light on press freedom issues worldwide. Wilson Liévano, managing editor at The GroundTruth Project and director of training…

In honor of World Press Freedom Day on May 3, members of the National Press Club’s Press Freedom Team have interviewed journalists in exile from around the world. We will feature their stories every day this week to shed light on press freedom issues worldwide. As a young female in Afghanistan, forced with her family early on…

The following is text of a letter from Eileen O’Reilly, president of the National Press Club, and Gil Klein, president of the National Press Club Journalism Institute, and co-signed by major journalism organizations calling on the Biden Administration to prioritize the problem of hostage taking of journalists by state actors: President Joseph R. BidenThe White…

The National Press Club is honoring imprisoned Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich with its highest honor for press freedom, the John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award. Eileen O’Reilly, president of the National Press Club, and Gil Klein, president of the National Press Club Journalism Institute, issued a joint statement announcing the award: “Journalist Evan Gershkovich…

It is Sunshine Week, an annual celebration of access to public information launched by the News Leaders Association in 2005. To commemorate the occasion, we’ve asked journalists across different beats to share their tips for requesting open records and responding when facing roadblocks to access.   Today, we hear from Lakeidra Chavis, staff writer at The Marshall Project. Chavis has…

It is Sunshine Week, an annual celebration of access to public information launched by the News Leaders Association in 2005. To commemorate the occasion, we’ve asked journalists across different beats to share their tips for requesting open records and responding when facing roadblocks to access.   Jessica Huseman, editorial director at Votebeat, and Natalia Contreras, reporter…

It is Sunshine Week, an annual celebration of access to public information launched by the News Leaders Association in 2005. To commemorate the occasion, we’ve asked journalists across different beats to share their tips for requesting open records and responding when facing roadblocks to access.   Today, we hear from Mark Walker, an investigative reporter who covers transportation for The…

It is Sunshine Week, an annual celebration of access to public information launched by the News Leaders Association in 2005. To commemorate the occasion, we’ve asked journalists across different beats to share their tips for requesting open records and responding when facing roadblocks to access.   Today we learn from Sarah D. Wire, who covers government…

It is Sunshine Week, an annual celebration of access to public information launched by the News Leaders Association in 2005. To commemorate the occasion, we’ve asked journalists across different beats to share their advice for requesting open records and responding when facing roadblocks to access.   Today, we have tips from Miranda Spivack, a veteran reporter and editor who specializes…

It is now Sunshine Week, an annual celebration of access to public information launched by the News Leaders Association in 2005. To commemorate the occasion, we’ve asked journalists across different beats to share their tips for requesting open records and how they respond when facing roadblocks to access.   Today, we’ll hear from Mike Balsamo, U.S. law enforcement news editor…

Journalists covering protests are subjected to an average of 1.6 assaults per day, with more than 85 percent perpetrated by law enforcement, according to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. With the combination of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade, ongoing right-wing conspiracies about the validity of U.S. elections, and the prospect of domestic terrorist…

Every day journalists put themselves in peril to do their jobs, facing threats like murder, kidnapping, violence, harassment, intimidation, and more.  Today, World Press Freedom Day, we honor those who risk their lives in order to hold power to account.  The National Press Club hosted a virtual discussion exploring significant developments in press freedom cases impacting…

When a Russian projectile killed Fox Cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski and seriously injured correspondent Benjamin Hall in March, there was less reporting on a third casualty: Ukrainian journalist and fixer Sasha Kuvshynova. Because many aren’t aware of the important role fixers play in international journalism, we asked panelists from a discussion hosted on the topic in…

Journalists rely on free-flowing information to do their jobs but often run into barriers of access. These can range from sluggish responses to information requests to public officials trying to prohibit staff members from talking to the press. Such obstacles to information are frustrating, and they also can be unconstitutional. “The Supreme Court has said…

Police misconduct records are closed in 31 states and the District of Columbia, leaving a cloud of secrecy around law enforcement coverage, according to reporting funded by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. “Access to information about how your government works, and your ability to synthesize that information and present it to the general public so…

Raymond Clapper’s storied journalism career started in 1916, when he began work as a cub reporter for The Kansas City Star while still in college. Soon after, he joined the United Press wire service in Chicago and was eventually transferred to Washington, D.C. to cover politics. By 1929, he was the UP’s Washington bureau chief….

Journalists Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov have been awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize by the Norwegian Nobel Committee. Ressa has emerged as one of the leading voices for press freedom in the Philippines amid threats to independent journalism in the country. The co-founder and CEO of Rappler was convicted in the Philippines last year on trumped-up charges of…

A bipartisan letter was sent today to President Joe Biden, signed by 44 Senators (nearly half of the Senate) and 36 Representatives, asking him to work urgently toward the safe return of veteran U.S. Marine Corps captain and award-winning journalist Austin Tice, who has been held in Syria since August 14, 2012.  Austin, a Georgetown…

The family of award-winning journalist Austin Tice, who has been detained in Syria since 2012 while covering escalating conflict in the region, needs your help to urge President Joe Biden to free Austin and bring him safely home.  Tice, a writer and photographer, veteran Marine Corps captain, and Georgetown Law student, was detained three days…

Public records are like the mirepoix of journalism: They serve as the base of a complex story. With documents in hand, reporters can uncover everything from how a gas company undermined the city of Austin’s climate change proposal to whether certain public figures have paid their taxes.  We asked Mark Walker, Freedom of Information Act…

The pandemic, Capitol insurrection and racial justice protests have challenged the security of journalists. The National Press Club Journalism Institute is providing a checklist of precautions that can protect journalists from physical harm and law enforcement encounters while reporting unrest. Below we have provided precautions to take in advance of reporting and a wallet-sized journalists’…

The Journalism Institute promotes an independent and free press to ensure the public has full access to information that affects their lives. We hold accountable those who restrict journalists in their pursuit of the truth. We help journalists obtain the tools to break barriers to a free press. And we salute those journalists who overcome…

“If you can get the people who are the gatekeepers to all this to get to know you — even on the phone or maybe they’ll FaceTime or Zoom with you — a lot of times they’ll just give it to you,” said Miranda Spivack, a former Washington Post editor and reporter and a journalism…

When the U.S. Capitol was under siege on Jan. 6, at least nine journalists were physically attacked as well. Last week, the FBI issued a warning that armed protestors could infiltrate state capitols and Washington, D.C., in the lead-up to Inauguration Day.  As journalists prepare to cover this week’s events across the country, we’ve rounded…

I was at the beach with my family when my brother Austin called. His schedule at Georgetown Law School had prevented him from joining us. I slipped into an empty room at the little house we were renting and listened, astonished, as he told me he was planning a trip to Syria that summer of…

Austin Tice turns 39 years old today. He should be celebrating with friends & family, looking ahead to his next decade. Instead, he’s entering his 9th year of unjust detention in Syria. A veteran Marine Corps captain, Georgetown University graduate, and award-winning journalist, Austin was taken in Syria in 2012, days after his birthday, while…

National Press Club President Michael Freedman and National Press Club Journalism Institute President Angela Greiling Keane issued the following joint statement Friday after King County Superior Court Judge Nelson Lee in Washington State decreed that that The Seattle Times and four Seattle television stations must turn over unpublished images and video of May 30 unrest…

The following is a joint statement from National Press Club President Michael Freedman and National Press Club Journalism Institute President Angela Greiling Keane on the decision by Michael Pack, the new chief executive of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, to dismiss the heads of the agency’s international news services. “We are deeply troubled by…

The nation’s leading journalism and press freedom organizations today called on law enforcement, mayors and governors across the country to halt the unprecedented assault against journalists in the field covering the protests for social justice.  The following open letter to police nationwide was signed by 18 organizations including: The National Press Club (NPC), The National Press Club…

The National Press Club and the National Press Club Journalism Institute stand in support of all the courageous journalists who have been injured, arrested or come under attack while covering the protests over the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.  Journalists have been assaulted by protesters for simply doing their jobs….

The National Press Club and the National Press Club Journalism Institute condemn the early morning arrests of CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez and his production team, who were taken into custody just after 5 a.m. local time, while live on the air. They were released more than an hour later, after Gov. Tim Walz apologized to…

Sunshine Week is upon us and we join our journalism colleagues in steadfast support of government transparency. An informed public is essential in a democracy. Yet, every day brings new attempts to limit public information, restrict open deliberation and attack press freedom. March alone has cast a spotlight on the legal challenges to  the public’s…

By Rachel [email protected] The National Press Club and the National Press Club Journalism Institute condemn China’s decision to expel American journalists working for the United States’ biggest newspapers. “During this time of extraordinary international uncertainty and fear about the spread and ramifications of the coronavirus, slamming the door on independent journalism serves no good purpose for…

Bahamian journalist Deandre Williamson (lower left) has been covering Hurricane Dorian and its effect on her country since it hit in September of 2019. When the National Press Club offered to help journalists covering the storm, Williamson responded. NPC Journalism Institute board member Kathy Bonk (lower right) stepped up to coordinate support. Earlier this month,…

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2020–The National Press Club and the National Press Club Journalism Institute urged the Chinese government on Wednesday to reconsider a plan to expel three Wall Street Journal reporters from China.  China has ordered Josh Chin, the paper’s deputy bureau chief in China, and reporters Chao Deng and Philip Wen to leave the…

The National Press Club Journalism Institute asked all presidential candidates to respond to the same series of questions about press freedom, which appear below with responses from the campaign of presidential hopeful Michael Bloomberg. Michael Bloomberg served three terms as mayor of New York City, from 2002 to 2013. He announced his candidacy for the…

The National Press Club and its Journalism Institute strongly object to restrictions on press coverage during the Senate trial of President Donald Trump. The proposed limitations are onerous, unnecessary and serve only to limit the news media’s ability to properly report on this historic event to the American public. We fully support the position taken…

In Ethiopia and throughout the Ethiopian diaspora, he’s recognized by his trademark long-brimmed cap. But Eskinder Nega is best known for his struggle on behalf of democracy and press freedoms. A journalist who has been pushing for an independent press in Ethiopia since his 20s, Nega for years irritated the Ethiopian government with his articles…

Journalist Emilio Gutiérrez Soto, chased by death threats in Mexico and deportation fears in the U.S., has found his emotional peace not through the familiarity of a writer’s keyboard, but at the tip of an artist’s brush. Own your own story, therapists say, or the story will own you. As he awaits a decision on…

A bipartisan letter was sent Friday morning to President Donald Trump, signed by 173 members of Congress, asking him to work urgently toward the safe return of veteran U.S. Marine Corps captain and award-winning journalist Austin Tice, who has been held in Syria for seven years. Tice, a Georgetown graduate and law student, was detained…

Julie K. Brown, the Miami Herald journalist who gave voice to Jeffrey Epstein’s long-ignored victims and prompted a legal re-examination of Epstein’s predatory behavior, will receive the National Press Club Journalism Institute’s 2019 Neil and Susan Sheehan award for investigative journalism. Brown’s work revealed a decade-old secret plea bargain that hid the scope of accusations…

Austin Tice, a writer and photographer, was detained in Syria in August 2012, three days after his 31st birthday. The U.S. government believes Austin is alive and being held by an affiliate of the Syrian government. He is the only American journalist currently being held overseas. Please join the Tice family in urging the White…

The National Press Foundation and the National Press Club Journalism Institute partnered on June 28, 2019 for a workshop on situational awareness, defusing dangerous situations, and protecting yourself before, during and after an online attack. Watch the videos below to learn from the training. You can also find additional resources here and here.

Next week marks the first anniversary of the deadliest assault against journalists in U.S. history. On June 28, 2018, a gunman opened fire at the offices of the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland, killing five and injuring two. We will always remember Rob Hiaasen, Wendi Winters, Gerald Fischman, John McNamara and Rebecca Smith, as well…

The messages below can be sent to Secretary Pompeo or your Member of Congress. Just cut and paste the text into the forms linked below, then add your name. Dear Secretary Pompeo, I am writing to urge you to continue employing all diplomatic means to secure the safe release and return of Austin Tice. As…

American freelance journalist Austin Tice’s last post on Twitter was Aug. 11, 2012. It was his 31st birthday and he was spending it with Free Syrian Army soldiers, the rebel forces he had been following as a war reporter since that May. Two days later, as he got ready to leave Syria for Lebanon, he…

In May 2008, Mexican soldiers burst into Emilio Gutiérrez-Soto’s home and ransacked it. A month later, a friend of Gutiérrez with contacts in the military, warned him he had been placed on a hit list. His offense: Being a journalist. To Gutiérrez, the message was clear — his stories about corrupt soldiers for El Diario…

The National Press Club and its Journalism Institute condemn the murder of Mexican journalist Norma Sarabia Garduza and call on Mexican authorities to immediately and thoroughly investigate this cowardly assassination. She is the sixth journalist killed in Mexico this year. Sarabia, who covered crime and violence in Mexico’s southeast state of Tabasco, was gunned down…

In 2005, the National Press Club named its Freedom of the Press Award after John R. Aubuchon, a Maryland Public Television reporter and former White House correspondent who was NPC president in 2002. Aubuchon died in 2003 at age 57. The honorees are listed below. The award descriptions are based on NPC releases, the publications…