Journalists: Want to get the most out of your public records requests? @rcfp.org attorney Gunita Singh shares five FOIA tips for reporters to keep in mind — from the best way to craft your requests (be specific!) to how you can appeal a denial (no lawyer required).

Webinar: Learn how a new partnership between @rcfp.org @publicsource.org @cornelllaw.bsky.social is supporting local journalists in Western Pennsylvania — and how it could serve as a blueprint for protecting press freedom in communities across the country. Register:

Keynote: Empowering Local News | eCornell

Be Informed. Be Inspired. Experience the Best of Cornell, Live and On Demand.

ecornell.cornell.edu

“The government’s response sent a dangerous message that it will go to extremes to silence reporting that it dislikes.” In @latimes.com, @rcfp.org's Gabe Rottman discusses the Trump administration's escalating attacks on the press — and why it's the public that ultimately loses out.

Contributor: Sending armed agents to reporters' homes is a threat to free press and whistle-blowers

Government searches, subpoenas and other legal demands targeting journalists’ materials, sources and communications represent extraordinary government overreach.

latimes.com

The Pentagon is seeking expansive — and troubling — new authority to restrict access to government information, asking to give Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth unilateral power to exempt unclassified material from disclosure under FOIA and state public records laws.

Pentagon seeks extraordinary new power to evade transparency

The Pentagon’s proposal would have a devastating effect on the public’s right to know on some of the most consequential issues of the day.

rcfp.org

New: Freelance journalist Matthew Cole has been fighting a subpoena he received in February after reporting about a failed Navy SEAL Team 6 mission in North Korea that took place in 2019, per @nytimes.com.

Justice Dept. Subpoenas Times Freelancer in Effort to Identify Sources

A previously undisclosed subpoena, involving reporting on a failed SEAL Team 6 mission in North Korea, reflects the government’s expanding campaign to investigate leaks of secrets.

nytimes.com

@rcfp.org is raising concerns about a highly unusual FCC decision targeting ABC stations' broadcast licenses — one that appears to be in retaliation for airing content that the Trump administration dislikes.

Reporters Committee urges FCC to reject petitions to deny ABC license renewals

The FCC appears to be retaliating against ABC for broadcasting content that the Trump administration dislikes.

rcfp.org

We're thrilled to welcome Marietta Catsambas to @rcfp.org! Catsambas will lead our amicus practice, building broad coalitions to support journalists’ rights in state and federal courts.

Reporters Committee welcomes attorney Marietta Catsambas to lead amicus practice

Catsambas will oversee the Reporters Committee’s work building broad coalitions to support journalists’ rights in state and federal courts.

rcfp.org

FYI: @rcfp.org's free Legal Hotline is available to help journalists with a variety of media law questions and press freedom issues: https://www.rcfp.org/legal-hotline/ We also maintain a 24/7 emergency line at 1-800-336-4243 for reporters who face imminent threat, such as detainment or arrest.

Reporters Committee Legal Hotline

RCFP's free Legal Hotline is available seven days a week to journalists and media lawyers who need legal help or have questions about public records.

rcfp.org

A Pennsylvania police department refused to turn over its Flock camera search history. Now, an @rcfp.org attorney is representing The Morning Call in a public records lawsuit for the data, which could shed light on how police use license plate reader data.

The Morning Call sues for access to Flock camera search history

The news outlet seeks records that could shed light on how police use license plate reader data.

rcfp.org

Good news: The Massachusetts state Senate unanimously passed a shield law to help protect journalists from being forced to reveal their confidential sources. The state is one of only nine across the country without such a law. [via @bostonglobe.com]

Calling Massachusetts a national outlier, state Senate passes ‘shield’ law protecting journalists - The Boston Globe

As of last year, Massachusetts was one of only nine states in the country without a reporters shield law, according to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

bostonglobe.com

@rcfp.org is urging the FCC to reject petitions that would deny the renewal of broadcast licenses for several ABC stations, raising concerns that the agency is retaliating against the stations for airing content that the Trump administration dislikes.

Reporters Committee urges FCC to reject petitions to deny ABC license renewals

The FCC appears to be retaliating against ABC for broadcasting content that the Trump administration dislikes.

rcfp.org

This year's Freedom of the Press Awards recipients demonstrate the impact of bold reporting and the importance of the legal support that empowers such great journalism. Learn more about our #RCFPAwards26 honorees:

Celebrating the power of the press: RCFP announces 2026 Freedom of the Press Award winners

The Freedom of the Press Awards return Oct. 14 to celebrate leaders in journalism and media law.

rcfp.org

Journalist Catherine Herridge is being compelled to pay $800 a day until she reveals confidential sources as part of a Privacy Act lawsuit. @rcfp.org's Gabe Rottman spoke to @columjournreview.bsky.social about these types of cases and why “they’re really consequential for press freedom.”

Private matters.

Catherine Herridge, a former Fox News reporter, is being compelled to pay $800 a day until she reveals confidential sources.

cjr.org

The Trump administration is sending armed agents to journalists' doorsteps — an effort to intimidate the press that could ultimately leave the American public in the dark. Read @rcfp.org's Gabe Rottman in @latimes.com:

Contributor: Sending armed agents to reporters' homes is a threat to free press and whistle-blowers

Government searches, subpoenas and other legal demands targeting journalists’ materials, sources and communications represent extraordinary government overreach.

latimes.com

Journalists: Want to protect your communications with confidential sources? @rcfp.org's Jen Nelson shares 5️⃣ tips for reporters to keep in mind — from best practices around tech tools to secure ways of exchanging information.

5 tips for protecting communications with confidential sources | Reporters Committee

YouTube video by The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press

youtube.com

With our free press under attack, Massachusetts lawmakers should step in and pass a local shield law. @bostonglobe.com explains why this crucial measure would protect journalists and the public's right to know in a new editorial:

Trump goes on a new media witch hunt - The Boston Globe

With a free press under attack everywhere, Massachusetts lawmakers should step in and pass a local shield law.

bostonglobe.com

ICYMI: Last week, the Justice Department withdrew subpoenas targeting New York Times journalists over their reporting on the Qatari-gifted Air Force One jet. Read @rcfp.org's full statement on the news:

Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press@rcfp.org · 2w ago

Breaking: The Trump administration is withdrawing subpoenas issued to New York Times journalists in connection with reporting on Air Force One. @rcfp.org President Bruce D. Brown called the effort “brazen and careless government overreach.” Full statement: www.rcfp.org/nyt-doj-subp...

We're thrilled to welcome Marietta Catsambas to @rcfp.org! Marietta will lead our amicus practice, building broad coalitions to support journalists’ rights in state and federal courts.

Reporters Committee welcomes attorney Marietta Catsambas to lead amicus practice

Catsambas will oversee the Reporters Committee’s work building broad coalitions to support journalists’ rights in state and federal courts.

rcfp.org

The Department of Homeland Security is shortening the duration of visas for foreign journalists working in the U.S. — a move that can have “profound implications for press freedom.”

Reporters Committee statement on DHS changes to foreign journalist visas

“Changing the terms of foreign journalists' visas might appear subtle, but it can have profound implications for press freedom.”

rcfp.org

At 9am ET: @rcfp.org President Bruce D. Brown will appear on C-SPAN's "Washington Journal" to discuss the Trump administration's increasingly aggressive attacks on journalists and how it harms the public's right to know. 📺 Watch live: https://www.c-span.org/wj

“While other administrations have pursued subpoenas against the press, no administration has used the full weight of its powers — rhetorical, regulatory, legal — to attack reporters in the way this one has done,” @rcfp.org's Bruce D. Brown told @washingtonpost.com. “The record is not even close.”

To track down government leakers, Trump supports pursuing journalists

Hours before addressing the White House press corps, the president endorsed using subpoenas against reporters in national security leak investigations.

washingtonpost.com

Blue Surveillance fought for three months against the Wheat Ridge Police Department for bodycamera footage showing officer misconduct. With help from @rcfp.org, we succeeded.

Blue Surveillance Acquires Body Camera Footage of Wheat Ridge Police Officer Misconduct After Legal Struggle with City

Wheat Ridge Police Department initially refused to release footage of former Officer Carlos Bowdre holding a gun against an unarmed man’s head Blue Surveillance acquired body camera footage of a Whea...

bluesurveillance.org

Breaking: The Trump administration is withdrawing subpoenas issued to New York Times journalists in connection with reporting on Air Force One. @rcfp.org President Bruce D. Brown called the effort “brazen and careless government overreach.” Full statement: www.rcfp.org/nyt-doj-subp...

Blanket policies that prohibit rank-and-file public employees from speaking freely with the press are pervasive across the country. @rcfp.org's Kris Cundiff explains how we're helping journalists push back on these harmful 'gag' rules:

Government ‘gag’ policies are far too common. It’s time to push back.

Reporters Committee attorneys are helping journalists challenge these obstructive policies.

rcfp.org

A new DHS rule "risks providing the government with an avenue to not renew a journalist's visa in retaliation for coverage it perceives as critical," said @rcfp.org's Gabe Rottman. [via @usatoday.com]

Trump administration caps foreign journalist, student visas

Foreign students and journalists face new visa limits under a Trump administration rule set to take effect in September.

usatoday.com

A Tennessee judge ordered a Memphis juvenile court to stop enforcing a policy that unlawfully shuts the press and public out of proceedings after a news media coalition, represented by an @rcfp.org attorney, sued to challenge the restrictions.

Memphis judge blocks juvenile court from unlawfully shutting reporters out of proceedings

The judge sided with a news media coalition represented by an RCFP attorney.

rcfp.org

“If the press isn’t able to gather information about the government, then the public loses access to the information it needs to hold the government accountable at the ballot box,” @rcfp.org's Gabe Rottman told @usatoday.com.

Trump targets leaks with subpoenas. How the First Amendment applies

Experts and press advocates characterized the administration's efforts to crack down on leaks as an escalation that could violate the First Amendment.

usatoday.com

@rcfp.org's Bruce D. Brown and Gabe Rottman spoke to @newyorker.com about the Trump administration's increasingly aggressive assault on the press — from defamation lawsuits to subpoenas to a raid on a journalist's home.

Trump’s War on Journalists

The recent subpoenas of reporters make clear that the President is trying to threaten the press. Few protections are in place to stop him.

newyorker.com

@rcfp.org attorneys helped @propublica.org obtain records revealing that investors with ties to China, Hong Kong, and Russia bought stakes in Elon Musk's SpaceX through a middleman firm — raising national security concerns.

How free legal support from RCFP helped ProPublica uncover SpaceX’s foreign investors

RCFP attorneys helped ProPublica unseal a list of SpaceX’s private investors, including a businessman with ties to Chinese military contractors.

rcfp.org

An Oklahoma judge ruled that the state’s wildlife commission must disclose a severance agreement after @oklahomavoice.com — represented by @rcfp.org's Leslie Briggs — challenged the record’s secrecy.

Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation severance agreement is public record, judge rules • Oklahoma Voice

An Oklahoma County judge ruled the state’s wildlife commission's severance agreement with its former director is public record.

oklahomavoice.com