ALT Graphic with statement from Katie Townsend, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press Deputy Executive Director and Legal Director that says: “The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s announcement that it has launched a criminal investigation into a journalist because of her reporting is appalling. This blatantly retaliatory conduct aimed at the Los Angeles Times and its reporter Alene Tchekmedyian is beyond the pale, and violates the First Amendment. Publishing newsworthy information about an alleged law enforcement cover up that sought to block an investigation into the use of excessive force is constitutionally protected activity, and is clearly in the public interest. We condemn the Department’s actions in the strongest terms, and urge it to immediately drop this purported investigation."

ALT A black image with white text displaying the following statement from Bruce Brown, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press: "This is the first prior restraint entered against the New York Times since the Pentagon Papers, and it is an outrageous affront to the First Amendment. "Prior restraints — which are orders not to publish — are among the most serious threats to press freedom. The trial court should have never entered this order. If it doesn’t immediately vacate the prior restraint, an appellate court must step in and do so."

ALT “The public and the press have a strong interest in access to these materials, which should provide information about the government’s justification for the search,” Bruce Brown, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, said in a statement.

ALT Black image with white text of a statement from Bruce D. Brown, executive director for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. He said "This is a watershed moment. The new policy marks a historic shift in protecting the rights of news organizations reporting on stories of critical public importance. For the last several years we have worked with newsrooms to push for meaningful reform and are grateful to the Justice Department officials who saw this new rule over the finish line."

ALT White text on a black background that has a statement from Reporters Committee Executive Director Bruce D. Brown. He said “The Reporters Committee mourns the death of Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German and sends our deepest condolences to his family and his colleagues for this unfathomable loss. His brutal murder is a shocking reminder that physical risks to journalists are a real threat not only in other countries but here at home. Journalism at its best holds public officials and other powerful figures to account, and we must protect the journalists who do this vital work.”

ALT A black image with white text that includes a statement from Bruce Brown, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. “Whenever the government seeks to obtain records of journalists’ communications, it raises serious First Amendment concerns because it interferes with the free flow of information to the public. For exactly that reason, the Justice Department has guidelines in place that require, with only narrow exceptions, notification to an affected news organization before federal prosecutors can seize a journalist’s toll records. It is imperative that the new Justice Department leadership explain exactly when prosecutors seized these records, why it is only now notifying the Post, and on what basis the Justice Department decided to forgo the presumption of advance notification under its own guidelines when the investigation apparently involves reporting over three years in the past.”

ALT Photo of Julie K. Brown and text that reads "Freedom of the Press Awards 2021, Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald"

ALT Image of Laura Moscoso next to black square with white text: "Freedom of the Press Awards 2021, Laura Moscoso, Centro de Periodismo Investigativo, Rising Star Award"

ALT White background image with black text containing a statement from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press: "NPR is an independent non-profit with checks in place to prevent government interference in its programming. It is misleading to label NPR on Twitter as 'government-funded,' as it was to label it 'state-affiliated' last week, when nearly all of its support comes from members and underwriting. This characterization threatens to reduce trust in all publicly supported news organizations in the United States, which are valuable sources of information for millions of Americans.”

ALT Image of a statement from Bruce Brown, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press: “This is a big story that just got bigger. That a journalist from another news organization had communications records seized by the Trump Justice Department suggests that the last administration’s efforts to intrude into reporter-source relationships and chill newsgathering is more sweeping than we originally thought. The Justice Department’s current leadership should provide a detailed explanation about what exactly happened and why, and how it plans to strengthen protections for the free flow of information to the public.”