Newspapers Put Pressure on Rhode Island Governor To Resume COVID-19 Press Briefings

Since her nomination to then-President-Elect Joe Biden's Cabinet, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo has stopped answering journalists' questions about the pandemic and vaccine distribution. According to The Providence Journal, Raimondo’s last weekly COVID-19 briefing was on December 22, 2020.

Ninth Circuit Reinstates Injunction Barring Federal Agents from Assaulting Journalists

The ninth circuit reinstated a lower court's injunction exempting journalists and legal observers from general dispersal orders. Many reporters say they have been assaulted by federal agents despite remaining several feet away from protests.

Teacher Guide: Press Briefings and Journalists’ Rights

Though politicians and journalists need one another, their interactions are by nature often adversarial. A key part of a reporter’s job is to look beyond the story public officials want to tell and to ask uncomfortable questions. But when officials believe reporters go too far, can they ban them from attending future gatherings? And what First Amendment or other rights protect reporters from such actions?

First Amendment Coalition Pushes Court to Keep Public Access to Criminal Case

The defense counsel in a high-profile criminal case in California asked a court in August to close the pretrial hearings from the public and media. Now, a First Amendment advocacy group is pushing back, arguing that there are ways to ensure a fair trial without compromising public access.

D.C. Circuit Upholds Injunction Blocking White House From Revoking Reporter’s Press Pass

While the White House had a legitimate interest in maintaining a degree of control over media access to the White House, U.S. Circuit Judge David Tatel wrote that the administration could not do so in a way that interfered with a reporter’s due process rights.

White House Asks CNN Reporter to Move to the Back of Press Briefing Room

When Collins and another reporter refused to swap seats, the White House official allegedly told the reporters that the matter would be handled by the Secret Service.

Missouri Journalists Criticize Governor for Lack of Access to COVID-19 Press Briefings

Like a number of states, Missouri has moved from in-person press briefings to online ones in an effort to limit the spread of coronavirus. But unlike other states, Missouri has barred the press from asking questions in real-time. 

Breaking with Tradition, Supreme Court To Provide Live Audio of Oral Arguments

“Despite the justices' unwillingness to bring the modern technologies of video into the courtroom, the COVID-19 pandemic reveals how some communication technologies can change the culture of the proceedings and how the court communicates with the public,” Ron Collins said in response to the court's decision.