Recently Unsealed Court Records Shed Light on Why DoJ Targeted Washington Post Journalists

For months, the three reporters were left in the dark as to why the Justice Department had targeted them and who might have authorized the seizures. Now, thanks to newly unsealed court documents related to the investigation, they finally have some answers.

FAW Public Forum: Media Leak Investigations and the First Amendment

Watch our panel discussion with the Reporters Committee's Gabe Rottman, and two Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalists–Ellen Nakashima from The Washington Post & Charlie Savage from The New York Times–to talk about the history of media leak investigations and their impact on press freedom.

DOJ Abandons Pre-Publication Review Lawsuit Against John Bolton

The Department of Justice has dropped lawsuit against former National Security Adviser John Bolton over his memoir, “The Room Where It Happened.” The agency originally claimed the memoir contained confidential information, and had requested a court order blocking the publisher from distributing copies of the book.

Attorney General Meets With Media Leaders to Tighten Rules on Leak Investigations

On June 14, Attorney General Merrick Garland met with leaders of The New York Times, CNN, and The Washington Post to strengthen rules for obtaining journalists' records during leak investigations. The meeting took place after several reports emerged saying that the Department of Justice, under the Trump administration, had secretly subpoenaed journalists’ phone and email logs in an effort to uncover sources in stories that had been leaked to the press. 

Pending Approval, San Francisco Will Pay $369,000 To Journalist Whose House Was Raided

The San Francisco police raided Bryan Carmody's home and office in May 2019 to find information on an anonymous source. Unsealed documents later revealed that the police did not inform the judges who had approved of the search warrants that Carmody had a valid press pass.

Two Free Press Groups Try To Block Attempt to Reveal Confidential Source

Two free expression groups, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP) and the Media Legal Defence Initiative, filed a friend-of-the-court brief on December 9th asking a federal court […]

Judge Issues Protective Order for LA Times Reporters in Ongoing Lawsuit Against LA County

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled that journalists at the Los Angeles Times do not have to disclose the identities of their sources or turn over unpublished material they […]

San Francisco Police Chief Apologizes For Raid On Journalist’s Home and Office

Police raided the home and office of a San Francisco freelance videographer in connection with an investigation over a leaked police report. The freelancer, Bryan Carmody, had received the leaked report which included salacious details of the events surrounding the sudden death of San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi. First Amendment advocates contend that the search violates California Shield Law.