Iowa Reporter Acquitted After Being Arrested While Covering George Floyd Protests
The case drew national outrage from press freedom groups, who called the prosecution excessive and a threat to journalism.
Free Press
Civil Liberties Groups Plead With Biden To Stop Persecuting Julian Assange
Plus: Oklahoma cosmetologists fight insane licensing requirement, Australia doesn't understand how search engines work, and more...
How the U.S. Covered Up the Murder of Journalist Jamal Khashoggi
Oscar-winning filmmaker Bryan Fogel fought Saudi censorship to make his new documentary, The Dissident.
Crackdown: 53 Dissidents Arrested in Hong Kong
China accused the activists and former legislators of "subverting state power."
The Case Against Julian Assange Is Also a Case Against a Free Press
Contrary to what the judge who blocked his extradition implied, the Espionage Act does not include an exception for "responsible" journalism.
U.K. Judge Rejects Assange Extradition, but It's No Win for Freedom of the Press
The fear that harsh federal jail conditions will lead to Assange’s suicide is the only reason he won’t face espionage charges in the U.S.
The Julian Assange Case Threatens All Journalists Who Scrutinize Government Conduct
U.S. officials claim their espionage laws apply to the world, but constitutional protections do not.
Firing of Hungarian Newspaper Editor Stokes Press Freedom Fears
Another blow to the country's few remaining independent news outlets
Judge Orders Federal Officers in Portland To Stop Harassing and Assaulting Journalists and Legal Observers
U.S. District Judge Michael Simon reminds the feds that they are bound by the First Amendment.
Trump Campaign Sues TV Station for Running 'Defamatory' Coronavirus Attack Ad
The lawsuit is the latest in a string of frivolous suits the president's reelection campaign has filed against media outlets.
The Trump Campaign Sues Another Newspaper
Plus: Judge rejects Gabbard's Google lawsuit, Bloomberg drops out, and more...
If Bloomberg's Arrogance Worries You, His Weaselly Positions on Presidential Power Won't Reassure You
The presidential candidate reserves the right to wage unauthorized wars, kill Americans in foreign countries, prosecute journalists, and selectively flout the law.
Trump Campaign Files Libel Lawsuit Against The New York Times
Trump has long complained that libel laws need to be loosened to allow more lawsuits against media outlets.
Trump Uses Clemency To Help Drug War Victims, Reward GOP Donors, and Spite James Comey
Plus: China boots three reporters, megacities are getting a smaller share of growth than they used to, and Dems gather to debate in Las Vegas..
Alexander Hamilton's Influence on Free Press Law: Free Speech Rules (Episode 10)
Episode 10 of Free Speech Rules, a video series by UCLA law professor Eugene Volokh
Brazilian Federal Prosecutors Target Journalist Glenn Greenwald for Exposing Corruption
Authoritarian Jair Bolsonaro attacks the press using the same justification the U.S. used to charge Julian Assange.
Thank You to Every Single Person Who Donated to Reason's 2019 Webathon!
We raised over $370,000 from more than 1,300 donors. Incredible.
Devin Nunes Sues CNN for Reporting Claims He Helped Meddle in Ukraine
"CNN is the mother of fake news," reads the introduction to Nunes' new lawsuit.
Alito Faults Supreme Court for Refusing to Hear 'Disfavored Speech' Case
“If the Court is serious about protecting freedom of expression, we should grant review.”
Dallas Transit Agency Pays $345,000 to Settle Lawsuit by Photographer Arrested for Taking Pictures
DART police officer Stephanie Branch illegally arrested Avi Adelman after he defied her unlawful orders to stop photographing paramedics treating an overdose.
A Survey Finds Speech Restrictions Are Pretty Popular. That's Why We Need the First Amendment.
Most respondents, especially millennials, favored viewpoint-based censorship, suppression of "hurtful or offensive" speech in certain contexts, and legal penalties for wayward news organizations.
Appeals Court Rejects Qualified Immunity Claim by Dallas Transit Cop Who Arrested a Photographer for Taking Pictures
Officer Stephanie Branch arrested Avi Adelman for criminal trespass even though he was not doing anything illegal.
Bernie Sanders' Plan To Save Newspapers Is Wrong on Every Level
Even as the senator calls Donald Trump a press-bullying authoritarian, he threatens press freedom in the name of preserving "independent" media.
Every Democrat in the Senate Supports a Constitutional Amendment That Would Radically Curtail Freedom of Speech
The Democracy for All Amendment aims to mute some voices so that others can be heard.
The Dismissal of Nicholas Sandmann's Lawsuit Shows There's a Difference Between Unfair Press Coverage and Libel
While the teenager has a legitimate beef about coverage of his encounter with Native American activist Nathan Phillips, that doesn't mean he has a legal cause of action.
San Francisco Judge Overturns Illegal Warrant Used to Monitor Journalist's Phone
Superior Court Judge Rochelle East says the warrant violated California law.
Australian Police Raided a Newsroom and a Journalist's Home for Reporting on Government Secrets
The police conducted two searches in two days to track down who is leaking things leaders don’t want the public to know.
San Francisco Police Got a Warrant to Monitor a Journalist's Phone Before Raiding His Apartment
The move is an assault on the First Amendment.
Think Trump's Attacks on Journalism Are Bad? San Francisco Cops Literally Raided a Reporter's Home.
Actions speak louder than words. Trump 's labeling of the media as "the enemy of the people" is bad, but he's not breaking into reporters' homes to find leakers. That's what the San Francisco Police Department did.
Double Standards Endanger Press Freedom
The treatment of Bryan Carmody and Julian Assange reveals widespread confusion about who counts as a journalist and whether it matters.
Police Raid on San Francisco Journalist Descends Into Blame Game
The chief and the union square off over who arranged what was likely an illegal search.
New Julian Assange Indictment Crushes the Hopes of Journalists Who Thought Their Press Passes Would Save Them
Don't believe the Justice Department when it reassures journalists that the WikiLeaks founder is uniquely guilty of violating the Espionage Act.
Dangerous Precedent Looms in Espionage Indictment Against Julian Assange
Plus: Naomi Wolf has no clue (again), gun site wins Section 230 case, and more...
Theory of Revised Julian Assange Indictment Could Apply to Ordinary Reporters
Under the government's theory in some of the charges, any reporter who knowingly prints certain kinds of government secrets could equally be prosecuted.
New Espionage Charges Against Assange Are Bad for Journalists, Worse for Citizens
It's not just the right to report that's under attack. It's also your right to be informed.
Chelsea Manning Faces $1,000-a-Day Fines, Was Imprisoned Again Yesterday After Refusing to Testify for Grand Jury
Plus: An old drug warrior learns new tricks, Taiwan legalizes same-sex marriage, and more...
Are Food-Stamp Receipts Beyond the Reach of FOIA? Supreme Court Hears Arguments Today
Plus: Violence in Sri Lanka leads to social media suppression, and the White House wants to make it harder for pretrial diversion participants to get government jobs.
Julian Assange Is a Better Journalist Than Many of His Media Critics
Journalism is at risk not just from government but from media types who see their jobs as protecting the powerful from embarrassment.
Punishing Assange Isn't Worth Killing a Free Press: Reason Roundup
Plus: Christians and bureaucrats versus Tarot in Virginia, and Democratic candidates on restoring voting rights to prisoners
Georgia Bill Would Mandate 'Journalism Ethics Board.' What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
Journalists would be expected to pay up for government records, while handing over their own records to government officials for free.
Sacramento Police Detain Reporter Covering Stephon Clark Protests, Tie Hands Behind His Back
Police allegedly shoved a photographer to the ground with a baton as well.
How the Feds Are Using Civil Asset Forfeiture to Threaten Free Speech
Sex, publishing, and quasi-legal theft collide in the Backpage prosecution.
In Venezuela, Yet Another Socialist Government Crushes Dissent
People getting starry eyed about socialism should look to Venezuela for some important warning signs.
Federal Judge Rules Trump White House Must Return Jim Acosta's Press Pass
The case, which pits Trump against the network he loves to criticize, has raised First Amendment concerns.
Bob Woodward Is Right: The Press Is 'Emotionally Unhinged' About Trump
The legendary newsman calls for more reporting rather than more outrage or puffery.
Jamal Khashoggi Disappearance Doesn't Seem to Faze White House: Reason Roundup
Plus: Kavanaugh and Gorsuch differ during immigration case.
Did Saudi Arabia Murder This Expat Journalist for Criticizing the Government?
Jamal Khashoggi visited the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul last week. He hasn't been seen since.
