At least four organizations have written to the Biden Administration calling for significant actions to support a free press, including changes to eliminate restrictions that force reporters to notify or be overseen by public information officers or other authorities.
--The Society of Professional Journalists calls for ending the restraints on reporters speaking to employees. (Coverage in The Hill newspaper.)
--The Society of Environmental Journalists calls for the administration to appoint people in the press offices who adhere to truth-telling, responsiveness and openness; restore daily briefings; ensure agency employees are free, “encouraged even” to talk directly with reporters without press office permission; reverse Trump Administration restrictions on FOIA; support the Journalists Protection Act or similar measure; direct federal law enforcement to avoid physical harm to journalists; and support the shield law legislation to ensure reporters can keep sources confidential.
---The News Media for Open Government calls for daily briefings at the White House and regular briefings at agencies; ending restrictions that prohibit employees from speaking to the press without notifying public information officers; interpreting FOIA in a way that provides more disclosure; supporting the Office of Government Information Services Advisory Opinions; providing for protection of confidential sources; and reversing a Trump administration rule that would limit the time foreign journalists may stay in the U.S.
---The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University calls for narrowing or withdrawing policies that restrict public servants from participating in policy debates; publishing White House visitor logs; imposing new limits on the surveillance of journalists; rescinding the orders to explore options to narrow legal protections for social media platforms; and several other actions. (This may be the most comprehensive statement on free press issues.)
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