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.)
Thursday, January 28, 2021
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
Society of Professional Journalists Calls on Biden to Stop the Gag Rules on Federal Workers
The Society of Professional Journalists has called on President Joe Biden to end restrictions on federal employees from “speaking to the press without notification or oversight by authorities, often by using public information officers as gatekeepers.”
“These rules, exacerbated under the Trump administration, amount to extreme censorship and damage everyone’s understanding of government,” said SPJ president Matt Hall. “They literally threaten people’s lives.”
“SPJ believes the nation is suffering the consequences of these controls during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the letter states. “Agencies that the public count on, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration, have stymied reporting for years. Often, the press is not allowed in their facilities and reporters are prohibited from contacting staff without the authorities’ oversight; in reality, reporters are often not allowed to speak to anyone.”
The Hill newspaper covered the statement on inauguration day.
“These rules, exacerbated under the Trump administration, amount to extreme censorship and damage everyone’s understanding of government,” said SPJ president Matt Hall. “They literally threaten people’s lives.”
“SPJ believes the nation is suffering the consequences of these controls during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the letter states. “Agencies that the public count on, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration, have stymied reporting for years. Often, the press is not allowed in their facilities and reporters are prohibited from contacting staff without the authorities’ oversight; in reality, reporters are often not allowed to speak to anyone.”
The Hill newspaper covered the statement on inauguration day.
Sunday, January 17, 2021
Groups Call on Biden to Lift the Censorship on Federal Staff
At least two groups have called on President-elect Joe Biden to eliminate the censorship on federal workers that bans them from speaking to the press without reporting to authorities.
The restrictions in effect often block staff from speaking to journalists at all.
Both groups make lifting the constraints a part of their agenda for early work in the new administration.
The News Media for Open Government says the administration should, among other things, eliminate, “current restrictions that prohibit government employees in Executive Branch agencies from communicating with the press unless a public information officer provides clearance and is involved.”
The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University says the administration should: “Narrow or withdraw policies that unconstitutionally restrict public servants from participating in policy debates.”
It stresses, “These policies violate the free speech rights of the employees and deprive the public of access to critical information and insights.”
Over six years coalitions of up to 60 organizations have repeatedly written to the Obama and Trump administrations and to Congress warning of the dangers of the constraints.
The restrictions in effect often block staff from speaking to journalists at all.
Both groups make lifting the constraints a part of their agenda for early work in the new administration.
The News Media for Open Government says the administration should, among other things, eliminate, “current restrictions that prohibit government employees in Executive Branch agencies from communicating with the press unless a public information officer provides clearance and is involved.”
The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University says the administration should: “Narrow or withdraw policies that unconstitutionally restrict public servants from participating in policy debates.”
It stresses, “These policies violate the free speech rights of the employees and deprive the public of access to critical information and insights.”
Over six years coalitions of up to 60 organizations have repeatedly written to the Obama and Trump administrations and to Congress warning of the dangers of the constraints.
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