Bill of Rights Institute

  • ENGAGE for students
    • Student Overview
    • Student Programs & Events
      • Spring Programs
      • Summer Programs
      • Fall Programs
    • Student Resources
      • Think the Vote
      • Homework Help
      • Debate Webinars
      • AP Prep Webinars
    • Primary Sources
    • Constitutional Academy
    • We The Students Essay Competition
  • EDUCATE for teachers
    • Teacher Overview
    • Educator Programs & Events
    • Educator Resources
      • Documents of Freedom
      • BRI Resources
      • Current Events & eLessons
      • Primary Sources
      • Book Recommendations
    • Constitution Day 2019
    • Resources for Students
      • Think the Vote
      • Homework Help
      • APUSH
    • Update Your BRI Profile
  • EMPOWER for supporters
    • Supporter Overview
    • Donate
      • Donate Now
      • Donate FAQ
    • Ways to Give
      • In-Kind Donations
      • Planned Giving
      • Stock Transfers
    • Become a Sustaining Member
    • Investor Corporations & Foundations
  • Donate
Sign In / Register

Home / Educate / Educator Resources / Teaching with Current Events / Freedom of the Press
  • All Topics
  • Citizen Juries
  • Criminal Procedure & Due Process
  • Debates and Conversations
  • Federalism
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Freedom of Religion
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Freedom of the Press
  • Gun Rights
  • Individual Liberties
  • Property Rights
  • Separation of Powers
  • Student Rights

Current Events

November 18, 2019 | Freedom of the Press

Sweden Rejects Chinese Criticism of Press Freedom Prize

Sweden’s culture minister on Nov. 16 awarded the annual Tucholsky literary prize to a Chinese author despite a threat from the Chinese ambassador to ban her from entering the country.

Author Gui Minhai, a naturalized Swede and co-owner of a Hong Kong store that sold books critical of Chinese leaders, was detained by police in eastern China in 2018 while in the company of two Swedish diplomats with whom he was traveling to Beijing...

Read More

October 21, 2019 | Freedom of the Press

Australian newspapers black out front pages as media unites to defend press freedom

New York (CNN Business) The biggest news outlets in Australia, normally fierce rivals, are uniting in support of press freedom with a campaign including blacked-out newspaper front pages and slots on prime time broadcasts.

The newspapers and networks are trying to "to highlight the constraints on media organizations under strict national security legislation," Australia's ABC network reported...

Read More

September 16, 2019 | Freedom of the Press

Lawyers say leaks prosecution violates freedom of the press

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Lawyers for a former intelligence analyst charged with leaking classified documents about military campaigns to a reporter say the case should be dismissed because the law is being used to suppress freedom of the press.

Daniel Hale of Nashville, Tennessee, is charged in federal court in Alexandria under the World War I-era Espionage Act. That law makes it a crime to disclose national defense information to those not entitled to receive it...

Read More

September 3, 2019 | Freedom of the Press

Judge tells White House to reinstate reporter’s pass

A judge has blocked the White House’s decision to revoke the press pass of Playboy correspondent Brian Karem over a Rose Garden showdown in July with former White House aide Sebastian Gorka.

U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras issued a decision Tuesday evening granting a preliminary injunction restoring Karem’s so-called “hard pass” on the grounds that the reporter had no clear notice of the rules governing press behavior at events like the presidential appearance that preceded the heated exchange...

Read More

August 21, 2019 | Freedom of the Press

Sheriff in conservative Malheur County defends free press

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Journalists are defending a small Eastern Oregon newspaper after a county attorney asked the sheriff to investigate whether a reporter broke the law by trying repeatedly to get comments from an official for a story...

Read More

August 7, 2019 | Freedom of the Press

Conservative think tank sues Wisconsin’s Evers over access

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A conservative think tank has filed a federal lawsuit against Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, alleging he violated the First Amendment rights of staff members who were denied access to a press briefing and kept off an advisory list sent to other reporters.

The MacIver Institute for Public Policy filed the lawsuit Tuesday in Madison alleging that Evers violated its staffers’ constitutional rights to free speech, freedom of the press and equal access...

Read More

August 1, 2019 | Freedom of the Press

UK, Canada defend U.S. media freedom

ATLANTA — Great Britain and Canada are on the front lines, defending media freedom around the world. 

But high-profile journalists and academics here say they are not just worried about oppressive governments and rogue regimes. They are concerned with peril much closer to home...

Read More

July 10, 2019 | Freedom of the Press

Saudis vexed at low ranking on press freedom index after Khashoggi murder

Officials in Saudi Arabia privately complained about the kingdom’s low ranking on an influential press freedom index, less than one year after the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi by a Saudi murder squad...

Read More

July 2, 2019 | Freedom of the Press

Press freedom summit urges Mexico to reform journalist protections

On June 18, more than 400 people converged in Mexico City for CPJ's Mexico Press Freedom Summit. Energized by a sense that the country is at a point of profound political change under the government of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the conference delved into the threats for Mexican journalists...

Read More

June 26, 2019 | Freedom of the Press

Australia media demand press freedom law reforms after raids

CANBERRA, Australia — Australia’s three largest media organizations joined forces on Wednesday to demand legal reforms that would prevent journalists from risking imprisonment for doing their jobs. The demands came after unprecedented raids against media organizations by police searching for leaked documents that some say were deeply embarrassing to the government...

Read More

June 19, 2019 | Freedom of the Press

New York Times CEO Mark Thompson calls Trump’s attacks on the press ‘stupid’ and ‘dangerous’

New York Times CEO Mark Thompson on Wednesday called President Donald Trump’s attacks on journalists “hostile,” “stupid” and “dangerous.”Thompson’s comments at the CNBC Evolve forum Wednesday in New York came the day after Trump launched his 2020 reelection campaign at a raucous Orlando, Florida, rally in which he targeted the news media...

Read More

June 5, 2019 | Freedom of the Press

Watchdog Finds Global Press Freedom at Lowest Point in Decade

NEW YORK — The U.S.-based democracy watchdog Freedom House says press freedom is declining around the world, right alongside political rights and civil liberties.In its annual report released Wednesday, the nongovernmental group says global press freedom fell to its lowest point in more than a decade due to continued crackdowns on independent media in authoritarian states and unprecedented threats to journalists in traditionally free societies...

Read More

May 27, 2019 | Freedom of the Press

How the indictment of Julian Assange could criminalize investigative journalism

For decades, the American press has reported damning government secrets, shined a spotlight on abuse and held accountable the nation’s highest leaders. It has done these things under the protection of the First Amendment and a firm belief that Americans deserve to know the truth...

Read More

May 14, 2019 | Freedom of the Press

SFPD in cross hairs of press freedom fight after raid on journalist’s home

SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) - A showdown over press freedom and police power is escalating in San Francisco after police raided a journalist’s home and office in trying to ferret out the identity of one of his sources.Freelance videographer Bryan Carmody obtained a police report detailing the circumstances surrounding the death of the city’s well-known public defender, Jeff Adachi, back in February. He then sold information and video of the scene to multiple news agencies including KTVU, which regularly pays freelancers a fee for information and video...

Read More

May 6, 2019 | Freedom of the Press

Myanmar frees 2 imprisoned Reuters reporters

RANGON, Myanmar — Two Reuters journalists who were imprisoned for breaking Myanmar’s Official Secrets Act over reporting on security forces’ abuses of Rohingya Muslims were pardoned and released Tuesday, the prison chief and witnesses said.Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were freed after President Win Myint issued a blanket pardon for 6,520 prisoners, said Zaw Zaw, chief of Yangon’s Insein Prison...

Read More

April 18, 2019 | Freedom of the Press

The U.S. Now Ranks As A ‘Problematic’ Place For Journalists

The United States has become a less safe place for journalists, and the threats they face are becoming the standard, according to a new report by an international press freedom organization.Reporters Sans Frontières, or Reporters Without Borders, dropped the U.S. to No. 48 out of 180 on its annual World Press Freedom Index, three notches lower than its place last year. The move downgrades the country from a "satisfactory" place to work freely to a "problematic" one for journalists...

Read More

April 12, 2019 | Freedom of the Press

The debate over what Julian Assange’s arrest means for freedom of the press, explained

Is the arrest of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange justice against a man who broke the law, or is it a warning shot that journalism is under threat in the United States?It’s a difficult question to answer, in part because it brings up a host of other related questions: Do you consider WikiLeaks a journalistic organization or not? Did Assange actively participate in criminal activity to obtain classified intel, as the US government alleges, or did he just disseminate information passed on to him and is therefore protected by the First Amendment? Does it matter that Assange and his organization seem to have developed at the very least an affinity to Russia? And is the single charge he faces in the United States the total of the government’s push for justice — or is it just the opening salvo in what will become a larger war to punish Assange (and anyone else who publishes classified information)?...

Read More

April 1, 2019 | Freedom of the Press

Maryland to honor Capital Gazette victims with ‘Freedom of the Press Day’

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – To honor the five victims who lost their lives at the Capital Gazette, the Maryland General Assembly is naming June 28th ‘Freedom of the Press Day’. Both sides of the legislature voted unanimously to name the day in honor of the slain journalists. The five employees were killed on June 28th when alleged gunman Jarrod Ramos entered the newsroom and opened fire. Lawmakers say the movement is critical to let people know that freedom of the press is important...

Read More

March 19, 2019 | Freedom of the Press

Concern raised over SKorean treatment of Bloomberg reporter

SEOUL, South Korea — International journalists’ organizations are criticizing the status of press freedom in South Korea after the country’s ruling party singled out a Bloomberg reporter with South Korean nationality over what it claimed was a “borderline traitorous” article insulting President Moon Jae-in, resulting in threats to the reporter’s safety.

Read More

February 22, 2019 | Freedom of the Press

An Arizona officer threatened to arrest a 12-year-old journalist. She wasn’t backing down.

When a small-town Arizona officer stopped a 12-year-old reporter who was chasing down a story tip on Monday, he probably had no idea what he was getting himself into...

Read More

February 19, 2019 | Freedom of the Press

Justice Clarence Thomas criticizes landmark Supreme Court press freedom ruling

WASHINGTON — Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas criticized a landmark press freedom case on Tuesday, calling for a new look at the rule that public figures cannot successfully sue for libel unless they can demonstrate that a statement was made with actual malice.

The court ruled in the 1964 case of New York Times v. Sullivan that a public figure must prove a defamatory statement was made "with knowledge that it was false or with reckless disregard of whether it was false or not." The case was brought by a county official in Alabama who claimed he was defamed by an advertisement in the paper criticizing police response to the civil rights movement...

Read More

February 13, 2019 | Freedom of the Press

Press freedom “fragile” in Europe, says new report

Press freedom in Europe is “more fragile now” than at any time since the end of the Cold War, with journalists in Europe facing increased hostility and violence, according to a new report published on Wednesday...

Read More

February 7, 2019 | Freedom of the Press

CNN’s Jim Acosta Visits UVA to Discuss Freedom of the Press and Politics

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - The future of politics and the press was under examination at the University of Virginia Thursday evening.

CNN's chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta, whose confrontations with President Trump have gone viral and led him to be temporarily banned from the White House, spoke with community members about the state of the press during the current administration...

Read More

February 3, 2019 | Freedom of the Press

Washington Post airs Super Bowl ad honoring journalists, press freedom

The Washington Post on Sunday aired its first Super Bowl advertisement, a one-minute long compilation of historic images and clips meant to signify the role of journalists. 

The ad, which was narrated by actor Tom Hanks, aired during the fourth quarter of the contest between the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams... 

Read More

January 29, 2019 | Freedom of the Press

‘Bullying journalists is not Presidential’: Fox News anchor berates Trump for tweets

WASHINGTON – After President Donald Trump leveled a rare Twitter attack against Fox News – a network he normally praises for its favorable coverage of him – one of the conservative channel's anchors lambasted the president for "bullying journalists."... 

Read More

January 10, 2019 | Freedom of the Press

Lawmakers mark 100 days since Khashoggi’s death with press freedom event

Lawmakers gathered Thursday to mark 100 days since the disappearance of slain Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi and underscore the important of the freedom of the press.

Democrats and Republicans delivered remarks at a press freedom event at the Capitol, decrying Khashoggi's murder and calling for accountability. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called the journalist's killing "an atrocity and an affront to humanity."...

Read More

November 18, 2018 | Freedom of the Press

Merkley resolution urges Senate to stand up for freedom of press

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., introduced a strongly worded resolution Thursday calling for the Senate to stand up for freedom of the press in America and around the world...

Read More

November 16, 2018 | Freedom of the Press

Julian Assange charge raises fears about press freedom

The disclosure that federal prosecutors have brought an unidentified criminal charge against Julian Assange…

Read More

November 16, 2018 | Freedom of the Press

Judge orders White House to return Jim Acosta’s press pass

CNN's Jim Acosta has returned to his post at the White House following a court ruling that forced the Trump administration to reinstate his press pass…

Read More

November 15, 2018 | Freedom of the Press

Kill newspaper’s free speech lawsuit against us, Middletown officials ask U.S. judge

Middletown officials are urging a federal judge to dismiss a freedom of speech lawsuit filed against them by the Press & Journal newspaper...

Read More

November 14, 2018 | Freedom of the Press

Trump v CNN: lawsuit becomes test case on press freedom

Donald Trump and several of his top aides were accused of violating…

Read More

October 23, 2018 | Freedom of the Press

Pence vows US response to Khashoggi death: Those responsible will be held accountable

Vice President Pence on Tuesday vowed the U.S. would respond to the "brutal murder" of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, calling it an "assault on a free and independent press."

Read More

More Current Events

eLessons

  • Freedom of the Press
  • Champions of Freedom – The Founders
  • New York Times Co. v. Sullivan (1964)
  • New York Times v. United States (1971)
  • Near v. Minnesota (1931)

https://billofrightsinstitute.org/educate/educator-resources/teaching-with-current-events/freedom-of-the-press/

1310 North Courthouse Rd. #620 Arlington, VA 22201

703.894.1776

info@billofrightsinstitute.org

© 2019 Bill of Rights Institute

PRIVACY POLICY

  • About Us
  • FAQs
  • Statement of Academic Integrity
  • Join Our Team
  • Request Professional Development

Connect with BRI