"Teaching a media law and ethics class in America today is to constantly explain to your students that while something may be well-established as illegal in decades of case law, it is nevertheless happening to journalists across the country as we speak. I want to tell them that in 2026 journalists will band together and fight back with clarity, force, and persistence. Each week, my Montclair State students and I discuss recent media law and ethics news,"
"It is hard to explain to students that despite their legal rights to film law enforcement officials in public spaces, 72 journalists covering immigration in Los Angeles alone were physically attacked. That the Associated Press is in court fighting for what executive editor Julie Pace says is "the right of the press and public to speak freely without being targeted by their government based on its preferences." And so many more examples."
Journalists are experiencing brazen assaults on press freedom and free speech despite decades of case law that protect journalistic activity. Physical attacks, legal targeting, and suppression occur at both high-profile and local levels, including assaults on reporters and prosecution for routine reporting. A coordinated Free Press Consortium composed of major news organizations, smaller nonprofits, independent journalists, and existing press-rights groups is proposed to unify resources and strategies. The consortium would run a relentless public campaign, collect and share journalist testimonies on social platforms, and provide ideas, resources, and tactics to defend press rights with clarity, force, and persistence.
Read at Nieman Lab
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