U.S. Press Freedom Tracker

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U.S. Press Freedom Tracker The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker is a comprehensive database of press freedom incidents in the United States. border and physical attacks.

Press Freedom Tracker is a comprehensive database of press freedom incidents in the United States — everything from arrests of journalists and the seizure of their equipment to interrogations at the U.S. The Press Freedom Tracker documents incidents across the country, involving national, state and local authorities.

A man is facing charges for intentionally disabling KWTV-DT’s weather radar July 6, taking offline the system used to tr...
03/09/2025

A man is facing charges for intentionally disabling KWTV-DT’s weather radar July 6, taking offline the system used to track tornadoes, floods and emergency alerts.

The Oklahoma AG said the act “imperiled public safety.”

The weather radar system at KWTV-DT in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was intentionally disabled in an act of vandalism on July …

Today marks three years since the gruesome murder of Las Vegas Review-Journal investigative journalist Jeff German.Last ...
02/09/2025

Today marks three years since the gruesome murder of Las Vegas Review-Journal investigative journalist Jeff German.

Last year, county official Robert Telles was found guilty of the fatal stabbing and was sentenced to life in prison.

On Sept. 7, 2022, Las Vegas police arrested a public official on suspicion of murdering a Las Vegas Review-Journal journalist, …

Reporter Eddie Kim was grabbed by the throat, pushed and sprayed with a chemical irritant by federal agents while report...
28/08/2025

Reporter Eddie Kim was grabbed by the throat, pushed and sprayed with a chemical irritant by federal agents while reporting on protesters’ attempts to prevent a detainee transfer from a San Francisco immigration court on Aug. 20.

Eddie Kim, a reporter for the Gazetteer San Francisco, was grabbed by the throat, pushed and sprayed with a chemical …

Getty Images photojournalist Spencer Platt was struck with a baton by a LAPD officer while covering a protest in LA on J...
26/08/2025

Getty Images photojournalist Spencer Platt was struck with a baton by a LAPD officer while covering a protest in LA on June 11.

Though he isn’t sure he was the intended target, he described the police response as “extremely aggressive.”

Spencer Platt, a photojournalist with Getty Images, was struck by a mounted officer wielding a baton while covering an anti-deportation …

Journalist Lexis-Olivier Ray was shoved by a LAPD police officer while covering an immigration protest in downtown LA on...
26/08/2025

Journalist Lexis-Olivier Ray was shoved by a LAPD police officer while covering an immigration protest in downtown LA on Aug. 12.

"There’s definitely things that we missed because we were not able to move around freely," he said.

Lexis-Olivier Ray, an investigative reporter with L.A. Taco, was shoved by a police officer and blocked from filming parts of …

A freelance photographer was struck in the leg and face by crowd-control munitions — suffering a hematoma in his left ey...
22/08/2025

A freelance photographer was struck in the leg and face by crowd-control munitions — suffering a hematoma in his left eye and requiring stitches in his left temple — while covering an anti-deportation protest in Compton, California, on June 7.

A freelance photographer was struck by impact projectiles in the leg and face, suffering a hematoma in one eye and …

Filmmaker Rocky Romano, visibly marked as press, was struck by DHS crowd-control munitions, including pepper balls and t...
20/08/2025

Filmmaker Rocky Romano, visibly marked as press, was struck by DHS crowd-control munitions, including pepper balls and tear gas, while filming an anti-deportation protest in LA on June 7.

Documentary producer Rocky Romano was hit in the leg with pepper balls and tear-gassed while covering an immigration raid protest …

DC-based Media Matters for America was granted a preliminary injunction Aug. 15, protecting the nonprofit from the Feder...
19/08/2025

DC-based Media Matters for America was granted a preliminary injunction Aug. 15, protecting the nonprofit from the Federal Trade Commission’s demand for a trove of documents related to Media Matters’ alleged “collusion” with advertisers on X.

Shortly after President Donald Trump’s second term began, Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson joined Trump in taking steps to …

Shutterstock staff photographer Chelsea Lauren was pushed to the ground by LAPD officers, damaging her telephoto lens, w...
18/08/2025

Shutterstock staff photographer Chelsea Lauren was pushed to the ground by LAPD officers, damaging her telephoto lens, while she was reporting on immigration protests in downtown LA on Aug. 8.

Shutterstock photojournalist Chelsea Lauren was shoved to the ground with a baton by police, damaging her telephoto lens, while documenting …

Freelance photojournalist Sean-Beckner Carmitchel was struck in the ribs with a baton and detained by LAPD officers whil...
18/08/2025

Freelance photojournalist Sean-Beckner Carmitchel was struck in the ribs with a baton and detained by LAPD officers while reporting on anti-deportation protests in downtown LA on Aug. 8.

While he was released after an hour without charges, he was later diagnosed with a broken rib.

Freelance photojournalist Sean Beckner-Carmitchel was pushed, struck with a baton and detained by police while documenting anti-deportation protests in downtown …

Freelance photojournalist Carrie Schreck was pushed by LAPD officers and detained while covering an anti-deportation pro...
18/08/2025

Freelance photojournalist Carrie Schreck was pushed by LAPD officers and detained while covering an anti-deportation protest in downtown LA on Aug. 8.

She was released without charges.

Freelance photojournalist Carrie Schreck was pushed by police officers and detained while covering a protest against federal immigration raids in …

Filmmaker Rocky Romano was wearing visible credentials and carrying pro-grade gear when he was hit with a baton and shov...
18/08/2025

Filmmaker Rocky Romano was wearing visible credentials and carrying pro-grade gear when he was hit with a baton and shoved to the ground by LAPD officers while covering an anti-deportation protest in LA on Aug. 8.

Documentary writer, director and producer Rocky Romano was pushed by police and hit with a baton while covering an immigration …

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Journalists in the United States face hostility from local and federal governments, along with a number of legal threats to themselves and their sources. This nonpartisan website launched in 2017 and aims to be the first to provide reliable, easy-to-access information on the number of press freedom violations in the United States—from journalists facing charges to reporters stopped at the U.S. border or asked to hand over their electronics.

When journalists are obstructed, so is the public’s right to be informed and hold power to account. The United States has some of the strongest legal free speech protections in the world, and serves as a beacon for press freedom in a world where journalists are routinely censored, attacked, or imprisoned for their work. But the U.S. record is imperfect, and journalists and advocates must tirelessly defend the First Amendment in courts, in legislatures, and in the media. Constant vigilance and an honest accounting of the country’s track record on press freedom are essential.

The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker brings together more than two dozen press freedom groups to create a centralized repository for research. The data we gather will help inform advocacy, journalism, and legal action.

The tracker is based on a coalition that shares knowledge about threats to press freedom across the country. Freedom of the Press Foundation, a press freedom advocacy organization, manages the day-to-day operations of the site. The Committee to Protect Journalists heads a steering committee that includes the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Reporters Without Borders, and Index on Censorship.