US press freedom under unprecedented pressure ahead of election, CPJ report finds

NEW YORK: The safety of journalists in the United States is no longer a given as members of the media face a slew of threats – including violence, online harassment, legal challenges, and attacks by police – that could coalesce to undermine press freedom, according to a new report published Tuesday by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

The report, “On Edge: What the US election could mean for journalists and global press freedom,” found that the hostile media climate fostered during Donald Trump’s presidency has left a legacy that poses great risks to media inside and outside the country.

“It is concerning that in an increasingly polarized environment, threats to the media have become routine in the US,” said Katherine Jacobsen, CPJ’s US, Canada, and Caribbean program coordinator and author of the report. “The scapegoating of journalists not only has consequences for them personally, but also poses grave risks to the public’s right to be informed, a core element of any democracy.”

As of September 2024, assaults on journalists in the US in relation to their reporting have increased by more than 50% compared to 2023 — from 45 to 68 assaults — according to data from the US Press Freedom Tracker, of which CPJ is a founding member.

Journalists are also still struggling with the aftermath of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol in 2021 and the Black Lives Matter protests that erupted across the country in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020. No charges have been brought in at least 15 of the 18 cases of journalists assaulted at the Capitol and reporters interviewed by CPJ say that there has been little accountability for the 273 police assaults on journalists covering the Black Lives Matter protests.

Media outlets are also facing an onslaught of lawsuits that deplete their resources and could endanger reporters’ First Amendment rights and ability to protect confidential sources. The report notes that threats to sources underscore the need to codify legal protections, such as the PRESS Act, to ensure that journalists can report without fear of surveillance from authorities, or forced disclosure of their sources in court. The bipartisan legislation, which CPJ helped author, passed the House of Representatives but has languished in the Senate.

This has been compounded by a disturbing rise in online harassment, especially against women, journalists of color, LGBTQ+ reporters, and journalists who belong to religious or ethnic minorities.