It should be noted that Washington Post publisher Will Lewis put out a statement that said, “Hannah is one of our finest reporters, who works tirelessly to inform our readers about what is actually happening in government. Unsurprisingly, her spirit is not dimmed by the outrageous action that was taken against her at 6am this morning at her home. Even with her laptops and phone taken, what did she most want to do today? Get back to work and file some new hard-hitting stories — thus exemplifying the indomitable spirit of The Washington Post. After all, this is what we do.”
The Post editorial board also wrote: “The Post and the First Amendment.” The board wrote, “The Justice Department’s decision to send FBI agents to raid a Washington Post reporter’s home Wednesday was an aggressive attack on the press freedom of all journalists. Yet anyone who believes the raid will deter reporters from doing their jobs is sorely mistaken.”
The board added, “It’s the government’s prerogative to pursue leakers of classified material. Yet journalists have First Amendment rights to gather and publish such secrets, and The Post also has a history of fighting for those freedoms.”
While the editorial, Lewis’ statement and an email sent by Washington Post executive editor Matt Murray to staff condemning the search have been circulated in the media, there has been nothing publicly attributed to Post owner Jeff Bezos.
So far, Bezos, who is pals with Trump, has remained quiet.
That led The Atlantic’s Jonathan Chait to write, “Jeff Bezos Needs to Speak Up.”
Chait wrote, “The question that has hung over the Post since Bezos’s heel turn has been whether he is still willing to protect the paper from a president who yearns to subdue it. He could answer the question by speaking out forcefully in defense of his journalists and their right to report on the government without intimidation. Or he could continue to remain silent, which, in its own way, is also an answer.”
Bezos isn’t the only one who needs to speak up. All news outlets should. And not just with statements put out through spokespeople, although that’s a good start.
But it has to be more than that. News organizations need to speak up by amplifying this story, including how wrong it is, in actual coverage. That includes conservative outlets, too. It’s one thing to put out a statement or co-sign a letter in protest. It’s another to have notable on-air, prime-time personalities or right-wing columnists point out how dangerous this is.
Imagine if federal agents under President Joe Biden searched the home of, say, Fox News’ Sean Hannity or Laura Ingraham, and confiscated their personal computers and devices. Imagine the outrage. And if that had happened, there would have been — and should have been — outrage.
This isn’t a conservative-liberal debate. This isn’t about Democrats vs. Republicans. This is about the attack on the press, which is a democracy issue that those across the political spectrum should strongly condemn.
Speaking of which …
It was interesting that “ABC World News Tonight,” the “NBC Nightly News” and “PBS NewsHour” covered the Washington Post reporter story, but the much-maligned, Tony Dokoupil-anchored “CBS Evening News” did not.
Both ABC and NBC talked about just how rare and remarkable Wednesday’s events were, and how press advocates were concerned about the potential threat to a free press. PBS did a four-minute segment on it, including a live interview with Gabe Rottman, vice president of policy at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.
The “CBS Evening News” ignored the story.
Not every network newscast is going to line up — what’s a story on one network might not be a story on another. All run different features. CBS, for example, had Dokoupil on his two-week tour across the country. He spent a significant amount of time Wednesday evening talking about issues in Chicago.
But the Post story was a major one, and it was a strange editorial choice for CBS not to mention it.
Speaking out
Here are some of the statements put out by press freedom advocates.
Tim Richardson, journalism and disinformation program director at PEN America, said: “Targeting a reporter in their own home as part of a federal law enforcement action is an extraordinary escalation that strikes at the heart of press freedom. A government action this rare and aggressive signals a growing assault on independent reporting and undermines the First Amendment. It is intended to intimidate sources and chill journalists’ ability to gather news and hold the government accountable. Such behavior is more commonly associated with authoritarian police states than democratic societies that recognize journalism’s essential role in informing the public.”
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press president Bruce D. Brown said: “Physical searches of reporters’ devices, homes, and belongings are some of the most invasive investigative steps law enforcement can take. There are specific federal laws and policies at the Department of Justice that are meant to limit searches to the most extreme cases because they endanger confidential sources far beyond just one investigation and impair public interest reporting in general. While we won’t know the government’s arguments about overcoming these very steep hurdles until the affidavit is made public, this is a tremendous escalation in the administration’s intrusions into the independence of the press.”
Reporters Without Borders USA executive director Clayton Weimers said: “The FBI's search and seizure of a journalist's personal and professional devices appears to be a serious violation of press freedom and underscores why we need to enact greater federal protections for both journalists and their sources. Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed the seizure is linked to an investigation into a federal contractor who is alleged to have leaked classified information. It's worth reiterating, though we shouldn't have to, that journalists have a constitutionally protected right to publish government secrets. We call for the FBI to immediately return Hannah Natanson's devices.”
The National Press Club said in a statement: “While key facts are still emerging, it is extraordinarily rare — and deeply troubling — for law enforcement to search a journalist's home and seize reporting devices. That step represents a significant escalation in investigative tactics and one that should concern anyone who values a free and independent press. Leak investigations are not new. But searching a reporter's residence crosses a line that has long been avoided precisely because of the chilling effect it can have on lawful newsgathering and source relationships. The government has a legitimate responsibility to protect classified information. That responsibility, however, does not override the constitutional protections that allow journalists to do their jobs on behalf of the public. When those protections appear to be at risk, it is something the country should take seriously.”
More press threats
Here’s another disturbing story about the press and the Trump administration.
The Washington Post’s Liam Scott writes, “Applicants for positions at the U.S. military newspaper Stars and Stripes are being asked how they would support the president’s policy priorities, raising concerns among some staffers and media watchers about the prospects for the historic outlet’s editorial independence.”
Stars and Stripes first published during the Civil War. It has been published regularly since World War II. As Scott explains, “While it is partly funded by the Pentagon and its staffers are Defense Department employees, Congress has mandated the publication’s independence and taken measures to guarantee it.”
But, according to Scott, in recent months, applicants to the publication have been asked: “How would you advance the President’s Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role? Identify one or two relevant Executive Orders or policy initiatives that are significant to you, and explain how you would help implement them if hired.”
The questions suggest that Trump and his administration are trying to influence Stars and Stripes’ coverage. What’s even more astonishing is that Scott reported that Stars and Stripes leadership wasn’t even aware these questions were being asked of potential job candidates until alerted by the Post.
Jacqueline Smith, the newspaper’s ombudsman, told Scott, “Asking prospective employees how they would support the administration’s policies is antithetical to Stripes’ journalistic and federally mandated mission,” Smith said. “Journalistically, it’s against ethics, because reporters or any staff member — editors, photographers — should be impartial.”
Scott wrote, “Smith confirmed that applicants are being asked that question when applying for Stars and Stripes positions on USAJobs, the U.S. government’s employment site. The Office of Personnel Management, not the newspaper’s leadership, was responsible for adding the question, she added.”
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