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30-year sentence for transporting zines is a five-alarm fire for free speech
25 days ago
- Daniel 'Des' Sanchez Estrada sentenced to 30 years for transporting anarchist zines under NSPM-7, part of a broader crackdown on dissent.
- Trump administration expanding efforts to criminalize possession of information, as seen in cases against Don Lemon, Georgia Fort, and Project Veritas.
- NSPM-7 broadly targets 'anti-fascist' actors, enabling prosecution based on ideology and creating a chilling effect on free speech and press freedom.
- Authoritarian tactics include ignoring court orders, placing loyalists in key positions, and dismantling press freedom, with corporate media often complicit.
- The Intercept calls for support to expand independent journalism in defense of democracy amid the worst year for press freedom in modern U.S. history.
The government wants to scare Americans out of sharing the news
14 days ago
- Federal officials are investigating Americans for sharing news reports on social media, claiming it threatens immigration officers and constitutes doxxing.
- A New York woman was confronted by ICE agents over an Instagram post that repeated information from a news article identifying an officer involved in a shooting.
- The Department of Homeland Security has accused individuals of posting officers' addresses, but evidence is disputed and not publicly available.
- Freedom of the Press Foundation is seeking records to determine if investigations target people for reposting journalistic content.
- Government actions may suppress news by intimidating individuals who share reports, circumventing direct censorship of news outlets.
- Officials have also pressured tech platforms to remove content related to ICE, using claims of inciting violence, without public transparency.
- These tactics undermine press freedom by limiting public discussion and sharing of journalism, even if they don't directly involve newsrooms.
Google Is Censoring Reviews of ICE Detention Centers
3 days ago
- Google Maps receives thousands of reviews for ICE detention facilities, often detailing harsh experiences.
- Google purges these reviews and blocks new ones, citing policies against reviews for places people go without choice.
- Research indicates Google actively suppresses carceral information and narratives related to ICE facilities.
- Only four ICE facilities still permit reviews on Google Maps, with many previously collected reviews now deleted.
- Google's actions lack public notice, and the company denies coordination with DHS or ICE on review removals.
- Reviews describe poor conditions, language barriers, and extended detentions, highlighting systemic issues.
- Google frames censorship as consumer-centric, but critics argue it's a political decision affecting carceral information.
- The article shifts to discuss Trump's authoritarian takeover, including ignoring court orders and targeting press freedom.
- Corporate media cowers, while right-wing billionaires reshape media, threatening democracy and journalism.
- The Intercept appeals for support to expand reporting capacity in 2026, emphasizing independence from corporate interests.
Government withdraws reporter subpoenas for NYT after admitting legal errors
3 hours ago
- The US government withdrew subpoenas for three New York Times reporters after a federal judge criticized its legal errors.
- The subpoenas aimed to compel testimony about sources for articles on Trump’s Qatari-gifted Air Force One jet.
- The judge cited laws protecting journalists as a last resort, finding the government's actions violated First Amendment principles.
- The Justice Department defended the subpoenas, citing a national security leak investigation, and criticized the judge's conduct.
- The government’s errors included subpoenas for phone records of a reporter’s mother and spouses, which it admitted were mistakes.
- The Times argued the subpoenas were issued in bad faith without a serious prior investigation, seeking records from months before the articles.
- The judge highlighted the absurdity of a journalist being served a subpoena while watching a family movie, demanding no repeat of such scenarios.

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#press freedom

30-year sentence for transporting zines is a five-alarm fire for free speech

The government wants to scare Americans out of sharing the news

Google Is Censoring Reviews of ICE Detention Centers

Government withdraws reporter subpoenas for NYT after admitting legal errors