(WASHINGTON)–PEN America is yet again sounding the alarm on attacks against press freedom after a Wall Street Journal report indicated the news outlet received grand jury subpoenas for records of its reporters. According to the article, the subpoenas followed complaints by President Trump to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche about leaks to reporters connected to the war in Iran, with the President handing the Attorney General a stack of news articles he took issue with, with some apparently labeled “treason.”
“Even for an administration that brands protest as lawlessness and dissent as disloyalty, it is still alarming to see standard reporting practices framed as ‘treason.’ As Americans question a war now in its tenth week, the government is using a leak investigation to intimidate reporters in the hopes of shielding wartime decision-making from the public,” said Tim Richardson, journalism and disinformation program director at PEN America. “In a democracy, it is critical that journalists are able to draw on confidential sources to help inform the public about the internal deliberations that lead a nation to war. The White House and Pentagon may be uncomfortable with scrutiny of their decisions, but the Justice Department should know better than to punish constitutionally protected newsgathering. These investigations need to stop.”
The development comes days after reporting indicated the FBI had launched an investigation focusing on an Atlantic journalist into leaks surrounding the alleged misconduct of Director Kash Patel, while the FBI denied any such investigation. Weeks earlier, Patel filed a defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic and reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick in response to her reporting.
About PEN America
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. Learn more at pen.org.
Contact: Malka Margolies, [email protected], 718-530-3582