The Advisory Committee on Transparency and the Fourth Amendment Advisory Committee is hosting a conversation on the status of the free press in the U.S. focused on surveillance of journalists and their sources.

The event will be on Wednesday, July 21st, at 12:00 pm ET via Zoom.

Panelists include:

  • Jennifer Henrichsen, Yale Law School Information Society Project Fellow
  • Kathy Kiely, Lee Hills Chair in Free-Press Studies at Missouri University
  • Michael De Dora, Washington Advocacy Manager for the Committee to Protect Journalists
  • Melissa Wasser, Policy Counsel for The Project on Government Oversight
  • Sean Vitka, Senior Policy Counsel for Demand Progress (Moderator)

RSVP to the free webinar here.

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The public recently learned that the Trump administration seized email and phone records from CNN, The New York Times, and The Washington Post, sparking fears for the free press and journalists’ sources. Eric Lichtblau, a target himself, wrote thoughtfully on the issues at hand in The Intercept. The DOJ obtained his and three other NY Times reporters’ information in 2020 as part of an undisclosed leak investigation into their sources. The DOJ also sought their email records — a fight the Biden administration continued to wage. Far from a partisan issue, the Obama administration was frequently decried for conducting a “war on journalism.” Join us for a discussion with experts about the significance of the issues, context, and choices ahead.

About the Advisory Committee on Transparency: Democracy is dependent upon a transparent, accountable, and effective government. The Advisory Committee on Transparency is a decade-old effort to educate policymakers on transparency-related issues, problems, and solutions and shares ideas with members of the Congressional Transparency Caucus. It hosts events to discuss important and wide-ranging transparency policy issues with experts from a variety of backgrounds and develops educational publications and provides timely information to the public and members of Congress.

About the Fourth Amendment Advisory Committee: The Fourth Amendment Advisory Committee is dedicated to supporting civil liberty and the work of the Congressional Fourth Amendment Caucus — helping advise key decision-makers on issues related to the Fourth Amendment, especially in areas where law and technology intersect.

More information: Visit the Advisory Committee on Transparency at https://transparencycaucus.info/about and the Fourth Amendment Advisory Committee at https://fourthadvisory.org/about