Exposing Paramount’s press freedom sellout
Dear Friend of Press Freedom:
Billionaires have been hard at work trading away your right to get the news without government interference, but we’re working just as hard to fight back. Read on for the latest press freedom news and how you can join us in standing up for press freedom.
Exposing Paramount’s press freedom sellout
Between the gutting of CBS News and reports of promises to remake CNN to appease the president, it’s clear that Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison and his father and financial backer, Larry Ellison, see press freedom as just another bargaining chip.
The public deserves to know if the Ellisons are trading editorial independence for regulatory favors. That’s why Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) and Reporters Without Borders filed a demand for records from Paramount Skydance, seeking to uncover the details of its dealings with the Trump administration as it tries to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, and in its past acquisition of Paramount.
And as Seth Stern, chief of advocacy at FPF, explains, “If the Ellisons can’t stand up to their friends in the administration and defend the First Amendment, they should stay away from the news business.”
Investigating leaks, Kash Patel demands higher proof
FBI Director Kash Patel denies he’s been drunk on the job, but he’s certainly drunk on power.
The FBI has reportedly opened an investigation into Atlantic magazine journalist Sarah Fitzpatrick’s reporting on Patel’s alleged unexplained absences and drinking habits at the bureau. Patel is also reported to have ordered scores of staffers to be polygraphed as part of a panic-fueled leak hunt.
This is the second time in recent weeks we’ve learned that the FBI has baselessly investigated constitutionally protected, highly newsworthy reporting that was unfavorable to its director. The bureau’s actions “show complete disregard for the First Amendment and for the FBI’s supposed mission of stopping crime, not serving as PIs for its leadership on the taxpayer dime,” said FPF’s Stern.
Financial censorship of SPLC could impact the press next
Rainey Reitman, the president of FPF’s board, wrote for The Intercept about how financial institutions’ decision to cut off funds to the Southern Poverty Law Center after its widely criticized indictment could foreshadow attacks on others the administration dislikes, including the press.
“Given the Trump administration’s open hostility to journalism and its novel legal tactics to attack the press, it’s entirely possible that the next target of financial censorship could be a news outlet,” wrote Reitman, who recently released a book on financial censorship,“Transaction Denied: Big Finance’s Power to Punish Speech.”
Take action to modernize U.S. Virgin Islands public records laws
The U.S. Virgin Islands is the site of news of both local and national importance, from military facilities to “Epstein Island.” But the U.S. territory’s public records and open meetings laws are badly outdated.
Thankfully, investigative journalist and U.S. Virgin Islands native Shirley L. Smith is helping to spearhead a campaign to modernize the transparency laws. Use our action center to tell local lawmakers to move quickly to improve transparency and accountability in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Join us to hear tips from former FOIA officials on how to still get public records
Former federal Freedom of Information Act officials will join FPF Daniel Ellsberg Chair on Government Secrecy Lauren Harper for a live webinar on Friday, May 15, at 2 p.m. ET to give practical advice for journalists on how to win documents from agencies and explain what to do when an agency prioritizes political interests over transparency.
Submit your questions ahead of time by emailing membership@freedom.press, and don’t forget to register to watch the webinar on May 15.
Silenced by the SEC
This week, legendary First Amendment lawyer Floyd Abrams and other experts joined FPF to talk about the dangers of Securities and Exchange Commission’s “gag rule,” which prohibits individuals who settle with the agency from disputing its allegations publicly. We discussed how the rule threatens First Amendment interests far beyond the financial sector, how such an unconstitutional prior restraint can persist for decades, and ongoing litigation seeking to strike down the rule.
What we're reading
Donald Trump is trying to change the rules about keeping records
National Public Radio
We need a court to affirm that presidential records are public property and categorically reject the radical idea that they’re personal property, FPF’s Harper explained on “1A.”
U.S. revokes visas of board members at Costa Rica’s top watchdog newspaper
The New York Times
The Trump administration is taking its weaponization of immigration laws against journalists worldwide, but it won’t stop there. If it could, it would exile any reporter who dares to investigate the president and his allies, no matter where they’re from.
Exclusive: Inmates describe being punished for speaking out about Ghislaine Maxwell
CNN
It’s great to see reporting on retaliation against incarcerated whistleblowers and news sources. But this kind of retaliation is certainly not limited to those who participate in reporting about Jeffrey Epstein’s accomplices — it should be covered regularly.
World’s most powerful are suing media outlets before stories are even published, says editor
The Guardian
Strong anti-SLAPP legislation in every state and at the federal level would go a long way in assuring news outlets that they can publish the truth without being bankrupted by frivolous lawsuits.
NYS agencies failing to make FOIL easier for public
Reinvent Albany
It’s absurd that in 2026, New York state agencies may still require public records appeals to be done via snail mail. FPF and other groups are urging state lawmakers to pass a new bill that would require agencies to accept electronic appeals.
A secret ICE directive is testing one of Florida’s strongest traditions: Open government
Florida Trib
“The fact the [ICE partnership] program is inherently tied to local communities and local policing, and ICE is giving local law enforcement a gag order, is a slap in the face of taxpayers and the public at large,” explained FPF’s Harper.
Media Matters secures complete and total victory against Federal Trade Commission
Media Matters for America
Further proof that going on offense against the Trump administration’s censorial bullying works. Take these clowns to court — they lose regularly!
Correction: An earlier version of the newsletter item discussing financial censorship referred incorrectly to the name of the Southern Poverty Law Center. The error has been corrected.
