Petition to Obama Administration: End the Harassment and Targeting of Reporters

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http://www.opednews.com/articles/Petition-to-Obama-Administ-by-Electronic-Frontie-Freedom_Freedom_Freedom-Of-The-Press_Government-Press-Repression-140929-747.html



James Risen speaks at Press Freedom News Conference August 14th, 2014 Press Freedom at Stake Hosted by RootsAction.Org Addressing one of the most important U.S. press freedom cases in decades

Petition to Obama Administration: End the Harassment and Targeting of Reporters
By Electronic Frontier Foundation
OpEdNews Op Eds 9/29/2014 at 09:01:30

Imagine the United States without independent reporters. Where would the news come from? Press releases and corporate statements? Government-run media? And more importantly, what would we have missed over the last century? Watergate, COINTELPRO, the CIA's manipulation of politics in Vietnam--none of these things would be common knowledge without courageous reporters, who were willing to publish stories on scandals that rocked the entire country.

A free press has always been an essential part of any democracy. That's why repressive governments insist on state control over media. That's why the very first addition to the Constitution, the First Amendment, protects freedom of speech.

And that's why EFF is joining over 60 organizations supporting the Committee to Protect Journalists' (CPJ) #RightToReport petition. The petition calls on the Obama Administration to:

1. Issue a presidential policy directive prohibiting the hacking and surveillance of journalists and media organizations
2. Limit aggressive prosecutions that ensnare journalists and intimidate whistleblowers
3. Prevent the harassment of journalists at the U.S. border