This is the latest installment of our press freedom round-up, recapping the latest attacks on journalists, their right to publish, and our right to know. Here’s the news for the week of February 15, 2025.
CIA wins the Dismissal of a Lawsuit Against Alleged Spying On Assange Visitors
A United States judge dismissed a lawsuit against the CIA and former CIA director Mike Pompeo for their alleged role in spying on American attorneys and journalists who visited WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange during his asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy in London.
Judge John Koeltl of the Southern District of New York ruled that “the subject matter of this litigation is subject to the state secrets privilege in its entirety”, and that any answer to these allegations would “reveal privileged information.”
The lawsuit was brought in 2022 by four Americans who alleged that the information from their devices, which they were required to surrender during their visits to Julian Assange, was copied and shared with CIA. The lawsuit was allowed to proceed in December 2023, upon which, in April 2024, the CIA Director William Burns declared that the case must be dismissed or there could be “serious” and “exceptionally grave” damage to the “national security of the United States.”
SPJ backs AP reporters amid Trump administration’s efforts to stifle independent press
After the White House barred AP reporters from covering two White House events, The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) issued a statement of support to the Associated Press in its First Amendment right to cover the White House.
The AP reporters were banned from the two separate events because the AP Stylebook did not change its guidance to reflect President Trump’s order to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
“The two AP reporters banned from the White House Tuesday evening have no control over the AP Stylebook, but even if they did, it is misguided and a violation of the First Amendment to dictate who has access based on whether you like what they write or report,” said SPJ National President Emily Bloch.