Freedom of the Press Foundation Pushes Back Against DOJ Attacks

Caitlin Vogus of FPF: "The U.S. Justice Department's smear of journalist Trevor Aaronson is shameful."

Freedom of the Press Foundation, a nonprofit that defends public-interest journalism, called the Justice Department’s recent attacks against me “shameful.”

Following my attempts to report on a federal terrorism prosecution in Michigan, the Justice Department alleged in a court filing that I had “improper motives” for doing journalism and that I was somehow colluding with a terrorism defendant to “taint the jury pool and undermine the fairness of the trial.”

In a piece published on Freedom of the Press Foundation’s website, Caitlin Vogus, the deputy director of advocacy, said the attacks against me are part of a larger effort “to define away journalism so they can go after reporters — with disastrous consequences for press freedom.”

Freedom of the Press Foundation also produced this video, which you can find circulating on social media today:

Related

• “Don’t let prosecutors decide when journalism isn’t journalism” by Caitlin Vogus, Freedom of the Press Foundation

• “Federal Prosecutors Attacked Me For My Reporting — And They’re Doing It To Hide Info From The Public” by Trevor Aaronson, The Intercept

• “American ISIS” by Trevor Aaronson, Audible