There were 314 incidents of violations of press freedom in the United States during 2024, according to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. The actions ranged from the Kansas legislature banning reporting from the House floor to a Colorado reporter being choked outside his TV station to numerous search orders against news organizations.
Things are not expected to look much better in 2025. Already Trump Administration officials have threatened increased investigations into leaks to the press; more criminal prosecution of journalists and stepped-up government surveillance of the press.
Trump has already moved to remove any independent oversight of government agencies when he fired about 17 Inspectors General, including the one who found numerous violations of regulations and laws by the Trump appointed CEO of the US Agency for Government Media, the home agency of the Voice of America.
Join the SPJ International Community and the Washington DC chapter of the SPJ for an online discussion with Kirstin McCudden, Vice President of Editorial at Freedom of the Press Foundation and Managing Editor at US Press Freedom Tracker, about these and other threats to press freedom in the United States.