The Reva & David Logan Foundation’s Post

"Government secrecy, at its core, is a control mechanism." — Lauren Harper, Daniel Ellsberg Chair on Government Secrecy at Freedom of the Press Foundation. With so many documents hidden behind a veil of classification, it's easy to lose sight of what's at stake. From overclassification to delayed FOIA responses, government secrecy erodes our right to self-governance. And with Trump in the Oval Office come January, how will government secrecy evolve? And what does that mean for press freedom? Watch FPF’s Lauren Harper break it down — from the dangers of overclassification to how journalists are at greater risk under these conditions.

Whether you want to believe it or not, America is under an autocracy. Here’s a link with 10 tips for journalists to navigate this. https://lnkd.in/gAxW8qEF

#UNITEDSTATES: The United States is ranked 55th on the 2024 edition of RSF’s World Press Freedom Index, a historic fall of 10 places from the year before.The erosion of American press freedom is due, in part, to declining trust in the media, threats and violence against journalists, and stalled legal reforms. We urge both presidential campaigns to commit to protecting and promoting press freedom. Whoever wins, both presidential candidates must commit to protecting and promoting press freedom. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eThJ8KxK

In our latest blog post, MJLST Staffer Jaxon Hill explores U.S. and EU approaches toward social media content moderation. In "Moderating Social Media Content: A Comparative Analysis of European Union and United States Policy," Hill examines how free speech considerations and legal obligations differ across the Atlantic, focusing on how these regulations impact the moderation of political figures’ social media accounts. Could the EU’s "Statement of Reasons" model bring more transparency to content moderation in the U.S.? Check out Jaxon Hill’s blog post here: https://lnkd.in/gWctpvCf

Correcting political terminology, the latest #polls and how is your "work well being" all in the latest edition of my blog this week. Plus a double Dumbest# Quote of the Week. https://lnkd.in/ehTYwZD9

Do you know the difference between Disinformation and Misinformation? While to most people they might seem interchangeable, there is key differences in their spread and threat profile. But first, let us look at the surface differences: ♦ Misinformation is false or misleading content, that is shared or propagated without intent to harm. ♦ Disinformation comes from propaganda and is shared with the intent of misleading or deceive in order to secure economic or political gain. Both may cause public harm and be shared by the public or newspapers as true stories. Disinformation proves a more damaging threat, even as misinformation can be trickier to deal with given the decentralized sources. Disinformation is of course the main target of counterinformation initiatives such as the European Unions “TACKLING DISINFORMATION AND INFORMATION MANIPULATION” Factsheet. The factsheet mainly outlines the EUs view of the threat posed by information and memory wars, alongside the EU response to the new threat picture posed by asymmetric information warfare. If you want to know more, you can find it here: https://lnkd.in/gxkXeZK7  

A free press is the cornerstone of democracy. It informs the public, holds those in power accountable, and cultivates an informed citizenry capable of critical thinking. Yet in recent years, the United States has seen an alarming rise in attempts by political figures to limit press freedom, from verbal assaults on journalists to direct threats of prosecution. These actions not only endanger the press but also undermine the public’s ability to think critically, eroding the very foundations of democracy.

A system that was once hailed for empowering citizens has become increasingly vulnerable to political control, eroding the very autonomy that made it effective. My latest editorial page column “RTI decay”, on the challenges in defending transparency, for The Statesman. Link: https://lnkd.in/gaQ6fzBt Read!

We are entering the pre-election window when misinformation and deep fakes might outnumber honest, factual information. Journalists must use their own skepticism and tools to root out the fakes and make sure your community gets the facts they need. Here is a great, timely article from The Washington Post that might help. https://lnkd.in/gPJtuXDt

Public records are an excellent resource for student journalists, but not all may know how to use them. Listen to our IJNotes episode on how U.S. student journalists can take their reporting to the next level using the First Amendment: https://buff.ly/3OgAsgv