The Dissent Newswire

Using armaments and tactics straight from the battlefield against Americans protesting, police officers in city after city often look and behave more like soldiers than public servants. But after hearing President Biden’s State of the Union speech calling for “funding

It’s Sunshine Week, which highlights the importance of government transparency. While there are a lot of important steps our government could take to be more transparent (and an urgent need for Congress to take the matter seriously), we at Defending

I suppose it’s only appropriate that as we celebrate another Sunshine Week that I take a moment to talk about the originator of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the late Representative John Moss (D-CA). It’s particularly apropos in this

Editor’s Note: The following column was written by Kathryn Foxhall, Society of Professional Journalists Freedom of Information Committee vice chair, for Sunshine Week. Last year, 25 groups (Including DRAD) wrote to President Joe Biden’s administration saying journalists’ jobs are intentionally hindered by the

On March 14, 2022, the United Kingdom’s Supreme Court denied Julian Assange permission to appeal his extradition.  “This is an appalling decision. Assange faces grave human rights abuses in the US,” said Defending Rights & Dissent policy director Chip Gibbons.

ICE has reportedly issued unlawful summon orders to gain access to personal data from money order companies since 2019, according to Senator Wyden’s (D-OR) office. A recent inquiry made by Sen. Wyden’s office learned that Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), part

On February 21, a little-known Louisiana state legislator introduced a bill that would add at least two new legal justifications for murder. The first, if someone – anyone, presumably – suspects a protester might be damaging property (or “imminently” about

Amid increased concerns over the FBI’s and Justice Department’s targeting of scientists based on their Chinese descent, Defending Rights & Dissent joined with over 70 Asian American organizations, civil rights groups, science associations, and academic groups to file an amicus

Weapons of mass destruction. Bombing a Sudanese pharmaceutical plant. The Gulf of Tonkin incident. There’s plenty of good reasons for journalists to question US military claims. Most importantly, because that’s their job. In the span of a few hours one day

Police and federal agents, including FBI and Customs and Border Patrol officers, are increasingly subjecting activists, protesters, and journalists to improper and sometimes illegal surveillance.  With an array of clandestine tactics and powerful technology available to law enforcement to monitor