Newsletter: September 2024

Journalists to speak out against the slaughter of journalists in Gaza

We mobilized 113 journalists, 20 news outlets, and seven press freedom organizations to issue a call for an immediate arms embargo against Israel. In a piece for The Nation, Policy Director Chip Gibbons and Courage Foundation Executive Director Nathan Fuller wrote: 

These influential reporters, outlets, and free-expression advocates recognize that Israel’s killing of reporters in Gaza, who brave endless airstrikes, tanks, and snipers to show the world what’s happening, is a deliberate effort to shield their assault on Palestinians from global scrutiny—and therefore to shield themselves from international accountability.

The war in Gaza is the deadliest in recorded history for journalists, gravely endangering press freedom and impeding the American peoples’ right to know about the atrocities conducted with our government’s backing. The call from journalists for an arms embargo clearly resonated: nine outlets reported on the letter, including Democracy Now!. We’re proud of our role organizing the letter (alongside the Courage Foundation and RootsAction) as part of our campaign to stand up for journalism in the midst of a moral and press freedom crisis. For as long as Israel’s war in Gaza continues, we’ll fight for an end to the US-facilitated slaughter of journalists.

Reporting live from the DNC

With tensions running high around the DNC, Chicago Police set a collision course with protesters. Last month, Defending Rights & Dissent Executive Director Sue Udry reported on the five major protests at the DNC as protesters clashed with police over the right to remain in the street and phalanxes of police created “free speech cages” surrounding protests. When confronted with hundreds of cops lining both sides of the street, protesters were forced into making difficult decisions about how to meaningfully exercise their First Amendment rights in the shadow of a massive police footprint. Read Sue’s thoughtful reporting here, here, here, and here. 

On the ground, the First Amendment also came under strain when police arrested indie reporters, hassled credentialed members of the media, and cordoned the press away from documenting police engagement with protesters. Writing under Defending Rights & Dissent press credentials, Sue reported on her experience facing down Chicago police.

School’s back from summer, and we’re keeping a watchful eye on campuses

With the return of college students to campuses, pro-Palestine protests are back underway. Campuses are bracing themselves, and we’re already seeing signs of an impending storm: Columbia is considering adding “peace officers” with arrest powers to campus security and NYU designated Zionists a protected class, setting up snares for students protesting the ongoing genocide in Gaza. As the semester kicks up, we’re keeping a watchful eye over the campus response to dissent. 

We’re prepared to continue to meet the House Education Committee on the battleground for dissent. As the House Ed Committee churned out investigatory summons and congressional inquisitions, we reported on their demonization of protesters, sent letters defending academic freedom, and rallied civil society to defend free speech on Palestine. 

On our radar: 

• There’s exciting legislative news in the works…we’re expecting Espionage Act reform legislation in Congress! Over the past five years, we’ve advised members of Congress about Espionage Act reform legislation that would give national security whistleblowers a public interest defense and exclude journalists like Julian Assange from prosecution. When the bill is introduced, we’ll undertake a full scale push to get it enacted. Get ready to take action on Espionage Act reform!
• As tensions with Iran simmer ever hotter, so-called “zombie AUMFs” – Authorizations for the Use of Military Force – could become the legal basis for US operations in the Middle East. Behind the scenes, we’re fighting to kill outdated AUMFs. If we’re going to war, it should be a matter of public debate and congressional authorization, as required by the Constitution. 
• We have a special issue of Protest Under Fire! covering the party conventions debuting in September. We were on the ground reporting on protest at both the DNC and RNC, and will bring you report backs on the dynamics of policing and protest at two of the most heavily securitized events of the year. 

Defending Rights & Dissent in the news:

The Nation: More Than 100 Journalists Come Together With Their Fellow Journalists in Palestine and Against US Complicity in Their Killing

Democracy Now!: “You Are Complicit”: Journalists, Media Groups Demand End to U.S. Arming of Israel

The World (radio program): American weapons and civilian harm abroad 

Middle East Eye: Over 100 journalists sign letter demanding US impose arms embargo on Israel