The U.S. Justice Department recently deleted language from its policy manual regarding protections for press freedom and from racial gerrymandering. (Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr/cc)
DOJ Quietly Removes References to Press Freedom and Gerrymandering From Policy Manual
While many in the political media rushed to the defense of the White House after Michelle Wolf's WHCA monologue, the Trump administration indicated once again that it has no intention of defending journalists
Amid the handwringing of many in the corporate media over comedian Michelle Wolf's monologue at the White House Correspondents' Association over the weekend, few took notice of reports that the Justice Department took a step away from protecting journalists on Sunday, deleting language in its policy manual regarding press freedom as well as racial gerrymandering.
As Buzzfeed reported, the U.S. Attorneys' Manual includes the DOJ's policy priorities, and has been updated in recent months under orders by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, after undergoing no major changes since 1997.
In the new update, a section titled "Need for Free Press and Public Trial" was removed. The deleted passage had stressed the need to maintain "the constitutional requirements of a free press and public trials as well as the right of the people in a constitutional democracy to have access to information about the conduct of law enforcement officers, prosecutors and courts, consistent with the individual rights of the accused."
Far from prioritizing the need to ensure government transparency, a brief section on the department's policy for contact with media notes that "the right of the public to have access to information" about the DOJ should be balanced with other factors as officials decide when to release information. Employees are also now required to report "any contact with a member of the media about a DOJ matter."
The DOJ also removed all references to redrawing voting districts and gerrymandering along racial lines, and deleted a section that read, "The Voting Section defends from unjustified attack redistricting plans designed to provide minority voters fair opportunities to elect candidates of their choice and endeavors to achieve racially fair results where courts find...that redistricting plans constitute unconstitutional racial gerrymanders."
The changes follow numerous attacks on press freedom and voting rights by the Trump administration. Last week, the U.S. fell to 45th place on Reporters Without Borders' World Press Freedom Index, with the group citing President Donald Trump's anti-press rhetoric as furthering the "decline in journalists' right to report."
The administration's hostility towards full voting rights for Americans has been evidenced in the election commission Trump was forced to disband earlier this year, after it failed to prove his claims that the popular vote was stolen from him in the 2016 election by undocumented immigrants who voted illegally, and by a number of his appointments of judges who have built careers on fighting against voting rights.
On social media, Trump critics implored the corporate media to take note of the DOJ's policy changes.
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just three days to go in our Spring Campaign, we're falling short of our make-or-break goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Amid the handwringing of many in the corporate media over comedian Michelle Wolf's monologue at the White House Correspondents' Association over the weekend, few took notice of reports that the Justice Department took a step away from protecting journalists on Sunday, deleting language in its policy manual regarding press freedom as well as racial gerrymandering.
As Buzzfeed reported, the U.S. Attorneys' Manual includes the DOJ's policy priorities, and has been updated in recent months under orders by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, after undergoing no major changes since 1997.
In the new update, a section titled "Need for Free Press and Public Trial" was removed. The deleted passage had stressed the need to maintain "the constitutional requirements of a free press and public trials as well as the right of the people in a constitutional democracy to have access to information about the conduct of law enforcement officers, prosecutors and courts, consistent with the individual rights of the accused."
Far from prioritizing the need to ensure government transparency, a brief section on the department's policy for contact with media notes that "the right of the public to have access to information" about the DOJ should be balanced with other factors as officials decide when to release information. Employees are also now required to report "any contact with a member of the media about a DOJ matter."
The DOJ also removed all references to redrawing voting districts and gerrymandering along racial lines, and deleted a section that read, "The Voting Section defends from unjustified attack redistricting plans designed to provide minority voters fair opportunities to elect candidates of their choice and endeavors to achieve racially fair results where courts find...that redistricting plans constitute unconstitutional racial gerrymanders."
The changes follow numerous attacks on press freedom and voting rights by the Trump administration. Last week, the U.S. fell to 45th place on Reporters Without Borders' World Press Freedom Index, with the group citing President Donald Trump's anti-press rhetoric as furthering the "decline in journalists' right to report."
The administration's hostility towards full voting rights for Americans has been evidenced in the election commission Trump was forced to disband earlier this year, after it failed to prove his claims that the popular vote was stolen from him in the 2016 election by undocumented immigrants who voted illegally, and by a number of his appointments of judges who have built careers on fighting against voting rights.
On social media, Trump critics implored the corporate media to take note of the DOJ's policy changes.
Amid the handwringing of many in the corporate media over comedian Michelle Wolf's monologue at the White House Correspondents' Association over the weekend, few took notice of reports that the Justice Department took a step away from protecting journalists on Sunday, deleting language in its policy manual regarding press freedom as well as racial gerrymandering.
As Buzzfeed reported, the U.S. Attorneys' Manual includes the DOJ's policy priorities, and has been updated in recent months under orders by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, after undergoing no major changes since 1997.
In the new update, a section titled "Need for Free Press and Public Trial" was removed. The deleted passage had stressed the need to maintain "the constitutional requirements of a free press and public trials as well as the right of the people in a constitutional democracy to have access to information about the conduct of law enforcement officers, prosecutors and courts, consistent with the individual rights of the accused."
Far from prioritizing the need to ensure government transparency, a brief section on the department's policy for contact with media notes that "the right of the public to have access to information" about the DOJ should be balanced with other factors as officials decide when to release information. Employees are also now required to report "any contact with a member of the media about a DOJ matter."
The DOJ also removed all references to redrawing voting districts and gerrymandering along racial lines, and deleted a section that read, "The Voting Section defends from unjustified attack redistricting plans designed to provide minority voters fair opportunities to elect candidates of their choice and endeavors to achieve racially fair results where courts find...that redistricting plans constitute unconstitutional racial gerrymanders."
The changes follow numerous attacks on press freedom and voting rights by the Trump administration. Last week, the U.S. fell to 45th place on Reporters Without Borders' World Press Freedom Index, with the group citing President Donald Trump's anti-press rhetoric as furthering the "decline in journalists' right to report."
The administration's hostility towards full voting rights for Americans has been evidenced in the election commission Trump was forced to disband earlier this year, after it failed to prove his claims that the popular vote was stolen from him in the 2016 election by undocumented immigrants who voted illegally, and by a number of his appointments of judges who have built careers on fighting against voting rights.
On social media, Trump critics implored the corporate media to take note of the DOJ's policy changes.