SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
For Immediate Release
July, 08 2014, 12:00pm EDT
Contact:
David Cuillier, SPJ National President, 520.248.6242, spjdave@yahoo.com
Beth Parke, Executive Director, SEJ, bparke@sej.org
Kathryn Foxhall, member, SPJ, 301.779.8239, kfoxhall@verizon.net
Taylor Carlier, SPJ Communications Coordinator, 317.920.4785, tcarlier@spj.org
38 Journalism Groups Urge President to Stop Excessive Controls on Public Information
INDIANAPOLIS
Thirty-eight journalism and open government groups today called on President Obama to stop practices in federal agencies that prevent important information from getting to the public.
The national organizations sent a letter to Obama today urging changes to policies that constrict information flow to the public, including prohibiting journalists from communicating with staff without going through public information offices, requiring government PIOs to vet interview questions and monitoring interviews between journalists and sources.
"The practices have become more and more pervasive throughout America, preventing information from getting to the public in an accurate and timely matter," said David Cuillier, president of the Society of Professional Journalists. "The president pledged to be the most transparent in history. He can start by ending these practices now."
The letter outlines other specific examples of the excessive information control, considered by some as a form of censorship:
- Officials blocking reporters' requests to talk to specific staff people;
- Excessive delays in answering interview requests that stretch past reporters' deadlines;
- Officials conveying information "on background," refusing to give reporters what should be public information unless they agree not to say who is speaking.
- Federal agencies blackballing reporters who write critically of them.
Never before has such a broad-based coalition of journalism and good-governance organizations spoken out on this issue. The growing number of examples of "mediated access" have not just frustrated journalists but have led to specific cases of important information not reaching the public.
"Our members find that U.S. Environmental Protection Agency press staff routinely block them from getting needed information -- even in a public health crisis, even when the agency is rolling out new regulations and it's important to localize the story," said Beth Parke, executive director of the Society of Environmental Journalists. "Anytime officials suppress information or downplay scientific findings, they are interfering with the public's right to know. When reporters are ignored, and access is denied, news stories suffer and the public is cheated."
In addition to the letter, the organizations provided the White House with resources on the issue and a list of obstruction examples. They asked the administration to set up an avenue through which such incidents can be reported.
SPJ and SEJ urge journalists to join them in fighting these trends in public and private entities at the national, state and local levels. News outlets can resist these trends by publishing editorials, explaining the tactics in news stories and openly resisting them whenever they occur. Journalists are invited to sign up for further information by emailing kfoxhall@verizon.net. To see the letter that was sent in full to President Obama click here.
Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to a well-informed citizenry; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press. For more information about SPJ, please visit https://www.spj.org/.
The 38 groups who signed the letter are:
American Agricultural Editors' Association
American Agricultural Editors' Association Professional Improvement Foundation
American Society of Journalists and Authors
American Society of Business Publication Editors
American Society of News Editors
Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association
Asian American Journalists Association
Associated Collegiate Press
Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication
Association of Opinion Journalists
Center for Media and Democracy
College Media Association
Colorado Press Women
Defending Dissent Foundation
Journalism Education Association
Investigative Reporters and Editors
iSolon.org
North American Agricultural Journalists
National Federation of Press Women
National Newspaper Association
National Press Foundation
National Press Photographers Association
National Scholastic Press Association
Native American Journalists Association
Online News Association
OpenTheGovernment.org
The Poynter Institute
Project on Government Oversight
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility
Public Radio News Directors Incorporated
Radio Television Digital News Association
Regional Reporters Association
Reporters without Boarders
Society of Environmental Journalists
Society of Professional Journalists
Student Press Law Center
Tully Center for Free Speech at Syracuse University
UNITY Journalists for Diversity
The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) is a non-profit investigative reporting group. Our reporting and analysis focus on exposing corporate spin and government propaganda. We publish PRWatch, SourceWatch, and BanksterUSA. Our newest major investigation is available at ALECexposed.org. We accept no funding from for-profit corporations or the government. If you would like to make a financial contribution to support our work, please click here.
LATEST NEWS
'Children Are Being Starved By Design': All of Gaza Faces Hunger Crisis Due to Israeli Siege
"This catastrophe did not unfold in the dark; it happened in plain sight."
May 12, 2025
Data released Monday shows the total Israeli siege that's now in its third month has made Gaza's already dire hunger crisis worse, leaving the entire Palestinian enclave in emergency conditions and hundreds of thousands at risk of starvation as much of the international community looks on, tunes out, or actively fuels the disaster.
The new Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report places 244,000 people in Gaza in Phase 5, defined as such "an extreme deprivation of food" that "starvation, death, destitution, and extremely critical levels of acute malnutrition are or will likely be evident."
The entirety of the Gaza Strip, according to the IPC, is in Phase 4, where households "have large food consumption gaps which are reflected in very high acute malnutrition and excess mortality."
"Goods indispensable for people's survival are either depleted or expected to run out in the coming weeks," the report states. "The entire population is facing high levels of acute food insecurity, with half a million people (one in five) facing starvation."
"With the announced expansion of military operations throughout the Gaza Strip," the report adds, "the persistent inability of humanitarian agencies to access populations in dire need, an anticipated escalation in hostilities, and the continued mass displacement of people, the risk of Famine in the Gaza Strip is not just possible—it is increasingly likely."
Kate Phillips-Barrasso, vice president of global policy and advocacy at Mercy Corps, said the IPC data is "horrifying" but "tragically not surprising," with everyone from children to the elderly suffering.
"This catastrophe did not unfold in the dark; it happened in plain sight," said Phillips-Barrasso. "After more than two months of total blockade, Gaza's food system has collapsed, humanitarian operations are paralyzed, and people are starving. Families are in pure survival mode—hungry, exhausted, and displaced."
"The international community must act now to open the crossings and deliver lifesaving aid. We cannot stand by while an entire population is starved in plain sight."
The updated IPC figures came amid increasingly desperate warnings from aid groups operating in Gaza, most of which has been decimated by Israel's U.S.-backed military assault.
Last week, World Central Kitchen announced that it "no longer has the supplies to cook meals or bake bread in Gaza," pointing to Israel's closure of border crossings and total shutdown of humanitarian aid deliveries in March. Some aid meant for the strip has been left to rot due to Israel's blockade.
"By constantly adapting over the past weeks, we were cooking 133,000 meals daily at our two remaining WCK Field Kitchens and baking 80,000 loaves of bread each day," the aid group said. "But we have now reached the limits of what is possible."
In addition to cutting off deliveries of humanitarian supplies, the Israeli military has continued its attacks on food distribution facilities inside Gaza, further complicating efforts to aid the enclave's starving population. United Nations officials, human rights groups, and the International Criminal Court have accused Israeli leaders of using starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza.
Ahmad Alhendawi, a regional director at Save the Children, said in a statement Monday that "this is a deliberate humanitarian catastrophe."
"Children are being starved by design under Israeli authorities' total siege," said Alhendawi. "We have the food, we have the aid, and we know how to treat malnutrition in children—what we don't have is access. There is food, water, and medical aid ready to go, but it's being blocked at the border while families are forced to eat animal feed and leaves, taking unimaginable and dehumanizing measures to survive."
"This is not a crisis of supply; it's a crisis of access," Alhendawi stressed. "At any given moment in Gaza, a child, someone's whole world, could be killed by bombs and bullets, starvation and disease. The international community must act now to open the crossings and deliver lifesaving aid. We cannot stand by while an entire population is starved in plain sight."
Keep ReadingShow Less
'Under Cover of Night,' GOP Unveils Plan to Kick Over 8 Million Off Medicaid
"This bill confirms what we've been saying all along: Trump and Republicans have been lying when they claim they aren't going to cut Medicaid and take away people's healthcare."
May 12, 2025
House Republicans late Sunday unveiled legislation that analysts said would rip Medicaid coverage from millions of low-income Americans—including children and people with disabilities—to help fund tax breaks that would disproportionately benefit the wealthy.
The bill text released by the House Energy and Commerce Committee is a section of the sprawling budget reconciliation package that Republicans are hoping to complete as soon as Memorial Day.
The legislation includes major changes to Medicaid that, if enacted, would kick millions from the program, including work requirements for some enrollees and new payment mandates for adults living above 100% of the federal poverty level—which, for a single individual, is $15,650 in annual income for 2025.
A snap analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that the healthcare section of the new Republican bill would cut spending by at least $715 billion over the next decade and leave at least 8.6 million more people without insurance.
"Many of the Medicaid proposals from House Republicans are technical and wonky, and will be difficult for the public to absorb," said Larry Levitt, executive vice president for health policy at KFF. "What won't be difficult to absorb: CBO's estimate that the changes will increase the number of people without health insurance by at least 8.6 million."
"Taking healthcare away from children and moms, seniors in nursing homes, and people with disabilities to give tax breaks to people who don't need them is shameful."
With the stated goal of combating fraud, the GOP bill would implement a slew of new reporting and screening requirements to check Medicaid recipients' eligibility—changes that analysts said would ensnare many in procedural red tape, resulting in large-scale loss of coverage.
The measure's work requirement mandates at least 80 hours of work, community service, or related activities per month. Most Medicaid recipients already work, and previous work requirements at the state level have resulted in disaster.
The legislation also alters "cost-sharing requirements for certain expansion individuals under the Medicaid program." In plain terms, the bill would force certain Medicaid recipients to pay more for coverage, whether through premiums or other fees.
"If you make $20,000, a state might slap $1,000 of fees onto your Medicaid," Bobby Kogan, senior director of federal budget policy at the Center for American Progress, wrote in an analysis of the bill. "True sicko shit."
"My heart aches for the people whose lives will be ruined if this becomes law," Kogan added. "So it's our job to stop it."
Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.), the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said in a statement Sunday that "this bill confirms what we've been saying all along: Trump and Republicans have been lying when they claim they aren't going to cut Medicaid and take away people's healthcare."
"Let's be clear, Republican leadership released this bill under cover of night because they don't want people to know their true intentions," said Pallone. "In no uncertain terms, millions of Americans will lose their healthcare coverage, hospitals will close, seniors will not be able to access the care they need, and premiums will rise for millions of people if this bill passes."
"Taking healthcare away from children and moms, seniors in nursing homes, and people with disabilities to give tax breaks to people who don't need them is shameful," he added. "Democrats have defeated Republican efforts to cut healthcare before, and we can do it again."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Progressives Mark Mother's Day With Calls to 'Honor Our Moms With Action'
"Today on Mother's Day, let's remember every mother deserves a livable wage, affordable childcare, paid family leave, and the ability to retire with dignity," said Sen. Bernie Sanders.
May 11, 2025
As the Republicans who narrowly control both chambers of Congress plot cuts to programs that serve the working-class to pay for tax giveaways to the wealthy, progressive lawmakers on Sunday marked Mother's Day by renewing calls for policies that would improve the lives of U.S. families.
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), founder of the Congressional Mamas' Caucus, said in a video shared to social media that "this Mother's Day, we're gonna fight to protect Medicaid, we're gonna fight for childcare, and we're gonna fight to make sure that our children have access to clean water."
Other representatives featured in the video also pledged to fight for federal programs, including Medicaid, which provides health coverage to low-income individuals; Head Start, which provides early childhood education and programming for working-class parents; and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly called food stamps.
President Donald Trump's administration recently reversed course on Head Start cuts by leaving them out of the proposed fiscal year 2026 budget—at least for now—but, as USA Todaynoted earlier this month, "other preschool and after-school programs may be in jeopardy as the Republican-controlled Congress wrestles over the federal budget this summer."
As part of that budget battle, GOP lawmakers are targeting programs including SNAP and Medicaid. In a U.S. House of Representatives floor speech, Tlaib declared that "too often, mothers are left behind in this chamber."
"In the richest country in the world," the mother-of-two argued, "no mother should worry about feeding her children or affording basic care. Ending child poverty is a policy choice. I introduced the End Child Poverty Act to provide universal child benefit for every child in our country and cut child poverty by 60%. Paid leave, affordable childcare, and universal school meals should be guaranteed, not privileges."
Tlaib also noted the Black Maternal Health Caucus' Momnibus Act, a bill she co-sponsors that aims to address the nation's maternal health crisis, and a new Mamas' Caucus campaign to battle GOP efforts to cut hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicaid. She said that "this Mother's Day, I'm asking all of you to not only thank our mothers, but do it with action as we recommit to fighting for the dignity and health of every mother in our nation."
Like Tlaib, Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.) used Mother's Day to recognize the U.S. maternal health crisis.
"As we honor our mothers, we must also recognize that too many are being failed by a system that should protect them," he said on social media. "In the U.S., Black women are nearly three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women, regardless of income or education. The U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rate among developed countries. Over 80% of pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. are preventable. This is unacceptable."
"We will continue fighting for mothers today, tomorrow, and every day for their right to safe, dignified care, bodily autonomy, compassionate treatment, and healthy equity in America," Jackson added.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) on Sunday advocated for his Child Care for America Act, which aims to make childcare $10 per day for families but raise the pay floor for industry workers to $24 an hour.
Khanna, Jackson, and Tlaib have all backed the fight for Medicare for All—and the related bill for that was reintroduced late last month by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) and Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.).
"Today on Mother's Day, let's remember every mother deserves a livable wage, affordable childcare, paid family leave, and the ability to retire with dignity," Sanders said Sunday. "America must become a nation which treats all mothers and their kids with the respect and dignity they deserve."
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) honored her own mom on Mother's Day by resharing, in a series of social media posts, the story about how she supported their family by securing a minimum wage job.
"After my daddy had a heart attack, he couldn't work for a while. Bills piled up. We lost our family station wagon. It looked like the house would be next to go. At night, I'd overhear my parents talk, and that's when I learned words like 'mortgage' and 'foreclosure,'" she recalled. "One day, I walked into my parents' bedroom. My mother's face was red and puffy. A dress was laid out over the bedspread—the dress that only came out for weddings, graduations, and funerals."
"'We are not going to lose this house,' she kept saying. 'We are not going to lose this house.' She'd never worked outside the home. She was terrified," Warren continued. "But she knew what she had to do. I watched her put that dress on, put on her high heels, and blow her nose. She walked to Sears. She got a minimum wage job. And that minimum wage job saved our house and saved our family."
"Today, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour—a wage that has not increased in over 15 years. With that, a family living on minimum wage is living in poverty."
The senator said that "this story is written on my heart. I'm remembering my mother's courage this Mother's Day. I'm thinking about all the mamas out there fighting for their families. And I'm thinking about all the ways the deck is stacked against mothers and families today. A mother today would not be able to work a minimum wage job and keep everyone afloat. Today, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour—a wage that has not increased in over 15 years. With that, a family living on minimum wage is living in poverty."
"And, without quality, affordable childcare, mothers have been shoved out of the workforce," she noted. "They will feel the consequences—in lost earnings, in lower Social Security benefits—for the rest of their lives. And, notably, most women who get abortions today are already mothers. Many are working multiple jobs that don't pay enough to support their children. Abortion bans make it even harder for those families to make ends meet."
While GOP policymakers are working to restrict reproductive freedom and cut safety net programs, Warren made her priorities clear: "I'm working to give every mother and every family a fighting chance—and I'm in this fight all the way."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular