SEJ joined with 37 other groups in a letter sent July 8, 2014 to President Obama calling for his administration to curtail the widespread practice of requiring all interview or information requests for federal agencies and departments to be filtered through press offices, which frequently restrict access to staff and monitor what contacts are permitted.
Dear Senator,
As the Senate considers S 2363, the Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act of 2014, we want to express our grave objections to inclusion of Section 108 ("Annual Permit And Fee For Film Crews Of 5 Persons Or Fewer.") This provision directly threatens the Constitutionally protected First Amendment right of a free press to gather news.
SEJ and five other journalism groups sent a letter July 8, 2014 objecting to a bill up for debate on the US Senate floor this week that could restrict the ability of journalists to report on stories in National Parks, National Forests and other public lands. Photo: Fern Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. Courtesy U.S. NPS.
"Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) is trying to use a bill aimed at preserving federal lands for hunting and fishing as a vehicle to block the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) attempt to redefine its jurisdiction over the nation’s lakes and rivers."
"The European Union is making its desire to import more oil and natural gas from the United States very clear in the course of discussions over the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) trade deal, according to a new leaked document."
"Report is the first of its kind to prescribe concrete actions that the biggest 15 economies must take to keep warming below 2C""
"Scientists at the University of Manitoba say they have linked pollution in the oilsands to elevated cancer rates in Fort Chipewyan for the first time."
"WASHINGTON -- The Environmental Protection Agency, admitting that 'we haven’t had the best relationship with the agriculture industry in the past,' is beginning a push for a proposed new water rule that has generated strong opposition from farm communities."
"A federal agency has fined the company that spilled chemicals into West Virginia's largest water supply $11,000 for a pair of violations."
"It was the state’s worst industrial accident in nearly 50 years."
