ACLJ: Under Fire, Obama Admin. Pulls Plug on Intrusive Program Targeting Newsrooms - Significant Victory for First Amendment

ACLJ: Under Fire, Obama Admin. Pulls Plug on Intrusive Program Targeting Newsrooms - Significant Victory for First Amendment
Filed in: Free Speech
3:24 PM Feb. 21, 2014


(Washington, DC) - The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which focuses on constitutional law, said today a decision by the Obama Administration to pull the plug on a study putting monitors in newsrooms is a significant victory for the First Amendment and the freedom of the press. Under fire from a growing number of Americans, the FCC today released a statement statement announcing it is pulling the plug on the study saying some of the questions directed to members of the news media “overstepped the bounds of what is required.” The reversal comes as the ACLJ heard from nearly 80,000 Americans in just several days opposing the intrusive move.

“This is significant victory for the First Amendment and the freedom of the press,” said Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel of the ACLJ. “The American people spoke out and sent a persuasive message to the Obama Administration: the federal government has no business interfering in the news business – putting monitors in newsrooms in an attempt to control the media’s message. By shutting down this study, the FCC took the only action it could. We will now remain vigilant to ensure that the FCC follows through on its pledge to refrain from putting monitors in America’s newsrooms.”

The FCC came under fire for considering a proposal that would send government researchers into newsrooms to determine how news organizations decide which stories to run.  The proposal prompted one FCC Commissioner to express concern that this could be used in “pressuring media organizations into covering certain stories.”

The ACLJ is on the front-lines defending the constitutional rights of Americans – including representing 41 organizations in a federal lawsuit challenging the unconstitutional targeting by the IRS.

Led by Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow, the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), focusing on constitutional law, is based in Washington, D.C