Truthout
press freedom
![WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange leaves the United States Courthouse on June 26, 2024, in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2024/08/2024_0806_julian-assange-400x300.jpg)
Assange Is Free, But the Fight to Protect Press Freedom Is Far From Over
While Assange regains his strength, it’s up to activists worldwide to continue the struggle for independent journalism.
![A Chicago police officer stands with a police radio near Oak Street Beach on August 18, 2022, in Chicago, Illinois.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2024/08/GettyImages-1245801873-1-400x300.jpg)
Police Are Increasingly Encrypting Their Radios to Block Scrutiny by Journalists
Press advocates say that the surge in encryption is a reaction to the demand for police accountability after 2020.
![WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange arrives at the United States Courthouse where he is expected to enter a guilty plea to an espionage charge ahead of his expected release on June 26, 2024, in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2024/06/2024_0628-julian-assange-400x300.jpg)
Julian Assange Is Finally Free, But Let’s Not Forget the War Crimes He Exposed
Contrary to US government claims, WikiLeaks’s revelations actually saved lives — and drove demand for US accountability.
![What’s the Future of Press Freedom Amid Assange’s Release and Gaza Genocide?](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2024/06/1920-1080-max3-400x300.jpg)
What’s the Future of Press Freedom Amid Assange’s Release and Gaza Genocide?
Australian journalist Antony Loewenstein discusses WikiLeaks’s legacy and the hypocrisy of Western mainstream media.
![Signs showing support for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange are seen in a protest outside the High Court in London, Britain, on March 26, 2024.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2024/06/2024_0625-julian-assange-400x300.jpg)
WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange Is Set to Be Freed Following Plea Deal
Assange will be sentenced to “time served” in a British prison, and is expected to return to his family in Australia.
![Photojournalist Stephanie Keith, wearing a black shirt with a red floral pattern and backpacks with camera equipment, is arrested by cops](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2024/06/2024_0610-journalist-arrest-400x300.jpg)
Journalists Covering 2024 Election Face Hostilities and Fear Police Action
Meanwhile, mainstream media organizations have offered little in terms of guidance to ensure the safety of journalists.
![Israeli right-wing activists scuffle with Palestinian freelance journalist Saif Kwasmi on June 5, 2024, during the so-called Jerusalem Day flag march.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2024/06/2024_0607-journalist-400x300.jpg)
Israeli Police Detain Palestinian Journalist Attacked by Settler Mob
Israeli police only intervened when they also attacked an Israeli journalist, Palestinian photographer Saif Kwasmi said.
![](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2024/05/2024_0522-ap-equipment-returned-400x300.jpg)
Israel Returns Associated Press’s Equipment Following Outcry Over Confiscation
Israel’s seizure of the camera is “part of a pattern of aggression against journalism,” said one free press advocate.
![Police react while pro-Palestinian students stand their ground after police breached their encampment at the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in Los Angeles, California, early on May 2, 2024.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2024/05/2024_0503-pro-p-400x300.jpg)
Journalists Covering Campus Antiwar Protests Must Be Safeguarded, CPJ Says
Student journalists “must be allowed to cover campus protests without fearing for their safety,” the group said.
![Press members gather to stage a demonstration in front of the Aqsa Martyrs Hospital to commemorate World Press Freedom Day in Deir-Al Balah, Gaza, on May 2, 2024.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2024/05/2024_0503-gaza-press-400x300.jpg)
World Press Freedom Day Is Marked by Mourning of Journalists Killed in Gaza
Press freedom advocates called for world leaders to step up pressure on Israel to end the war and protect journalists.