Assaults on free press fuel fears for the future of journalism
Journalists today face threats on multiple fronts: police violence in the streets, lawsuits from government officials and digital attacks and harassment.
At the 2025 National Association of Hispanic Journalists conference in Chicago, the issues of press freedom and safety were all around. Panel discussions and reminders to take care of their body and minds. Workshops focused on staying safe. And the presence of multiple organizations focused on First Amendment rights.
Elizabeth Flores, a staff photographer at the Minnesota Star Tribune, was routinely sent out to cover protests without any protective gear. But in 2020, as she chased ongoing demonstrations through the streets of Minneapolis following the murder of George Floyd, Flores was pepper sprayed in the face and separated from her team.
“That was probably the first time I felt unsure of what was going to happen because I was by myself and it was something new,” said Flores, whose team later won a Pulitzer Prize for their coverage.
Today, she keeps a bulletproof vest, helmet, and goggles in her car — a safety kit she never expected to need as a journalist.
Nora Benavidez, senior counsel at Free Press, described the growing tension between reporters and law enforcement at a session called “Protests, pressure and press freedom: Reporting in a time of escalating risk,” on Friday and said that press freedoms are increasingly under attack.
“What we’re dancing around is the word ‘courage,’ ” said Benavidez. “To go after facts is to go after the press, to weaken the press and the media — and we’re seeing that now in much more color.”
Journalists in attendance at the panel described a dangerous cultural shift in which press face harassment from police and the public when they cover political issues and also have been targeted by government officials who accuse news outlets of bias, have filed lawsuits and limited the access of certain reporters.
In February, the Associated Press sued White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and two other Trump administration officials, demanding reinstatement in the press corps after AP reporters were removed because the news wire would not change its style to reflect an executive order signed by President Trump that changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
Lawyers for the wire service argued that the Trump administration’s ban on the AP is a fundamental attack on freedom of speech and should not be allowed to continue.
Anna Johnson, the Washington bureau chief at the Associated Press, spoke about those tensions on Friday at NAHJ.
She explained how the Associated Press was reinstated after a federal judge ordered the White House to restore their access, citing First Amendment rights that limit the government’s ability to punish news outlets for use of specific speech. In this case, the use of geographic terminology.
“We are independent and nonpartisan, and we follow a stylebook,” Johnson said. “We felt that at this moment, we had to stand up for the First Amendment — and for the American people.”
Juan González, co-host of the far-left broadcast program Democracy Now, said that as more media outlets appear to fall in line with White House directives — like changing their language — and attempt to avoid political backlash, it can have lasting consequences that extend beyond the newsroom.
“Many of our owners are catering to Trump,” he said. “Individual journalists still believe in freedom of the press, but we are fighting this within our own institutions. … By the time we decide to call things what they are, it may be too late.”
He worried about the future of organizations like NAHJ that promote diversity in journalism and advocate for press freedom.
González added: “A simple fascism [is] happening right here in this country.”
Morelys Urbano is a recent journalism graduate from Morgan State University. She was recently part of a team awarded an Emmy for a documentary about the history of her alma mater. She aspires to a career in broadcast journalism and documentary filmmaking. Reach her at morelysurbano [at] gmail [dot] com.
Araceli Ramirez is a recent journalism graduate from Columbia College Chicago. She is a freelance reporter in Chicago and has worked with local nonprofit The Alliance 98 and aspires to be a local news reporter. Reach her at byaraceliramirez [at] gmail [dot] com or on Instagram @byaraceliramirez.
