UPDATE: In the United States, the Trump administration wants to force journalists to hand over their documents
Sources confirm that the following story has emerged from the international scene.
Acting US Justice Minister Todd Blanche defended Tuesday, May 12, legal injunctions issued to journalists to force them to hand over their documents and archives, as part of investigations into leaks of classified information. Although he did not mention any media in particular, Todd Blanche’s statements come the day after an article in the Wall Street Journal revealing that the daily had received such injunctions from a federal grand jury demanding the release of the archives of its journalists who covered sensitive subjects linked to national security, notably the war in Iran. Also readHow the Trump administration pushed back rights and freedoms in the United States American President Donald Trump, again without mentioning a particular media outlet, for his part attacked the coverage of the conflict by the press. “When the lying media (“fake news” in English, Editor’s note) say that our Iranian enemy is doing well, militarily, against us, it is almost treason since it is a false and even grotesque assertion,” he wrote on his Truth Social network. ‘Serious offensive’ “Prosecuting leakers who share our nation’s secrets with journalists — thus endangering our national security and the lives of our soldiers — is a priority for this administration,” Todd Blanche said in a message published on According to the Wall Street Journal, the US Department of Justice is carrying out an “aggressive offensive” to track down media leaks, particularly relating to the start of the war in Iran. According to the daily, President Donald Trump gave Todd Blanche – his former personal lawyer – a stack of articles and reports that he considered harmful to national security, accompanied by a post-it note bearing the inscription “treason”. “We will vigorously oppose this attempt to stifle and intimidate essential journalistic work,” responded Ashok Sinha, communications director at Dow Jones, parent company of the Wall Street Journal. Read alsoIn the United States, public media in the sights of the authorities Tense relations between Trump and the press The Republican billionaire has for several years maintained particularly tense relations with a large part of the American media, which he regularly accuses of disseminating “fake news”. Last year, the Department of Justice of the Trump administration repealed a policy put in place during the presidency of Joe Biden, which aimed to strengthen the protection of journalists, in particular by strictly limiting the use of this procedure and by exempting them, in most cases, to reveal their sources. Read alsoThe news in drawing: press freedom in a “very serious” situation in half the globe In January, as part of a separate investigation into leaks of classified documents, FBI agents searched the home of a Washington Post journalist and seized her electronic devices. A measure described as “highly unusual” by the Committee to Protect Journalists. With AFP
Editor’s Insight:
This development could have far-reaching consequences for global politics in the months ahead.
This is part of a broader trend that has been reshaping the geopolitical landscape in recent months.
Stay tuned for more updates as this story continues to unfold.
Source: This article was originally published in another language by France 24 – Infos, news & actualités – L'information internationale en direct and has been translated and adapted for our global English-speaking audience. Read the original article here.