Tag: journalists

Journalist Files “Cease and Desist” Letter with the CIA

A journalist has sent a “Cease and Desist” letter to the Central Intelligence Agency, citing violations of her 4th, 5th and 14th Amendment rights.

Janet Phelan, who has authored an intelligence exposé, “EXILE,” as well as a book on the pandemic, “At the Breaking Point of History,” levels accusations that agents and assets of the CIA have repeatedly attacked her with unconventional chemical weapons, resulting in a health crisis and hospitalization.

Phelan states that she chose to send this letter to the CIA as this is the agency that is involved in overseas surveillance and operations. Phelan fled the U.S. in 2008 and currently resides in Mexico. She states that the Cease and Desist letter was sent prior to filing a formal legal request for an injunction against the Agency. She has also filed a Form 95, preparatory to suing under the Federal Tort Claims Act.

Phelan is best known for her investigations into U.S. biological weapons violations and her research into mortgages as a vehicle for judicial bribes and payoffs. Her articles appeared in the Moscow-based publication, New Eastern Outlook, for a number of years. She currently writes for Activist Post.

Upon learning of her intent to file for a formal injunction, a lawyer who is conversant with her work on judicial corruption, sputtered, “But this will have to go in front of a judge!”

Indeed, recent legal efforts in a similar vein were all dismissed by a judge, including CAIR’s lawsuit challenging targeting of Muslim-Americans and a lawsuit by a former CNN journalist covering Syria, which alleged that the US tried to blow him up in a number of drone strikes.  Federal judge Rosemary Collyer dismissed this lawsuit on reasons of “state secrets” thereby striking a blow against legal protections for both First Amendment violations as well as any constitutional protections against government abuse.

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The untimely death of a witness and defendant in govt. spying on me

An historic victory of sorts was had in my case, Attkisson v. DOJ, in the government spying on me, when I received a clerk’s default against one of the defendants: a seedy character named Ryan Dark White. It is the first known such default in a case of the government spying on a journalist.

White had admitted to being part of one of the government surveillance operations against me. He provided us some details, some of which we were able to verify, and then disappeared and refused to respond shortly after we named him as a defendant in the lawsuit.

White said the rogue group he worked with under then-US Attorney Rod Rosenstein spied on “hundreds” of US citizens. I just happened to have sources who helped me prove it, in part by unearthing unique government IP addresses in my computer used as part of the surveillance. White said the group included then-Secret Service agent, Shaun Bridges, who was later convicted and sent to prison in a separate government corruption case.

With the government refusing to hold its own agents accountable, the Dept. of Justice has fought my lawsuit every step of the way, and provided private attorneys to defend Bridges– funded by your tax money, of course.

I learned throughout the years that the courts don’t necessarily care that we have forensic proof of the government intrusions. I once thought that such irrefutable evidence sealed the deal. Case closed. Instead, they require that you, in advance of a trial and discovery, point to who, specifically, knew what and when, and provide evidence of that. Assuming the guilty parties aren’t going to tell on themselves and turn over damning documents, the only real way to get the information the court requires is through the process of “discovery.” But the only way to get discovery is to first obtain the information the court wants. But the only way to get it is through discovery. It’s a senseless loop.

The Dept. of Justice is fighting discovery, instead of cooperating. One could ask why they would spend tax money and all these years fighting… if their agents were innocent? If they would simply provide the necessary documents, we’d see that we’re barking up the wrong tree– if that were the case.

With the government withholding documents, interviews, and information that we need; and the court requiring us to have it in order to proceed, it puts us in a tough place.

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Chilling and familiar: suspected govt spying on a journalist

As my lawsuit against the government for its forensically-proven spying on me continues, the spying surely continues. Undoubtedly I wasn’t the first journalist surveilled by the government and, since nobody was held accountable, I certainly wasn’t the last. Below, you can read a familiar-sounding account from journalist Breanna Morello, who has been covering the January 6 pro-Trump demonstrations and riots at the US Capitol.

It’s worth mentioning that one government agent who admitted being part of the surveillance against me (who recently turned up dead) said that the rogue unit he was part of under then-US Attorney Rod Rosenstein at the US Attorney’s office in Baltimore was spying on “hundreds” of US citizens–not just me and not just other journalists. NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed improper surveillance by our government on a massive scale. Nobody was ever punished. (Except for the whistleblower, Snowden.)

And there have been numerous documented cases of our intel agencies spying on members of Congress and their staff.

There was a time when any single instance of this type of unconstitutional activity by our government would have generated international headlines and outrage. Today, it’s become normalized.

Spying on Trump and other political opponents? Well, they deserve it.

Spying on journalists? Who cares? I’m not a journalist.

Spying on innocent US citizens? So what, if they have nothing to hide?

The complacency surrounding my case and others likely means there are dozens if not hundreds of government units and operations conducting illegal surveillance with impunity.

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When the First Casualty of War Is Truth, Journalists Are the Second

Truth – and journalists – are the first casualties of the war on Gaza. As Israel’s 7-week bombardment of the Gaza Strip has killed over 14,000 Palestinians, 5,000 of whom were children, courageous Palestinian journalists, working in Gaza under unbelievably difficult and dangerous circumstances, are being killed, one by one. This week, a grim milestone was reached, as the number of journalists killed in the conflict surpassed 50. While a negotiated pause gives civilians in Gaza a brief respite, and 50 Israeli hostages held in Gaza will be released, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised the violence will continue immediately afterwards.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), at least 53 journalists and media workers have been killed in what the organization calls “the deadliest month for journalists since CPJ began gathering data in 1992.” To date, 46 Palestinians, four Israelis and three Lebanese reporters have been killed. Eleven have been injured, three remain missing, and 18 Palestinian journalists have been arrested by Israel.

“We’ve never seen anything like this. It’s unprecedented,” Sherif Mansour, CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa program coordinator, said on the Democracy Now! news hour. “For journalists in Gaza specifically, the exponential risk is possibly the most dangerous we have seen.”

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NBC Journalist Arrested in Israel on ‘Very Serious Offenses’

A reporter who is currently working for NBC News was arrested in Jerusalem last week for allegedly praising Hamas and celebrating the terror group’s Oct. 7 terror attacks on social media as they were happening.

Those attacks left at least 1,200 Israelis dead and hundreds more were kidnapped.

According to The Jerusalem Post, 45-year-old freelance reporter Marwat Al-Azza was taken into custody last Friday.

She is described by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz as a Palestinian residing in East Jerusalem.

She had been wanted for questioning by police since last month over pro-Hamas Facebook posts. Last week, prosecutors granted police that request.

Haaretz reported that Al-Azza praised Hamas on her Facebook page while Israeli citizens were being massacred.

The newspaper, Israel’s oldest publication still in print, reported:

“On October 7, Al-Azza put up posts on her personal Facebook account allegedly supporting Hamas terrorism.

“She wrote on the kidnapping of an elderly woman from a Gaza border community, ‘It’s killing me, it’s a black comedy, the old woman looks happy, a bit of action before she dies.’”

Haaretz further reported in other posts on her Facebook page, Al-Azza portrayed the ongoing massacre as a film in which Hamas militants were the stars.

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Texas Journalist’s Home Repeatedly Visited by ‘Corrupt’ FBI for Exposing Possible Hamas Training Camp Near US-Mexico Border – FBI Demands In-Person Meeting to Disclose ‘Sources’ 

The sanctity of a free press and the protection of journalistic sources have come under direct fire in the Lone Star State, according to Sarah Fields, Director of Advocacy for the Texas Freedom Coalition and a reporter for The Publica, after exposing the possible existence of a Hamas training camp near the US-Mexico border.

Fields recently made public a harrowing account of ‘corrupt’ FBI agents arriving unannounced at her doorstep—not once, but twice—in a brazen attempt to intimidate and extract information about her confidential sources.

It began on October 17th when, according to Fields, FBI agents appeared at her doorstep while she was away. She recounts that the agents later contacted her, insisting on a private meeting at their local office to discuss her reporting—particularly stories related to war and the border. Fields, true to the ethos of journalistic integrity, refused.

“It became harassment after I didn’t show up to their private meeting,” said Fields.

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‘Outrageous and flatly unconstitutional’: Lawyer decries arrest of Alabama journalists

Police arrested a southwestern Alabama newspaper publisher and a reporter for publishing an article that prosecutors say was based on confidential grand jury evidence.

Don Fletcher reported for the Atmore News on an investigation into the local school board’s payments to seven former school employees that Escambia County district attorney says broke the law against revealing grand jury proceedings, and both the reporter and publisher Sherry Digmon were arrested and charged with a felony, reported the Washington Post.

“While it’s illegal for a grand juror, witness or court officer to disclose grand-jury proceedings, it’s not a crime for a media outlet to publish such leaked material, provided the material was obtained by legal means,” legal experts told the Post.

Theodore J. Boutrous, an attorney who has represented media organizations, said the U.S. Supreme Court has consistently ruled that the First Amendment protects journalists who publish information of public importance, even if that information came from a source who broke the law.

“That applies to grand jury information, Boutrous said, calling the Alabama case “extraordinary, outrageous and flatly unconstitutional.”

The newspaper’s publisher and co-owner is a member of the county school board, and she voted recently against renewing the contract of the superintendent – who has been publicly supported by district attorney Stephen Billy.

“I wish I could [comment],” said Digmon, the publisher. “I would rather not answer. I can only refer you to my attorney.”

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Former Fox Reporter Faces Contempt Charge After Refusing To Reveal FBI Source

Former Fox News reporter Catherine Herridge (now with CBS) is facing a contempt charge after refusing to comply with a court order to reveal a confidential source’s identity.

The source had provided information about an FBI investigation into a Chinese American scientist, Yanping Chen – whose lawyers asked the court to hold Herridge in contempt because she “refused to answer questions regarding the identity of her confidential source(s) and other aspects of her reporting process and editorial decision-making.”

The case stems from three reports published by Fox News starting in 2017, which revealed that the FBI had been investigationg Ms. Chen, a naturalized US citizen who founded and owned a university attended by multiple US military personnel. Chen was informed in 2016 that she wouldn’t be charged, the Epoch Times reports.

Yet in 2018, the Department of Defense moved to stop helping to pay the tuition for military members who wanted to attend Chen’s university. Chen sued the FBI, who she claimed had leaked the previously private information to Herridge.

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that Chen’s “need for the requested evidence overcomes Herridge’s qualified First Amendment privilege.”

Cooper said on Oct. 27 that Herridge would likely be held in contempt unless she coughs up her source.

“With contempt proceedings now teed up, one of two outcomes appears likely: Either Herridge will be held in contempt in the near future and can immediately appeal that order, or, as sometimes occurs in these cases, the sources may release Herridge from the privilege rather than watch her undergo the consequences of contempt,” Cooper, and Obama appointee, wrote in the ruling which rejected Herridge’s request to reconsider his earlier refusal to stay proceedings pending appeal.

Ms. Herridge hasn’t commented on the matter, and her deposition, taken in September, hasn’t been made public. Meanwhile, lawyers for Ms. Herridge didn’t respond to a request for comment. Fox News and CBS News also didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Ms. Herridge’s lawyers had said that the judge’s August order contained language indicating that he thought he was forced to require contempt before an appeal but that the court actually had the discretion to certify an appeal ahead of a contempt ruling. -Epoch Times

“The court should exercise its discretion to avoid forcing Ms. Herridge to suffer a contempt sanction as the price for securing review of her First Amendment rights,” said Herridge’s lawyers.

Several press freedom groups have voiced objections to Cooper’s decision.

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UK GOVERNMENT APOLOGIZES AFTER COUNTER DISINFORMATION UNIT GOT CAUGHT LYING, MONITORING JOURNALISTS’ SPEECH

Those who may have a penchant for English literature, may also be aware of this quote from “The Witch of Edmonton” – “(…) This were a fine reign; To do ill, and not hear of it again.”

But even to those who lack that interest, this might seem like a succinct way to describe some of the ways politicians, and whole national cabinets – apologize, or, “apologize” – regarding certain fundamental mistakes they made/are making.

These do at times read less like apologies and more like, “can we please move on”? Fit for individuals perhaps – but is it ever, for states and governments?

Well, if talkTV host Julia Hartley-Brewer wanted a “formal apology” from the UK government, she has it. You see – the said government is either “sorry” for inflicting pain on Hartley-Brewer, or just upset because their “counter-disinformation unit” (formally – “Rapid Response Unit“) got caught, pants down, spreading actual disinformation.

Who’s to say?

However, who knew being a mere vaccine (Covid, specifically) skeptic (as juxtaposed to “anti-vaxxer”) came to be considered one and the same, equal to “spreading misinformation”? What will happen to science itself? The UK cabinet is aware – right? – that there is no science without skepticism?

In the meanwhile, Julia Hartley-Brewer, as far as the UK government, is no longer a “vaccine skeptic.” She has received an apology. But of far more interest to the general public, that label was slapped on the journalist as she was included in what Big Brother Watch rights group says was “a secret report on vaccine hesitancy sent across UK government recipients – and even to the US government.”

The saddest – or the most alarming part of this story is that Hartley-Brewer could hardly be considered any kind of skeptic to begin with. And yet – she made it to “the list.”

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Israeli Attacks on Journalists Stifle Reporting on Gaza Horrors

The Israeli communications minister’s attempt to shut down Al Jazeera’s bureau in Jerusalem—on the grounds that the Qatari news outlet is biased in favor of Hamas and is actively endangering Israeli troops (Reuters, 10/15/23)—should inspire some déjà vu. In the last war in Gaza, an Israeli air strike destroyed a Gaza building housing both Al Jazeera and Associated Press offices (AP, 5/15/21). And just months ago, Al Jazeera (5/18/23) reported that “the family of Shireen Abu Akleh,” a Palestinian-American AJ journalist killed by Israeli fire while on assignment, “has rebuked Israel for saying it is ‘sorry’ for the Al Jazeera reporter’s death without providing accountability or even acknowledging that its forces killed her.”

Since the launch of the network’s English service, Americans interested in Middle East news beyond what can be found in US broadcasting have often turned to Al Jazeera, and even more so as the BBC’s foreign service has declined (Guardian, 9/29/22).

But the ability of Al Jazeera and other Arab reporters to cover the assault on Gaza is jeopardized by the alarming number of newspeople Israel has killed since the crisis began. The Committee to Protect Journalists (10/18/23) has counted 13 Palestinian journalists killed by Israel in Gaza since the crisis began, with two more missing or detained. Three Israeli journalists were also killed in Hamas’s October 7 attack, with another taken prisoner.

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