United States of America - January 2026

The FBI searched the home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson on 14 January and seized her devices as part of an investigation into a government contractor accused of illegally retaining classified materials. Natanson had become a prominent source of reporting on the federal government under the Trump administration, frequently receiving information from federal employees and insiders.
The Committee to Protect Journalists called the raid ‘highly unusual’ and a ‘blatant violation of journalistic protections.’ 
Further, on 30 January, former CNN anchor Don Lemon and journalist Georgia Fort were arrested while reporting on anti-immigration enforcement protests at a Minneapolis church (according to protesters, one of the church pastors was also an immigration enforcement official). They were charged with federal crimes of conspiracy and interference with worshipers’ First Amendment rights. Lemon’s lawyer called it an ‘unprecedented attack on the First Amendment.’
 
Update: On 25 February, a federal judge prohibited the Department of Justice from scanning the contents of Natanson’s devices, ruling that the court itself would conduct such a search. 

Sources: The Guardian, Washington Post, Committee to Protect Journalists, Amnesty International, BBC, CNN, Politico