Josh Stearns

Josh Stearns fights for press freedom through media and tech policy. He's the journalism and public media campaign director at Free Press and a founding board member of the Freedom of the Press Foundation. Follow him on Twitter @jcstearns.

Committee to Protect Journalists report gauges the press freedom crisis

by Josh Stearns | 11 Oct 13

It’s nearly impossible to gauge the full impact of harassment of the press. How do you measure the stories that go untold because a journalist felt intimidated? How do you quantify the corruption that won’t be exposed because sources are afraid to talk? When the impact of threats is silence there’s no way to assess what we’re missing, Josh Stearns of Free Press writes

The link that landed a journalist in jail and gagged the press

by Josh Stearns | 19 Sep 13

Josh Stearns of Free Press reports on journalist Barrett Brown who could face a 100-year prison term if he’s found guilty for linking to stolen information. He didn’t steal this information himself, nor did he post it online. He simply linked to it.

The US shield law’s dangerous precedent – and how to fix it

by Josh Stearns | 18 Sep 13

Josh Stearns of Free Press argues the proposed US press shield bill could be greatly strengthened and simplified by defining journalism as an act, a process that anyone can participate in, instead of a profession limited to a few practitioners.