• by Ray Schultz , April 27, 2025

The U.S Justice Department has announced a crackdown on governmental leaks to the news media, reversing a Biden policy that protected journalists and their sources. 

Attorney General Pam Bondi says prosecutors will be empowered to subpoena and use search warrants to detect leakers, Associated Press reports.  

However, the move drew a quick response from free press advocates. 

‘In a blow to press freedom, the U.S. Justice Department today announced its decision to rescind guidelines that protected against the seizure of journalists’ phone records and other reporting material,” says the Committee To Protect Journalists (CPJ).  

“This move cripples reporters’ ability to protect their sources, which is essential, particularly when covering matters of public interest,” says Katherine Jacobsen, U.S., Canada, and Caribbean program coordinator for CPJ.

A memo obtained by AP  states that members of the press are “presumptively entitled to advanced notice of such investigative activities.” It adds that subpoenas are to be “narrowly drawn.”