The New York Press Club released this statement on the FBI recently serving subpoenas to several reporters from The New York Times.
“The New York Press Club supports The New York Times and reporters Julian E. Barnes, Eric Lipton, Tyler Pager, Eric Schmitt, and Adam Goldman who were served subpoenas over their coverage of the Qatari-donated Air Force One.
The subpoenas clearly violate the First Amendment protection afforded to journalists who are duty-bound to protect confidential sources. To date, the DOJ has required information from reporters only as a last resort in cases where citizens or national security are in jeopardy. Without these constitutional protections, democracy ceases to exist. These actions by the U.S. Department of Justice obstruct the rights of journalists to report and the public’s right to know.”