CPJ: Acceleration of US press freedom concerns spike demand for safety training

Washington, D.C., December 22, 2025—In response to the deterioration of press freedom in the United States, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has taken a multipronged approach, documenting and providing analysis of the state of affairs; increasing our advocacy capacity at the state and local levels; and training a record number of journalists across the country.  

“The increasingly hostile domestic political environment for journalists has created a surge in demand for safety training across the United States,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg. “By equipping reporters and editors with practical tools and support, we aim to reduce risk, strengthen resilience, and help protect press freedom in the United States.”

At the beginning of the year, CPJ published a special report, “Alarm Bells: The First 100 Days of the Trump Administration,” chronicling the rapid change to media freedoms at the offset of Trump’s second term. As threats to the press continued to evolve, CPJ worked with partner organizations on advocacy campaigns and worked with local groups in the case of Mario Guevara, a journalist held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in relation to his reporting. 

Guevara was held in law enforcement custody for over 100 days before he was deported to his native El Salvador, despite being in the U.S. legally at the time of his arrest. Now, another journalist who sought asylum in the United States in relation to his coverage of Uyghur detention camps in China is also in ICE custody. These are the first two cases of journalists—who were in the country legally at the time of their detention—is a sign that the U.S. is no longer a safe haven for journalists as it traditionally has been. 

An increase in civil unrest in response to shifts in federal immigration policy, as well as the Israel-Gaza war, has also created less safe reporting conditions for journalists in the U.S. The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, of which CPJ is a founding member, documented over 150 assaults of journalists so far this year during protests, and at least 28 journalists were arrested while covering protests this year. 

In response to these escalating threats, CPJ trained nearly 1000 journalists reporting throughout the country in 2025, strengthening their safety skills and ability to respond to an increasingly hostile domestic political environment.

From January through November 2025, CPJ’s Emergencies team organized 26 training sessions for journalists facing safety concerns nationwide. The sessions addressed a wide range of needs, including digital safety, physical safety, legal rights, mental health and resilience, and occurred in partnership with seven other journalist safety organizations.

To meet the growing demand for coordination and rapid-response for threats to journalists, CPJ spearheaded the organization of the U.S. Journalist Assistance Network, a group that includes Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF), International Women’s Media Foundation, PEN America, and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP).

The safety training was conducted online and in-person, reaching journalists in newsrooms, freelance communities, conferences, and professional associations across the country.

In total, CPJ conducted:

● 11 digital safety trainings

● 7 physical safety trainings

● 3 combined digital and physical safety trainings

● 2 legal rights trainings

● 1 combined digital safety and legal rights training

● 2 mental health and resilience trainings

Throughout the year, CPJ partnered with a broad network of organizations to deliver specialized expertise, including members of the JAN, Aegis Safety Alliance, the Los Angeles Press Club, Catchlight, Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), and others.

CPJ will continue to expand its work in the U.S., continuing to document threats to media freedom; advocate for a better media ecosystem; and expand its U.S. training and assistance efforts in 2026, responding to evolving threats and the needs of journalists on the ground.