The Society of Professional Journalists, the National Press Club and the Committee to Protect Journalists all issued statements denouncing the FBI raid of the home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson.
Society of Professional Journalists:
The Society of Professional Journalists strongly condemns the FBI’s execution of a search warrant at the home of Hannah Natanson, a reporter for The Washington Post, calling the action an extraordinary and dangerous escalation in the federal government’s recent treatment of journalists.
While key facts are still emerging, it is extraordinarily rare — and deeply troubling — for law enforcement to search a journalist’s home and seize reporting devices. That step represents a significant escalation in investigative tactics and one that should concern anyone who values a free and independent press.
Committee to Protect Journalists
“This raid should disturb all Americans. The United States is at a critical juncture as the Trump administration continues to roll back civil liberties. Using the FBI—funded by American taxpayers—to seize a reporter’s electronic devices, including her official work laptop, is a blatant violation of journalistic protections and undermines the public’s right to know,” said CPJ U.S., Canada, and Caribbean Program Coordinator Katherine Jacobsen. “Without assurances that journalists can protect their reporting materials, accountability journalism will suffer a major setback, eroding yet another mechanism for government accountability.”
FYI: Natanson won a Dateline Award for Investigative Journalism issued by the SPJ Washington DC Pro Chapter in 2024.
UPDATE Jan. 14
Poynter Commentary
Why the FBI’s raid on a Washington Post reporter crosses a dangerous line
Just when you think you’ve seen it all. Just when you think the Trump administration cannot go any further in harassing the press and threatening the First Amendment. Just when you think there are some parts of our democracy so sacred that even the Trump administration will respect them.
Just when you think there’s a line they won’t cross, sure enough, President Donald Trump and his administration prove none of the above is true.
In an extraordinary and damaging step on Wednesday, the FBI searched the home of a Washington Post reporter as part of an investigation into a government contractor’s handling of classified material. Not only did the FBI execute a search warrant to enter the Virginia home of Post reporter Hannah Natanson, but they also seized her phone and two laptops — one of which was issued by the Post and another that was her own personal computer. They also took her Garmin watch.