We Cannot Tolerate Legal and Personal Attacks on Journalists For Doing Their Jobs

[Commentary] The right of working journalists to do their jobs should not be up for debate when a new administration takes office (or at any other time). But it disturbingly seems to be. It wasn't just President-elect Donald Trump's collision with a CNN journalist at a news conference. The day before, the president-elect's choice for attorney general wouldn't commit to the outgoing Justice Department's promise not to prosecute journalists for reporting on intelligence cases when a source gives them classified information.

Citizens depend on independent journalists to give them information needed to hold our leaders to account. Those journalists should be free to do their work without fear of personal or legal attacks.

[This message was sent by NPR's Senior Vice President of News and Editorial Director Michael Oreskes to the NPR News staff on Jan 17.]