(video) Mass U.S. Surveillance Targeting Journalists and Lawyers Seen As Threat to American Democracy — Reporters use throw-away phones or speak face to face — leave trackable iPhones at home

democracynow

Published on Jul 29, 2014

http://www.democracynow.org – In a new report, Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union warn that “large-scale surveillance is seriously hampering U.S.-based journalists and lawyers in their work.” The report is based on interviews with dozens of reporters and lawyers. They describe a media climate where journalists take cumbersome security steps that slows down their reporting. Sources are afraid of talking, as aggressive prosecutions scare government officials into staying silent, even about issues that are unclassified. For lawyers, the threat of surveillance is stoking fears they will be unable to protect a client’s right to privacy. Some defendants are afraid of speaking openly to their own counsel, undermining a lawyer’s ability provide the best possible defense. We speak to Alex Sinha, author of the report, “With Liberty to Monitor All: How Large-Scale U.S. Surveillance is Harming Journalism, Law, and American Democracy,” and to national security reporter Jeremy Scahill.

Watch more reports about threats to press freedom in the United States and around the world:http://www.democracynow.org/topics/fr…

Democracy Now!, is an independent global news hour that airs weekdays on 1,200+ TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestream 8-9am ET at http://www.democracynow.org.

Please consider supporting independent media by making a donation to Democracy Now! today, visit http://owl.li/ruJ5Q.

FOLLOW DEMOCRACY NOW! ONLINE:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/democracynow
Twitter: https://twitter.com/democracynow
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/democracynow
SoundCloud: http://www.soundcloud.com/democracynow
Daily Email: http://www.democracynow.org/subscribe
Google+: https://plus.google.com/+DemocracyNow
Instagram: http://instagram.com/democracynow
Tumblr: http://democracynow.tumblr
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/democracynow