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Stephanie Sugars

@stephaniesugars.bsky.social

7.1K followers 340 following 7 posts

Senior reporter @pressfreedomtracker.us, photog, green chile fiend, avid reader, maker of sweaters. Signal: ssugars.01 | [email protected]

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Stephanie Sugars @stephaniesugars.bsky.social · Jul 22

If you're a journalist who has experienced an arrest, assault or other aggression, @pressfreedomtracker.us can document your experience anonymously. Contact me through Signal at ssugars.01.

U.S. Press Freedom Tracker @pressfreedomtracker.us · Jul 22

Journalists are often encouraged not to make themselves the story when their rights are infringed. But staying silent about press freedom violations allows aggressors to act with impunity.

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U.S. Press Freedom Tracker @pressfreedomtracker.us · 14d

If you are a journalist — or know one — who has been attacked, seriously threatened, denied access by a public official or targeted with a legal order in the course of reporting, let us know. You can now submit tips in English or Spanish.

Email: tips@pressfreedomtracker.us

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Freedom of the Press Foundation @freedom.press · Sep 4

Trump's anti-press rhetoric is "not bluster; it is not a personality trait. It is deliberate," @stephaniesugars.bsky.social told @di-sly.bsky.social.

"It is very much at the cost of the strength of our social fabric and our shared reality."

Inside Trump’s decade-long war on the press: 75,000 posts, 3,500 direct attacks - Editor and Publisher

Over the past decade, Donald Trump has waged a relentless campaign against the press — not just in rallies or interviews, but in the 75,000 social media posts he’s fired off since 2015. More than 3,50...

www.editorandpublisher.com

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Freedom of the Press Foundation @freedom.press · Aug 13

The LAPD lived up to its atrocious press freedom record by beating, detaining, and jailing journalists covering a protest last week.

Journalists must cover these First Amendment violations, and the public must speak out against them.

The LAPD attacked reporters, despite a court order. Then it lied about it

Reporting on the force’s press freedom violations requires more than uncritically repeating the LAPD’s statements

freedom.press

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Stephanie Sugars @stephaniesugars.bsky.social · Jul 22

If you're a journalist who has experienced an arrest, assault or other aggression, @pressfreedomtracker.us can document your experience anonymously. Contact me through Signal at ssugars.01.

U.S. Press Freedom Tracker @pressfreedomtracker.us · Jul 22

Journalists are often encouraged not to make themselves the story when their rights are infringed. But staying silent about press freedom violations allows aggressors to act with impunity.

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Stephanie Sugars @stephaniesugars.bsky.social · Jul 22

If you're a journalist who has experienced an arrest, assault or other aggression, @pressfreedomtracker.us can document your experience anonymously. Contact me through Signal at ssugars.01.

U.S. Press Freedom Tracker @pressfreedomtracker.us · Jul 22

Journalists are often encouraged not to make themselves the story when their rights are infringed. But staying silent about press freedom violations allows aggressors to act with impunity.

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Reposted by Stephanie Sugars

Freedom of the Press Foundation @freedom.press · Jul 22

Thanks to everyone who tuned into our conversation about the demise of one of America’s oldest Indigenous newspapers, and a special thanks to our panelists: @isaacwhitereporter.bsky.social, Marjorie Skidders, @seth-stern.bsky.social, and @stephaniesugars.bsky.social.

Miss it? Watch it below ⬇️

The Demise of Indian Time

YouTube video by Freedom of the Press Foundation

www.youtube.com

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Freedom of the Press Foundation @freedom.press · Jul 21

🔔 Join us tomorrow for a conversation about the demise of one of America’s oldest Indigenous newspapers, featuring
@isaacwhitereporter.bsky.social, Marjorie Skidders, @seth-stern.bsky.social, and @stephaniesugars.bsky.social.

🕒 Noon EDT/9 a.m. PDT

RSVP: freedom.press/end-of-india...

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U.S. Press Freedom Tracker @pressfreedomtracker.us · Jun 30

While journalists face threats covering national protests spurred by Trump’s immigration policy, the president has persisted in online attacks on the media.

This and more in our Tracker newsletter from Managing Editor @kamccudden.bsky.social and Senior Reporter @stephaniesugars.bsky.social:

Journalists are facing attacks, both digital and physical

As dozens of journalists faced assault and arrest on the streets of LA and beyond, President Trump’s unrelenting anti-press rhetoric online reached a 10-year milestone.

pressfreedomtracker.us

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Stephanie Sugars @stephaniesugars.bsky.social · Jun 16

Today marks 10 years since Trump's escalator descent, and the start of my dataset of his anti-press social posts. The collection of 3,500 entries and growing provides a stark reminder that the rhetoric our leaders use matters and that it's vital to keep watch.

My latest for @pressfreedomtracker.us:

U.S. Press Freedom Tracker @pressfreedomtracker.us · Jun 12

🧵 Since 2015, Donald Trump has posted nearly 3,500 times on social media to attack, belittle, and discredit journalists, news outlets and the industry.

To better understand the impact of his anti-press rhetoric, we’ve cataloged his posts.

On social media, Trump targets the press on average once a day — for 10 years and counting

Behind a decade of attacks on the media lies Trump’s strategy of control.

pressfreedomtracker.us

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Kirstin McCudden @kamccudden.bsky.social · Jun 13

1/ Now a week into California protests in response to immigration raids, here’s what we’re working on documenting at the Tracker — At least 50 incidents of violence or other types of aggressions against journalists, mostly by law enforcement, and some targeting of news cars, mostly by individuals:

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Freedom of the Press Foundation @freedom.press · Jun 12

Trump "is consolidating narrative power and asserting that he is the ultimate, if not singular, conveyor of what is actually true, which, to no one’s surprise, is what is most favorable to him," @pressfreedomtracker.us's @stephaniesugars.bsky.social tells @liamjscott.bsky.social.

The reporter documenting 10 years of Trump’s anti-media posts

Since Trump’s first term as president, Sugars has managed an extensive database that documents each and every anti-media post from Trump. In them, Trump sometimes attacks individual journalists. Other...

freedom.press

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Stephanie Sugars @stephaniesugars.bsky.social · Jun 12

Monday marks 10 years since Trump's escalator descent, and the start of my dataset of his anti-press social posts. Nearly 3,500 entries and growing, it provides not just a historical archive but also an urgent warning: The rhetoric our leaders use matters.

My latest for @pressfreedomtracker.us:

On social media, Trump targets the press on average once a day — for 10 years and counting

Behind a decade of attacks on the media lies Trump’s strategy of control.

pressfreedomtracker.us

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U.S. Press Freedom Tracker @pressfreedomtracker.us · Jun 10

Southlander cofounder and journalist @bencamach0.bsky.social was shot twice — in the knee and elbow — with crowd-control munitions while covering protests in the LA suburbs of Compton and Paramount June 7: pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incident...

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U.S. Press Freedom Tracker @pressfreedomtracker.us · Jun 9

Hey, journalists covering LA protests —

In light of multiple attacks against reporters, find here in this thread resources to help you prepare yourself for covering protests, protecting yourself in the field, and getting the help you need.

Share and bookmark.

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Tina-Desiree Berg @tinadesireeberg.com · Jun 9

UPDATE: Nick is in good spirits and recovering in hospital. The doctor told me the injury was so bad that they treated it as if it were a gunshot wound. Part of a stun grenade traveled deep into the tissue and was only visible by a cat scan. He sends his love and appreciation for all the support.

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Stephanie Sugars @stephaniesugars.bsky.social · Apr 30

Just 100 days into Trump’s second term, he and his allies have launched a multipronged campaign against journalists, media organizations and their sources, pushing a narrative that questions the legitimacy of critical reporting and seeks to suppress dissenting voices.

Read my latest:

U.S. Press Freedom Tracker @pressfreedomtracker.us · Apr 28

In the first 100 days of President Donald Trump’s second term, his appointees and allies in Congress have joined his campaign against the press, and are endeavoring to defund, defang and silence independent and critical reporting:

Trump, allies pursue multipronged campaign against the press

President Donald Trump, in one of the first executive orders of his new term, extolled the importance of “restoring freedom …

pressfreedomtracker.us

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Freedom of the Press Foundation @freedom.press · Apr 22

Trump’s shunning of newsrooms is part of a playbook designed to test the limits of the First Amendment.

We spoke to former White House correspondent @briankarem.bsky.social and U.S. Press Tracker Senior Reporter @stephaniesugars.bsky.social to learn more.

Trump is restricting White House press access. It’s not the first time

In cherry-picking who can cover him, Trump is limiting White House access to only those willing to stoop to his demands

freedom.press

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Freedom of the Press Foundation @freedom.press · Apr 14

Join us for an urgent discussion on the AP ban, White House press pool, and other attacks on the press by the Trump administration, featuring @briankarem.bsky.social, @stephaniesugars.bsky.social, and @caitlinvogus.bsky.social.

🗓️ April 16, 2pm ET/11am PT

freedom.press/access-denied

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Freedom of the Press Foundation @freedom.press · Mar 24

Make sure you’re inviting the right person to your Signal group!

To help confirm someone’s identity and keep track of your contacts, @signal.org offers nicknames and information about the groups you share in common with your contacts.

Learn about Signal’s identifiers:

Understanding every one of Signal’s identifiers

We’ve heard some questions about the difference between Signal usernames, phone numbers, profile names, profiles, and nicknames. Let’s talk about it.

freedom.press

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Stephanie Sugars @stephaniesugars.bsky.social · Mar 19

"On Saturday... VOA’s final broadcast went out; its website was updated one last time. For the first time since its creation, in 1942, to combat Nazi propaganda, VOA went silent." - insights from @liamjscott.bsky.social

The Last Days at Voice of America

Covering the press freedom beat at VOA, I got a front-row seat to its demise.

www.cjr.org

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Adam Steinbaugh @adamsteinbaugh.bsky.social · Feb 19

Wow: City of Clarksdale, Mississippi got a court order yesterday directing a newspaper to delete an editorial criticizing city officials -- without a hearing. Here's the TRO issuing the prior restraint:

THIS MATTER having come before this Court on the verified Petition of the City of Clarksdale requesting a temporary restraining order or a hearing on a preliminary injunction and after review of the verified Petition and Attorney Certification, the Court finds that the Petition is
well taken. The injury in this case is defamation against public figures through actual malice in reckless disregard of the truth and interferes with their legitimate function to advocate for legislation they believe would help their municipality during this current legislative cycle. The
Respondents are well aware of the accusations against them as they have already received a draft of the verified Petition and further notice is not needed until such hearing. The Temporary
Restraining Order for Respondents to remove the article "EDITORIAL: SECRECY AND DECEPTION ERODE PUBLIC TRUST" from their online portals and make it inaccessible to the public is hereby granted. Petitioner shall post a bond in the amount of $100.00 as security for any damages that Defendant may incur should it be determined that this Temporary Restraining Order was wrongfully issued. This Court further orders that a hearing on the City of Clarksdale's request for a preliminary injunction is hereby set for February 27, 2025, at 9:30 am

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Jennifer N. Victor @jenvictor.bsky.social · Feb 9

Effective and creative data visualization in the form of a full page piece in the WaPo today to show how Trump/Musk are dismantling government.

A page of 52 thumbnail images of government websites that are no longer available.

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Freedom of the Press Foundation @freedom.press · Jan 8

Check out this First Amendment Watch interview with @pressfreedomtracker.us' Senior Reporter @stephaniesugars.bsky.social about the Tracker's annual arrest report and threats journalists faced in 2024.

U.S. Press Freedom Tracker’s Stephanie Sugars on Protests, Police and the Press - First Amendment Watch

Sugars discussed the considerations that are made in including detainments or arrests and the often tumultuous relationship between police and the press.

firstamendmentwatch.org

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Paul Frazee @pfrazee.com · Jan 6

Just going to reiterate -

We are on this bot problem. We shall fight them on the beaches. We shall fight them in the signup process, we shall fight them in the notifications

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Kirstin McCudden @kamccudden.bsky.social · Jan 6

Four years on from the insurrection at the Capitol, and we've never stopped tracking justice for the 18 journalists assaulted in DC on Jan. 6, 2021. It's all kept here by @uspresstracker.bsky.social :

pressfreedomtracker.us/blog/charges...

Charges — and punishments — for J6 rioters who hurt journalists, damaged news equipment

While documenting the large mob in front of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, photographer John Minchillo was grabbed …

pressfreedomtracker.us

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