Liam Scott

As the Trump administration works to dismantle VOA, RFE/RL and RFA, I'm thinking about our 10 journalists who are imprisoned around the world for doing their jobs. Journalism is not a crime. Here’s a thread on their cases.

My latest

Bus crashes into Ambar restaurant in DC @postlocal washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2026/…

Continuing my sporadic Twitter-reporting behavior to bring you some pretty wild news ... @OpenAI bought @tbpn ! wsj.com/cmo-today/open…

It was gone just a day after it appeared: a statue of President Donald Trump holding a hole-ridden golden dome like an umbrella as mini-missiles rained on him from above. My latest washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2026/…

"Judges have cited attacks on the press by Mr. Trump and his appointees when ruling against the government in at least three court cases involving news organizations." @ErikWemple nytimes.com/2026/04/02/bus…

Just in: the union representing CBS News streaming employees (CBS 24/7) has reached a tentative agreement on a new three year contract

#Philippines: RSF, as part of the #HoldTheLine Coalition, welcomes the end of the lawsuit against #Rappler, which sought to shut down the media outlet. The case was initiated under the administration of former President Duterte almost a decade ago. The justice system must now bring the "cyberlibel" case against Rappler’s founder, Maria Ressa, to a close.

My @washingtonpost interview with David McCraw and @BoutrousTed about the NYT suit against the Pentagon ⬇️

I was in Moscow during the uninvited digital detox, when the internet was out, in parts of the city, for days-weeks. In some neighborhoods, nothing was accessible without wifi - except food delivery on Yandex. Walking in a 20 min radius of Kremlin? Same. nytimes.com/video/world/10…

A frisson goes through journalists everywhere when one of our number is kidnapped and held hostage. Hoping @shellykittleson is soon back to reporting, as she has for years in difficult places. nytimes.com/2026/03/31/wor…

The U.S. Department of State is aware of the reported kidnapping of an American journalist in Baghdad, Iraq. The State Department previously fulfilled our duty to warn this individual of threats against them and we will continue to coordinate with the FBI to ensure their release as quickly as possible.   An individual with ties to the Iranian-aligned militia group Kataib Hizballah believed to be involved in the kidnapping has been taken into custody by Iraqi authorities. Iraq remains at a Level 4 Travel Advisory and Americans are advised not to travel to Iraq for any reason and to leave Iraq now.   The State Department strongly advise all Americans, including members of the press, to adhere to all travel advisories.

🚨AL-MONITOR statement calling for the release of contributor Shelly Kittleson after her kidnapping in Iraq: al-monitor.com/originals/2026…

#Iraq: RSF expresses its deep concern after the abduction today in Baghdad of American journalist Shelly Kittleson, a contributor to @AlMonitor. Iraqi authorities announced they arrested a suspected kidnapper. RSF stands in solidarity with the journalist's family and colleagues.

#Iraq: CPJ is deeply concerned by reports that American freelance journalist #Shelley_Kittleson was abducted by unidentified individuals in Baghdad on Tuesday. According to Iraq’s Interior Ministry, security forces launched an immediate operation based on precise intelligence and have intercepted a vehicle believed to be linked to the perpetrators. However, Kittleson was not found in the vehicle. Local reports indicate she was taken near the Baghdad Hotel on Saadoun Street. CPJ calls on Iraqi authorities to do everything in their power to locate Shelley Kittleson, ensure her immediate and safe release, and hold those responsible to account.

American journalist Shelly Kittleson was kidnapped today in Baghdad, the Iraqi ministry of the interior confirmed.

Breaking: Judge Randolph Moss struck down a portion of Trump's executive order on NPR and PBS, saying that cutting off funding based on coverage is unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination and retaliation, violating their First Amendment rights.

After the White House complained about an unflattering photo of Karoline Leavitt, it was scrubbed from AFP and Getty’s systems, another episode in image control from the press sec New from @oliverdarcy status.news/p/karoline-lea…

The Israeli military suspended a battalion of reservist soldiers on Monday, days after it detained a CNN crew in the West Bank village of Tayasir. washingtonpost.com/world/2026/03/…

FCC chairman Brendan Carr says at monthly meeting that there might still be a full commission vote on the Nexstar-Tegna merger, as Ted Cruz had called for. He said the approval was a staff recommendation.

The Hungarian government is filing charges against investigative journalist @panyiszabolcs for espionage, Orbán’s chief of staff, Gergely Gulyás says.