The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, announced last spring, is up and running as a database of local and federal government interference with the press. “The tracker provides snapshots of individual journalists and their cases. Several categories of press freedom incidents will be tracked: arrests and detentions, border stops, chilling statements, denial of access, equipment searches, leak cases, physical attacks and subpoenas,” writes Bianca Fortis, Media Shift, August 2, 2017.
Already in 2017 the Freedom Tracker has documented the arrests of 19 journalists, the search and seizure of equipment of 12 journalists, 11 physical attacks and four border stops. The site will allow journalists, scholars and public officials the data needed to find trends, addressing such questions as “Has press freedom deteriorated under President Donald Trump?” (NiemanLab, August 2,2017, by Laura Hazard Owen)