WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 – The following is a statement by Emily Wilkins, president of the National Press Club on the release of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist #AlsuKurmasheva from detention in Russia.

Applause breaks out in WSJ's DC office, as editors here get confirmation that Evan Gershkovich is off a Russian plane.

Russia freed wrongly convicted WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich as part of the largest and most complex East-West prisoner swap since the Cold War wsj.com/world/russia/e… via The Wall Street Journal

SPJ celebrates the release of The Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. "SPJ calls on governments internationally to recognize that it is not a crime for journalists to seek the truth and report it," said SPJ President SPJ President. spj.org/news.asp?ref=3…

Unconstitutional gag rules undermine press freedom thehill.com/opinion/480135…

Thanks to the SPJ Foundation for sponsoring our Society of Professional Journalists Summer Journalism Institute at Emerson College in #Boston. These experiences are vital for high schoolers to get inspired, have real-world reporting experiences, get published and eventually become SPJ pro members.

"Two special prosecutors said Monday that they plan to file a criminal obstruction of justice charge against a former central Kansas police chief over his conduct following a raid last year on his town’s newspaper." editorandpublisher.com/stories/prosec…

Same old story at Times Publishing Co. driving news of plan to cut payroll 20% -- "print advertising and circulation have declined steadily and digital revenue growth hasn’t made up for the shortfall." No mention in this story of subcription & grant revenue. tampabay.com/news/2024/08/0…

AZ journalists: Save the date! Hear experts share tips to sharpen your election coverage Phoenix SPJ & AZ First Amendment Coalition's free workshop Sat. a.m. 9/14 in dwtn PHX. Watch for details soon at phoenixspj.org. @azpressclub ALMA AAJAArizona AZABJ

We, the journalists of Hearst Connecticut Media, are forming a union. We ask that Hearst voluntarily recognize our unit so we may begin negotiating a contract that benefits all parties, including our communities. Read our full mission statement here 👇

ABC Says Trump and Harris Have Agreed to Debate on Sept. 10 nytimes.com/2024/08/08/bus…

This is a bit of an earthquake in the California journalism landscape calmatters.org/politics/capit…

SPJ strongly condemns the Oklahoma State Department of Education’s decision to deny KFOR-TV journalists access to a news conference with State Superintendent Ryan Walters in Oklahoma City. Read our full statement: spj.org/news.asp?ref=3…

Things are not OK in OK >>> Emily Richmond Lori Crouch

UPCOMING EVENT: You don’t want to miss this very important panel discussion on 9/4 at 5pm EDT. Register below:

Today, justice was served as Robert Telles was found guilty of Las Vegas reporter Jeff German's murder. Jeff's dedication to seeking the truth and love for Vegas will not be forgotten. SPJ sends our support to his friends, family and colleagues. cnn.com/2024/08/28/us/…

As Las Vegas Review-Journal executive editor Glenn Cook said after reporter Jeff German's killer was found guilty: "His murder remains an outrage." cnn.com/2024/08/28/us/…

Coming next week: The latest on the crossroads of #AI & #Election2024 with Zach Seward of The New York Times + Loreben Tuquero of PolitiFact + Eric Wishart of AFP News Agency presented by Society of Professional Journalists Register now for free!

🤔 Wondering what's scheduled for the Region 8 + Region 12 "Jazzed About Journalism" Conference? Check out this lineup of sessions designed to inspire, educate and engage! You can register here: region12conferencespj.wordpress.com/registration-2/

It’s going to take a lot of us to build up the local news infrastructure. At SPJ, we’re thrilled to join this coalition as we work to lift the voices of journalists doing the hard and necessary work of keeping their communities informed. Society of Professional Journalists 🙏