The Briefing
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In today’s email:
- Featured story: DOJ seeks reporter’s LinkedIn records in national security leak probe
- New from Pew Research Center: Americans value press freedom but differ on its limits
- In other news: 60 Minutes returns under new leadership
- Looking ahead: Amazon Prime Video to launch short-form news feature
- Chart of the week: Many Americans favor government restrictions on news if it threatens national security, contains false info
🔥 Featured story
Federal court proceedings this week revealed an extended fight between the Justice Department and LinkedIn, with the government seeking to obtain details on a journalist’s interactions on the site as it investigates a leak surrounding what it calls a matter of national security. This is one of several recent cases that hinge on the balance between the government’s national security interests and First Amendment protections for reporters.
Although the details of the current case are sealed, a majority of Americans say it is rarely (21%) or never (35%) acceptable for the U.S. government to force journalists to reveal the identities of unnamed government sources, according to a new Pew Research Center survey from the Pew-Knight Initiative. At the same time, about three-in-ten say this is at least sometimes acceptable.
Americans look at this topic differently depending on the circumstances. While most Americans (80%) say it is at least sometimes acceptable for U.S. news organizations to keep a source’s identity secret, far fewer (47%) say the same about a news outlet publishing confidential information from government sources. And an even smaller share (24%) say it is at least sometimes OK for journalists to publish classified details about military operations during an active conflict.
🚨 New from Pew Research Center
Most Americans see freedom of the press – protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution – as important to society. But their support for press freedom is far from absolute, according to a new Pew Research Center study from the Pew-Knight Initiative.
While Americans largely support press freedom in principle, half or more also say the government should be able to restrict news reporting in certain cases, particularly if it endangers national security or contains inaccurate information.
Take the quiz to see how much you know about the First Amendment and how you compare to U.S. adults.
📌 In other news
- 60 Minutes makes its return under new leadership as ratings decline; plus, a look at Pete Hegseth’s involvement in one segment
- McClatchy conducts large round of layoffs affecting Miami Herald, other papers
- EU Commission proposes social media ban for children under 13
- A look at Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s tense relationship with the media
- The digital revival of Black magazines as an email newsletter
- Is Polymarket a new form of media company?
- OpenAI partners with news provider in Canada to provide local community services information
- The New York Times hires veteran editor Michael Hirschorn to bring back media column
📅 Looking ahead
Amazon Prime Video recently announced plans to roll out a new short-form news video content feature on its apps, allowing users to view national and local news stories in a similar format to what they may find on other apps like TikTok.
Both streaming and short-form video content have attracted large audiences in recent years, including for news. In a 2025 survey of U.S. adults, 83% said they ever watch streaming services, including 67% who watch Amazon Prime Video specifically. And among Americans who get news from television, 34% said in a separate survey that this news mostly comes from streaming services.
Meanwhile, one-in-five U.S. adults said last year that they regularly get news from TikTok, up sharply from just 3% in 2020. The shares of Americans who get news on YouTube and Instagram have also increased during this time.
📊 Chart of the week
This week’s chart comes from our new report from the Pew-Knight Initiative about Americans’ views of press freedom.
A majority of U.S. adults say that the U.S. government should be able to require a news organization to take down a news story if it poses a risk to national security. About half say the same about a story containing false information. However, most Americans say the U.S. government should not be able to require this if the story clearly favors one political side or is critical of the government.
| No | Yes | Not sure | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poses a risk to national security | 23 | 60 | 18 |
| Contains false information | 33 | 51 | 16 |
| Clearly favors one political side | 72 | 14 | 14 |
| Is critical of the government | 77 | 10 | 13 |
👋 That’s all for this week.
The Briefing is compiled by Pew Research Center staff, including Naomi Forman-Katz, Christopher St. Aubin, Emily Tomasik, Joanne Haner, and Sawyer Reed. It is edited by Michael Lipka and copy edited by David Kent.
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