Journalist Protection Act

HR 3203, the Journalist Protection Act, creates federal criminal penalties for assaulting journalists during newsgathering. It defines "journalist" broadly to include employees, contractors, or agents of news organizations (like newspapers, websites, TV/radio stations) who gather news for public interest. The bill makes it a crime to intentionally assault a journalist causing bodily injury (up to 3 years in prison) or serious bodily injury (up to 6 years in prison), specifically when the assault occurs while they are reporting or to stop their reporting. This directly affects journalists working across all media formats and anyone who assaults them during legitimate newsgathering activities.