Journalist Protection Act

S.1601, the Journalist Protection Act, creates new federal criminal penalties for assaulting journalists during their work. It defines "journalist" broadly to include employees, contractors, or agents of news organizations (like newspapers, websites, TV/radio stations, or digital platforms) who regularly gather news about public interest matters. The bill makes it a crime to intentionally assault a journalist causing bodily injury (penalty: up to 3 years in prison) or serious bodily injury (penalty: up to 6 years in prison), specifically when the assault occurs while the journalist is gathering news or intended to intimidate their reporting. This directly affects journalists working across all media formats and anyone who assaults them under these defined circumstances.