DOJ Subpoenas WSJ Reporters Over Iran Leak & Meta Accused of Censoring LGBTQ+ Content | The Free Flow 5/14/26

DOJ subpoenas WSJ reporters in investigation about Iran leaks, LGBTQ+ activists accuse Meta of disproportionately censoring queer content, ABC Blasts FCC for probe into 'The View,' and more.

This Week at a Glance 🔎

— 🇺🇸 DOJ Subpoenas WSJ Reporters in Iran Leaks Probe

— 🇺🇸 ABC Claims FCC Threats Chill First Amendment Speech

— 🤖 LGBTQ+ Creators Claim Meta Is Suppressing Queer Content

— 🇩🇪 German Culture Minister Calls to Regulate YouTube’s Algorithm

— 🇸🇻 El Salvador Freezes Assets of Investigative News Outlet

First of All 🇺🇸

» ABC Claims FCC Threats Chill First Amendment Speech

• ABC has sent a legal letter accusing the Federal Communications Commission of attempting to threaten broadcasters and limit political discourse through an ongoing inquiry into its daytime talk show, “The View.”

• The Letter:

  • The letter responds to an FCC investigation into “The View” that began in February, following Texas Senate candidate James Talarico’s appearance on the show.

  • The agency claimed that “The View” had violated the “equal time rule,” which requires stations to give equal airtime to all legally qualified candidates for public office.

  • Although talk shows have historically been considered “news interview programs” and therefore exempt from the rule, the FCC is challenging whether such programs are “bona fide” news and qualify for exemption.

  • In a statement sent to the media, the FCC said it will review the matter, but that “the equal time law encourages more speech and empowers voters to decide the outcome of elections.”

  • ABC maintains that it has abided by the law and that the FCC is redefining what’s exempt and using regulatory power to restrict views.

• The Bigger Picture:

  • The letter also suggests that an FCC order issued last week for early license reviews of ABC-owned television stations is suspicious.

  • The order came one day after Trump pressured ABC to fire late-night host Jimmy Kimmel over a controversial monologue, as mentioned in a previous Free Flow.

  • “Uncertainty as to the scope of broadcast licensees’ editorial discretion threatens to limit news coverage of political candidates and chill core First Amendment-protected speech for years and potentially decades to come,” ABC’s letter read.

» DOJ Subpoenas WSJ Reporters and Investigates Iran Leaks

• The Wall Street Journal has received grand jury subpoenas dated March 4 for records of certain reporters amid a push from the Justice Department to pursue investigations of journalists who have worked on sensitive national security stories.

• Details:

  • The subpoenas target reporters related to a February article that detailed Pentagon officials’ warnings about the risks of a military campaign against Iran.

  • The move comes as the Justice Department is pursuing investigations against reporters following complaints from President Trump about media leaks related to the Iran war last month.

  • According to officials, Trump is focusing on articles that provided details on how he arrived at his decision to launch the war, and what his advisers told him as he deliberated.

  • Sources revealed that prosecutors have sent subpoenas to media organizations and email and phone providers seeking information in leak inquiries over recent months.

  • The administration has also vowed to go after reporters who covered the downing of an American jet in Iran and the rescue operation that followed, as mentioned in a previous Free Flow.

» Trump Counterterrorism Strategy Links ‘Transgender Ideology’ to Violent Extremism

• The Trump administration’s new national counterterrorism strategy, released May 6, 2026, names “violent left-wing extremists” and “extremist transgender ideology” as among the top threats facing the country.

• Details:

  • Sebastian Gorka, the senior director for counterterrorism, also told reporters that the team is focused on online groups that are “inciting violence against innocent individuals” on both sides of the aisle.

  • “It’s also about the ideology, whether it’s against Western Civilization, America, the U.S. Constitution, our friends, our allies, peace in general, you fit under that rubric,” he added.

  • Gorka said the administration would use “all the tools constitutionally available to us” to identify members of political groups whose ideology is “anti-American, radically pro-gender or anarchist, such as antifa.”

The Digital Age 🤖

» OpenAI Endorses U.S. Kids Online Safety Act

• OpenAI has endorsed the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), a bill that would require social media companies and other online platforms to implement stronger protections for children.

• Details:

  • The bill, first introduced in 2022, has been revised several times, though the current version requires platforms to allow minors to opt out of “addictive features” and algorithmic recommendations.

  • Platforms also have a “duty of care” to mitigate harmful content, including that which promotes eating disorders, suicide, and sexual exploitation under the Act.

  • OpenAI joins Apple, Microsoft, Snapchat, and X as endorsers of the bill.

» Denver Activist Sentenced to Jail for Doxing Police Commander

• A Denver activist, Regan Benson, was sentenced to 60 days in jail, two years’ probation, and a $1,000 fine for violating the state’s anti-doxing statute.

• Details:

  • Benson’s charges stem from a September livestream outside the District 3 police station, where she asked viewers to look up the home address of the Denver police commander, Joel Bell.

  • Benson suggested holding a “pig roast” there, and repeated the idea when users found the address, and read and repeated users’ suggestions for things to write in chalk outside the station.

  • After her sentencing, Benson vowed to appeal the decision, adding, “There’s a woman in jail right now for joking about a pig roast,” and that she never advocated for true threats.

• The Law:

  • The statute prevents the publishing of personal information of people with certain public-facing jobs in a way that creates a serious and imminent threat to their safety.

  • The person publishing such information should reasonably know if the information poses a threat under the law.

» LGBTQ+ Creators Fear Meta Is Suppressing Queer Content on Instagram

• LGBTQ+ creators and advocates are raising alarms about the suppression of queer and sexual-health-related content on Meta platforms, Instagram and Facebook.

• Details:

  • Sources have reported widespread concerns among queer influencers and advocates about moderation and algorithmic suppression.

  • Repro Uncensored, a group that tracks online censorship of reproductive and sexual health content, claims it documented the suspension of more than 100 queer and creative accounts in April alone.

  • A sex toy retailer’s account with more than 700,000 followers, Bellesa Boutique, was removed, sparking renewed backlash against Meta.

  • Meta maintains that the account violated its solicitation policies on more than three occasions and that every organization and individual is subject to the same set of rules.

The Brussels Effect: Europe and Beyond 🇪🇺

» German Culture Minister Calls to Regulate YouTube’s Algorithm

• German Minister for Culture and Media Wolfram Weimer argued in an op-ed that YouTube and other large social media platforms should face broadcast-style regulation — including rules governing algorithmic content promotion — because they now function like traditional television.

• Details:

  • Weimer wrote in the German newspaper Die Welt that when YouTube CEO Neal Mohan declared his platform “the new television” in 2025, the statement carried regulatory implications: platforms that shape public discourse as TV once did should face comparable rules.

  • He called for rules governing content “prominence” — meaning which content gets surfaced and recommended by algorithms — arguing that these decisions carry the same publication responsibilities as broadcast editorial choices.

  • Weimer also called for binding age verification, arguing that the current minimum age of 13 — derived from U.S. data protection law — is effectively meaningless without enforcement mechanisms.

  • He simultaneously advocated deregulating outdated rules for traditional broadcasters, including advertising limits designed for scarce TV spectrum that no longer make sense in a fragmented digital landscape.

  • The op-ed comes as the EU considers reforms to the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) — the key EU law governing video content across member states — which could be expanded to cover large streaming and social media platforms.

» EU Moves to Crack Down on TikTok and Instagram’s ‘Addictive Design’ Targeting Children

• At the European Summit on Artificial Intelligence and Children in Denmark, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the region will take action against “addictive design” features on TikTok and Meta’s platforms.

• Details:

  • “We are taking action against TikTok and its addictive design — endless scrolling, autoplay, and push notifications. The same applies to Meta, because we believe Instagram and Facebook are failing to enforce their own minimum age of 13,” Von der Leyen said.

  • The EU’s executive branch has also designed its own age-verification app that member states can integrate into their digital wallets, though it has sparked security concerns, as mentioned in a previous Free Flow.

» Meta Challenges UK Regulator Over Online Safety Fees and Fines

• Meta is challenging the UK’s media regulator, Ofcom, in London’s High Court over how fees and penalties are calculated under the Online Safety Act.

• Details:

  • The Online Safety Act sets standards for social media platforms and allows Ofcom to fine companies up to 10% of their global revenue.

  • Meta is arguing that Ofcom’s approach is disproportionate and unlawful, as well as its policy that renders two or more providers owned by the same organization jointly liable for breaches.

  • “We believe fees and penalties should be based on the services being regulated in the countries they’re being regulated in,” a Meta spokesperson said.

  • The challenge is due to be heard in October.

» Finnish Lawmaker Appeals Hate Speech Conviction Over Decades-Old Pamphlet to ECHR

• Finnish member of parliament Päivi Räsänen is appealing her hate speech conviction over a decades-old pamphlet that referred to homosexuality as a “developmental disorder” to the European Court of Human Rights.

• Details:

  • The conviction focused on a pamphlet Räsänen published in 2004 titled “Male and Female He Created Them: Homosexual Relationships Challenge the Christian Understanding of Humanity,” as mentioned in a previous Free Flow.

  • “[T]he scientific material unequivocally proves that homosexuality is a disorder of psycho-sexual development,” Räsänen wrote. “Those who claim that homosexuality is a natural ‘healthy’ variety of sexuality nullify the evidentiary value found in family background studies for political reasons.”

  • Räsänen was charged with “agitation against a minority group” in 2021 over a 2019 tweet that questioned her church’s sponsorship of an LGBTQ+ pride event, though she was acquitted twice by lower courts in 2022 and 2023.

  • Now, Räsänen says she feels it is her duty to appeal her conviction, and “to reinstate respect for the basic human right that all are free to peacefully express their views in the public square.”

Free Speech Recession 🌍

» California Bill Would Impose Jail Time on Protesters Near Houses of Worship

• A bill is moving through the California state legislature that would make it a crime to approach a person within 100 feet of a place of worship to hand out a leaflet, hold a sign, or “engage in oral protest.”

• Details:

  • Violators could face up to six months in jail, and up to a year if they violate the law twice.

  • The 100-foot buffer zone would apply to all houses of worship in the state, barring protesters from coming within eight feet of any person and handing them a pamphlet, showing a sign, or engaging in “oral protest or education.”

» Rutgers Disinvites Graduation Speaker After He Criticizes Israel

• Rutgers University has disinvited Rami Elghandour, a School of Engineering convocation speaker, after graduating students complained about his social media posts criticizing Israel.

• Details:

  • The university pointed to an April 20 post on X, where Elghandour accused Israel of carrying out a “genocide” in Gaza and alleged it was “training dogs to sexually assault prisoners.”

  • Afterward, the university released a statement that the invitation had been rescinded after discussing concerns with Elghandour.

  • The University Senate responded to the cancellation by voting to formally censor the dean of the engineering school for his “one-sided, opaque, and harmful” handling of the matter.

» Tunisia Sentences Prominent Journalist Zied el-Heni to One Year in Prison

• A Tunisian court has sentenced reporter Zied el-Heni, who was detained on April 24 after writing a post criticizing a judicial ruling, to one year in prison.

• Details:

  • El-Heni was convicted under Article 76 of Tunisia’s Telecommunications Code after he made a social media post criticizing the imprisonment of Khalifa Guesmi.

  • The post described the judiciary as a “conspiracy” that led to the wrongful imprisonment of both Guesmi and a national guard officer, who were later acquitted.

  • El-Heni said he would not appeal any ruling because he does “not recognize any outcome” resulting from an “illegitimate trial in which my rights are being violated.”

» El Faro Says El Salvador Froze Its Assets in Retaliation for Reporting on Bukele

• Salvadoran investigative outlet El Faro has revealed that the assets of two staff members were frozen, alleging that the freeze was retaliation against their work exposing corruption in President Nayib Bukele’s government.

• Details:

  • Tensions between Bukele and El Faro over its corruption investigations have played out in public, including when the outlet revealed that his administration had negotiated with gangs.

  • The move comes after the outlet released a documentary with PBV Frontline about the gang negotiations.

  • El Faro had previously been subject to Pegasus spyware surveillance, with researchers documenting that the phones of at least 22 of its employees were infected between June 2020 and November 2021 (revealed in January 2022).

  • In April 2023, El Faro relocated its legal and administrative base to Costa Rica — establishing the Fundación Periódica in San José — citing the deteriorating environment for independent journalism in El Salvador.

  • The May 2026 asset freeze shows that the Bukele government can still reach the outlet’s remaining in-country operations.

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Ashley Haek is a communications coordinator and research assistant at The Future of Free Speech.