Trump Threatens to Jail Journalists Over Leak of Missing Airman & Greece Plans to Block Social Media for Minors | The Free Flow 4/9/26
Trump threatens to jail journalists who reported on a missing airman following the downing of a U.S. fighter jet in Iran, Greece plans to block social media for minors under 15, and more.
This Week at a Glance đ
â đșđž Trump Threatens to Jail Journalists Over Iran Fighter Jet Leak
â đźđȘ Ireland Tests Digital Wallet for Social Media Age Verification
â đŹđ· Greece to Block Social Media for Minors Under 15
â đ«đ· French MEP Detained Over âApology for Terrorismâ Charges
â đđș Hungary Files Espionage Charges Against Investigative Journalist
First of All đșđž
» Trump Threatens to Jail Journalists Over Iran Fighter Jet Leak
President Trump has threatened to imprison journalists who reported details about a missing airman following the downing of a U.S. fighter jet by Iran.
Details:
Trump said that he would pursue whoever leaked information about the second airman, and said, âWeâre going to go to the media company that released it, and weâre going to say, âNational security. Give it up or go to jail.ââ
The pilot of the aircraft was recovered within several hours, while the âback seaterâ was stranded in Iranian territory until April 5, when he was recovered by American forces.
The President said the government had hoped to keep the second airmanâs status a secret to prevent him from being captured or killed in Iran.
» University of Alabama Closes Student Magazines, Prompting Free Speech Lawsuit
The University of Alabama has shuttered two student-run magazines for discrimination. This prompted a lawsuit alleging the university violated studentsâ First Amendment rights by silencing independent student media.
Details:
On December 1, the university immediately suspended Alice, a womenâs lifestyle magazine, and Nineteen Fifty-Six, a magazine named for the year Autherine Lucy became the first Black student to enroll at UA.
University officials argued the magazines were âunlawful proxiesâ for discrimination on the basis of race or gender, discriminating against groups that do not belong to the magazinesâ respective target audiences, Black and female students.
The Southern Poverty Law Center, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and the ACLU of Alabama have filed a federal lawsuit against the magazinesâ suspension.
The case comes amid a memo from former U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, which outlined âbest practicesâ for institutions receiving federal funding to avoid the âsignificant legal risksâ of engaging in programs that may discriminate.
Gabrielle Gunter, the editor-in-chief of Alice, said, âEvery single magazine has a target audience. The problem with Nineteen Fifty-Six and Alice is that our target audiences are groups this presidential administration doesnât like.â
» Missouri Senate Passes Anti-SLAPP Bill to Shield Free Speech
The Missouri Senate has passed a bill aimed at combating strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs), joining a growing number of states with anti-SLAPP protections.
Details:
The legislation would replace Missouriâs current Anti-SLAPP laws with the Uniform Public Expression Protection Act, and allow defendants to seek early dismissal of cases against speech or journalism tied to matters of public concern.
The motion to dismiss would pause discovery and other proceedings while a court reviews the order, and allow a defendant to recover damages if the motion is approved.
The bill now heads to the Missouri House for consideration.
The Digital Age đ€
» White House Requests Satellite Imagery Providers to Indefinitely Withhold Images
Planet Labs, a satellite imaging firm, told customers that it would indefinitely withhold imagery of Iran and the conflict region in the Middle East to comply with a request from the U.S. government.
Details:
The decision comes after the company imposed a 14-day delay on imagery of the Middle East, which it said was to prevent adversaries from using images to attack the U.S. and its allies.
It said it will withhold imagery dating back to March 9, and that the policy will likely remain in effect until the end of the conflict.
While satellite technology is used for military purposes, including target identification, weapon guidance, missile tracking, and more, it also helps journalists and academicians study hard-to-reach places.
Planet Labs said it will release imagery on a case-by-case basis for urgent, mission-critical requirements or for public interest.
» Arizona Considers Requiring Parental Consent for Minorsâ Social Media Use
Arizona lawmakers are considering banning social media for children under 16 without parental permission.
Details:
The latest versions of House Bill 2991 and Senate Bill 1747 require app stores to âdetermine or estimateâ the age of new and existing users, and prevent users under 16 from downloading or accessing pre-downloaded apps without parental consent.
App developers would be expected to rely on app storesâ age findings and comply with the minimums.
Developers would also have to provide safeguards and parental controls for accounts held by minors, which could include daily time limits and restrictions on the sharing of usersâ geolocation data.
Companies that violate the rules could face civil lawsuits from minors or their families for âactual damages,â or $1,000 per violation, whichever is greater.
If the violation was âegregious,â companies could face punitive damages, and the attorney general could seek a civil penalty of up to $75,000 per violation.
» Greece to Block Social Media for Minors Under 15
Greeceâs Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has said the country is expected to ban social media for children under 15.
Details:
Although the legislation has not yet passed, it has little opposition and is expected to take effect in January 2027.
Mitsotakis said the government does not want to distance children from technology, which can be a source of inspiration and knowledge, but that âthe addictive design of certain applicationsâŠhas to be stopped at some point.â
Mitsotakis did not specifically name any of the social media companies that would be subject to the legislation, though officials later said the ban would apply to messaging apps.
Officials also added that the goal is to use Kids Wallet, a state-backed mobile app installed on childrenâs devices and linked to their parentsâ accounts, to restrict access to social media.
Kids Wallet is already being used by parents to limit childrenâs screen time and restrict the purchase of age-restricted goods such as alcohol and tobacco.
» Ireland Tests Digital Wallet for Social Media Age Verification
Ireland has begun testing a government-issued digital wallet that would verify usersâ ages before granting access to social media platforms.
Details:
The wallet must be implemented by the end of 2026 to comply with the European Unionâs Online Safety Code, which requires platforms to implement effective age-verification measures.
According to the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalization, people can store digital copies of their birth certificates, driving licenses, health cards, and more in the digital wallet.
» Judge Dismisses Xâs Antitrust Lawsuit Over Advertiser Boycott
A judge has dismissed an antitrust lawsuit brought by Elon Musk against the World Federation of Advertisers and major brands, including Shell, Nestle, Colgate, and Mars, for allegedly colluding on an ad boycott on X, his social media platform.
Background:
Advertisers had created the Global Alliance for Responsible Media to moderate the content appearing around their ads, and had sent letters to Musk threatening collective action if he did not honor their brand safety standards.
Musk alleged that the advertiser-controlled initiative was conspiring to tank the appâs revenue and censor conservative viewpoints because he had cut the platformâs content moderation teams and disbanded its Trust and Safety Council.
U.S. District Judge Jane Boyle found that X failed to show that consumers were harmed, a required element for an antitrust claim, and dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning X cannot refile.
Boyle also said that the advertisers âmerely decided that they would not buy from X their own advertising needâ out of concern for brand safety, and that they did not attempt to âcontrol the social media advertising marketâ or work together.
The ruling could affect Muskâs ongoing lawsuit against Media Matters for America, whose reporting he says prompted the boycott.
The Brussels Effect: Europe and Beyond đȘđș
» Hungary Files Espionage Charges Against Investigative Journalist
The Hungarian government has filed criminal espionage charges against Szabolcs Panyi, a prominent investigative journalist, for alleged spying activities in coordination with a foreign country.
Details:
Panyi was investigating Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjartoâs communications with Moscow when he was secretly recorded speaking to a source.
Media tied to Hungaryâs government published the recording in edited form, and Panyi can be heard confirming the phone number that Szijjarto used.
The Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that Panyi has âspied against his own country in cooperation with a foreign state,â and that his role as a journalist was a cover.
Panyi, who had been targeted by military-grade spyware produced in Israel in 2021, denied sharing Szijjartoâs phone number with a foreign state and any wrongdoing.
In 2024, Panyi spoke at our Global Free Speech Summit and said that â[Hungary] is not in the business of trying to kill journalists. They are in the business of trying to kill stories by putting spyware on journalistsâ phones so that they can identify our sources, and possibly they can intimidate our sources and prevent whistleblowers from contacting journalists.â
Our Take: âCharging journalists with espionage for investigating their own government is not the conduct of a liberal democracy,â The Future of Free Speech posted in a statement on social media expressing support for Szabolcs. âIt is the conduct of the autocratic states that Panyi himself has spent his career documenting.â
» French Prosecutors Open Hate Speech Probe Against CNews Channel
The Paris prosecutorâs office has opened an investigation into French news channel CNews for alleged racist comments made about Bally Bagayoko, the newly elected Black mayor of the Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis.
Details: Bagayoko filed a complaint alleging that the comments made on the channel on March 27 and 28 constituted racial slurs, which are punishable by up to one year in jail and a fine of up to âŹ45,000 ($52,000).
» French MEP Rima Hassan Detained Over âApology for Terrorismâ Charges
French-Palestinian Member of European Parliament Rima Hassan has been detained by French authorities on charges of âapology for terrorismâ in connection with social media posts that expressed solidarity with KĆzĆ Okamoto, a Japanese terrorist.
Details:
Okamotio was responsible for the massacre of 26 passengers at Ben Gurion International Airport in Israel.
This is not the first time Hassan has been accused of condoning terrorism, as her statements about the Israel-Gaza conflict have repeatedly come under fire.
Though she said Hamasâ attack on October 7, 2023, was âmorally unacceptable,â she has drawn criticism from several parties in Franceâs political establishment for continuing to describe Hamasâ armed resistance against Israel as âlegitimate from the perspective of international law.â
Her post was brought to French prosecutors by Hassanâs fellow French lawmaker, Matthias Renault, who posted, âFinally, the beginning of the end of impunity for the France Unbowed lawmaker!â
Hassan is now being held for condoning terrorism, as well as drug use, transportation, and possession, after nearly 2 grams of synthetic drugs were discovered in the bag she had brought to fulfill her summons at a Paris police station.
» Spain Rules LaLiga Playersâ Protest is Legal
Spainâs National Court has ruled that players protesting the plans of LaLiga, a professional football league, were legally exercising âtheir right to freedom of expression.â
Details:
The players did not play for the first 15 seconds of matches in games played over October 17-20, in protest of LaLigaâs proposal to move a scheduled match between Villarreal and Barcelona from Spain to Miami, Florida.
LaLiga sued, alleging the playersâ protest was illegal, but the National Court found that the protest âdid not constitute a strikeâ and was a protected expression.
The Spanish Footballersâ Association (AFE)â the playersâ unionâ highlighted that the ruling was based on an article of the playersâ collective bargaining agreement, which gives professional footballers the âright to freely express their thoughts on any matter and, in particular, on matters related to their profession, with no limitations other than those derived from the law and respect for others.â
Free Speech Recession đ
» Mass Arrests in the Middle East Amid Crackdown on Coverage of Conflict
UN Human Rights Chief Volker TĂŒrk warned of an escalating crackdown on coverage of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, highlighting the arrest of nearly 2,350 people in Iran since February 28.
In Iran:
Those arrested face national security charges, including terrorism, dissent, alleged espionage, and âcooperation with the enemy.ââ
The Commissioner added that many of these people face expedited proceedings and the risk of execution, with eight people already put to death.
In the Gulf:
In Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, 313 and 109 people have been detained, respectively, âin relation to the filming or sharing of information, among other charges.â
35 people in the UAE have been sent for âexpedited trial,â among them individuals who circulated footage showing Iranian strikes.
At least 4 critics were reportedly arrested in Jordan.
In Kuwait, a new decree imposes prison terms and steep fines for circulating content that seeks to âundermine the prestige of the militaryâ or public trust in it.
Public prosecutors in Bahrain have sought the death penalty for individuals accused of espionage.
In the Occupied West Bank:
Israeli authorities announced the detention of 200 Palestinians between February 28 and March 6, including for posts made on social media, suspicion of âincitement,â and âglorification of the enemy.â
A 44-year-old Palestinian high school principal was physically assaulted by Israeli authorities, who also vandalized his home, for a post he reportedly published expressing support for Iran.
» IPI Report Shows Widening Crackdown on Independent Journalism in Sahel States
A new report by the International Press Institute has documented intensifying threats to independent journalism following a series of military coups in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.
Key Findings:
Military rulers across the Sahel have weaponized cybercrime laws to arrest and jail journalists, blocked or suspended dozens of local and foreign media outlets, and even forcibly conscripted critical reporters into military service in Burkina Faso.
Niger has emerged as the regionâs leading jailer of journalists, with multiple reporters currently imprisoned under cybercrime charges for covering security-related topics, including refugee conditions and the activities of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner.
French media outlets, including Radio France Internationale (RFI), France 24, and LCI, have been suspended or banned in Mali and Burkina Faso.
Burkina Faso has also blocked the BBC, Voice of America, Deutsche Welle, The Guardian, and Le Mondeâmany of which remain inaccessible.
Ashley Haek is a communications coordinator and research assistant at The Future of Free Speech.
Abigail Pope is a communications intern at The Future of Free Speech and a student at Vanderbilt University studying economics.