An Open Letter from

Communications Leaders Defending Press Freedom

February 12, 2026

As communications leaders and organizations, we condemn recent federal actions against journalists that undermine the freedom of the press and the fundamental principles of our profession.

The Jan. 30 arrests of journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort on federal felony charges for covering a Minnesota protest threaten the constitutional protections of the First Amendment. After two federal courts rejected arrest warrants for lack of probable cause, the Justice Department took the extraordinary step of obtaining a grand jury indictment for this unprecedented prosecution of journalists. 

This is not a political issue but an assault on constitutional protections that impact every communications professional in the United States. 

Independent journalism is essential to our society and our profession. Journalists hold institutions accountable, provide the third-party credibility our work requires, and ensure the free flow of information that markets and democracies depend upon. 

When the government arrests and prosecutes journalists for doing their jobs, it threatens the entire information ecosystem and the free exchange of information critical to our profession and an informed public.

We call on the Justice Department to immediately drop charges against journalists Lemon and Fort and to stop targeting journalists for intimidation and prosecution. We urge Congress to investigate and hold hearings on these threats to press freedom. 

To our fellow communicators, we urge you to protect and support independent journalism. Our freedom depends on the protection of press freedom.

Signatories:

Individuals

Signing in their individual capacity as communications professionals, not representing the views of their current or former employers

  1. Alan T. Kercinik, Independent Communications Consultant

  2. Amy Dudley, Senior Director, Strategic Communications and Media Relations, Circle

  3. Amy Widdowson, VP Communications, Medium

  4. Andrew Noyes, Principal, Noisemaker Consulting (former Facebook, Uber)

  5. Apryl Ash, PR Consultant, Approach Marketing

  6. Barbara Williams,Founder, Factual Communications

  7. Berkeley Mashburn, Account Executive, Quinn PR

  8. Bob Osmond, CEO, FWD STRATEGIES, LLC

  9. Brandon Borrman, Former Head of Communications, Mozilla and Twitter

  10. Brendan P. Lewis, Co-Founder/Principal, Two Creeks Strategies

  11. Chris Ortman, Founder & CEO, Ortman Strategies

  12. Cindy Hamilton, Former Director of Communications, HopSkipDrive

  13. Colin Baugh, Founder and President, Emblem Public Relations

  14. Colin Crook, Principal, Independent Communications Consultant

  15. Corey Wilson, Comms Consultant, (former Vanity Fair, GQ, WIRED, Pitchfork)

  16. Dabney Lawless, Principal, Independent Comms Consultant (former Nextdoor)

  17. Dacyl Armendariz, Principal, Independent Communications Consultant

  18. Danielle Belopotosky, Principal, Comms Consultant (former New York Times, National Journal, Wall Street Journal)

  19. David F. Carr, Editor, Insights News & Research, Similarweb

  20. David Kellis, Principal, David Kellis Communications

  21. Elinor Mills, VP of Content and Media Relations, Mission North

  22. Elizabeth McNichols, Partner, Fuse Strategy Group (former CEO, Outcast Agency)

  23. Emilie Cole, Head of Communications, Decagon

  24. Emily Hackel, Principal Consultant (former Elevance Health, McKinsey, Edelman)

  25. Emily Lock, Founder, Consultant (former Meta and Obama administration)

  26. Eric Savitz, Founder and Consultant (former GM, Barron's, Brunswick Group)

  27. Erica Stanley, Founder/Principal, Independent Communications Consultant

  28. Eugene Dale Legaspi, Jr., Adjunct Instructor, University of Southern California

  29. Hannah Mooney Mack, Principal Consultant (former Fortune 500, PhRMA, U.S. Senate)

  30. Heather Sliwinski Founder and Principal, Changemaker Communications

  31. Holly Maddox, VP Global Corporate Communications, Circle

  32. Jeanne P. Meyer, Founder, Consultant (former Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Al Gore's Current TV, EMI Music, Toys R Us) 

  33. Jennifer Walton, Principal, Independent Communications Consultant

  34. Joe Ciarallo, Head of Communications, US, Synthesia

  35. Joe Lang, Former Director of Communications, Thomson Reuters

  36. Jonah Freedman, Director of Content Strategy, Automation Anywhere

  37. Jonathan Shieber, Senior Strategist, LaunchSquad

  38. Juliet Travis, Founder & CEO, Liftoff Communications

  39. Kara Silverman, Founder, Althea Labs

  40. Karmen Johnson, Co-founder, Tastemaker Comms (former Edelman)

  41. Kat Madariaga, Founding Principal, The Key PR

  42. Kate Guarente-Smith, Founder, KGS Communications (former Slack, GitHub, Outcast)

  43. Kathryn Kelly, Principal, Kelly Communications

  44. Kelly Mayes, VP Of Communications and Brand, Alloy

  45. Khuong Phan, Owner / CEO, Operator KP

  46. Lauren Condoluci, Founder, Condoluci Consulting

  47. Lesley Gold, CEO, SutherlandGold Group

  48. Leslie Grace Hobbs, Founder, Grace Strategy Group (former Linkedin, Lockheed Martin)

  49. Linda Dunbar, Fractional Chief Communications Officer & Consultant

  50. Lisa Dini, Founder & Strategic Advisor, Lisa Dini Consulting

  51. Lorenz Esguerra, CEO, Folklore

  52. Lynne Weil, Founder and Principal, Citrus Strategies

  53. Marcy Stech, Principal, Consultant (former Emerson Collective)

  54. Martha Feingold, Independent Communications Consultant

  55. Mary O'Connell, Principal and Chief Communications Officer, Talking Points PR (former Clorox, Peet's Coffee)

  56. Mason Harrison, CEO, BrandPolicy

  57. Matt Nagel, Director PR, Cisco

  58. Mette McCall, Principal, McCall Media

  59. Micah O'Keeffe, Publicist, Quinn PR

  60. Miel Bagsit, Communications Director, Good PR

  61. Mollie Starr, Partner, Milk & Honey PR

  62. Molly DeMellier, Head of Communications, Sounds Profitable

  63. Natalia Battaglia, SVP Communications, Whiteboard Advisors

  64. Nick Morris, Founder and Director, Independent Communications Consultant

  65. Nick Pandolfo, Principal, Independent Communications Consultant

  66. Nicole Bestard, Founder & Principal, Quarter Horse Strategies

  67. Nu Wexler, Consultant (former Twitter, Facebook, Google)

  68. Pam Miller, Principal, Independent Communications Consultant

  69. Rachel Huff, President, Victoire & Co

  70. Rafe Needleman, SVP Content, Mission North

  71. Rebecca Silliman, Founder, Whipsmart Communications (former Instacart, MyfitnessPal, ModCloth)

  72. Rob Banning, Former Director of Corporate Communications, Amazon

  73. Sabrina Guttman, Principal, Independent Communications Consultant

  74. Sarah Daniels, Director of Strategy and Communications, Shimek Strategic

  75. Sarah Gillihan, Owner, Independent Communications Consultant

  76. Seth Rosenblatt, Cybersecurity Editor, Google

  77. Shannon Hughes, VP Corporate Marketing, Versa

  78. Sherry Bourzac, Former Communications Lead, Workday

  79. Shirley Wan, VP, Social Media, Highwire PR

  80. Steve Johnson, Principal, SJConnects Strategic Communications

  81. Suzanne Selkow, Strategic Communications Consultant, Fieldnote Advisory

  82. Teena Touch, Independent Technology Public Relations Consultant (Former Ogilvy, Experian)

  83. TJ Snyder, Founder, The Other Co.

  84. Trevor Chapman, Co-Founder, Independent Communications Consultant

Organizations

Signing on behalf of their companies, agencies, and organizations

  1. Core Creative: Corey Finjer Bennett, Founder

  2. Demonstrate x DDW: Joey Hodges, CEO

  3. elemental mktg: Heather Barbod, Founder and CEO

  4. ERO Health Communications: Erica Bersin, BCPA, President

  5. Good PR: Yasmeen Ahmed, Co-Founder

  6. Heyday Communications: Kristina Sosa, Founder

  7. LaunchSquad: Jason Mandell, Principal and Co-Founder

  8. Maven Communications: Angela Nibbs, Founder & CEO (former DKC, H+K Strategies)

  9. Narrative Tides: Mariya Parodi, Founder

  10. Raptor Communications: Dave Karraker, Founder and President

  11. Refract Strategies: Matt Hicks, CEO and Founder (former Zendesk, Celonis, Facebook)

  12. Scribes: David Johnson-Igra, Founder (former Outcast Agency)

  13. Shimek Strategic: Steve Shimek, Founder & CEO

  14. Stargazer Communications: Kerry Skemp, Founding Principal

  15. The Key PR: Martha Shaughnessy, Founder and CEO

  16. Tweney Media: Dylan Tweney, Founder and Editor in Chief (former WIRED, VentureBeat)

Add your name

We’re looking for more communications leaders and organizations to join this effort.

Sign the letter 
Background

In response to the unprecedented arrest and prosecution of journalists for covering a news event, a grassroots group of communications leaders joined together on this letter to support the free press critical to our society and professional. No official organization or company is behind this effort.

For media inquires, contact: press@commsforjournalists.org