Press Groups Criticize the Seizing of a Times Reporter’s Records

The revelation that federal prosecutors seized years’ worth of email and phone records from a New York Times reporter drew criticism on Friday from news organizations and press rights groups, which expressed outrage at the first known instance of the Trump administration’s pursuing the private communications of a journalist.

The Committee to Protect Journalists called the move "a fundamental threat to press freedom." The Times, in its own statement, called the seizure "an outrageous overreach" and raised concerns about a chilling effect on journalists’ ability to report on the government.

By Michael M. Grynbaum