Public Policy & NGOs
Here's a look at documents from public policy and non-governmental organizations
Featured Stories
Bluepoint Wind, Golden State Wind Lease Buy-Back Threatens Affordable Energy, Wildlife Protections
MERRIFIELD, Virginia, April 27 [Category: Environment] -- The National Wildlife Federation posted the following news release:
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Bluepoint Wind, Golden State Wind Lease Buy-Back Threatens Affordable Energy, Wildlife Protections
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Washington, D.C. -The Department of Interior announcement of two more agreements to end offshore wind leases for Bluepoint Wind off the coast of New York and Golden State Wind off California's coast threatens wildlife habitat and progress toward affordable energy. The buy-back conditions require a $765 million investment into an LNG facility in Texas owned by Global
... Show Full Article
MERRIFIELD, Virginia, April 27 [Category: Environment] -- The National Wildlife Federation posted the following news release:
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Bluepoint Wind, Golden State Wind Lease Buy-Back Threatens Affordable Energy, Wildlife Protections
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Washington, D.C. -The Department of Interior announcement of two more agreements to end offshore wind leases for Bluepoint Wind off the coast of New York and Golden State Wind off California's coast threatens wildlife habitat and progress toward affordable energy. The buy-back conditions require a $765 million investment into an LNG facility in Texas owned by GlobalInfrastructure Partners, a co-owner of Bluepoint Wind. Ocean Winds and CPP Investments, the joint owners of Golden State Wind would receive up to $120 million in lease fees after investing an equivalent amount to develop oil and gas, LNG, or other energy infrastructure in the Gulf. These agreements follow the Department of Interior's $1 billion offshore wind lease buy-back from TotalEnergies.
"This administration is again reversing course on the nation's progress toward harnessing clean, reliable, inexhaustible offshore wind energy," said Amber Hewett, senior director of offshore wind energy at the National Wildlife Federation. "Rather than making energy more affordable, cleaner, and safer, they are forcing the hands of developers to abandon offshore wind energy for more oil and gas. This is a reckless use of taxpayer dollars and sets us further behind in the race to create jobs, lower costs, and curb the devastating effects of climate change."
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Original text here: https://www.nwf.org//Home/Latest-News/Press-Releases/2026/4-27-2026-Offshore-Wind-Lease-Buy-Back
Better Markets: Reducing Capital For Megabanks Will Hurt the Main Street Economy
WASHINGTON, April 27 [Category: Financial Services] -- Better Markets, an organization that says it promotes pro-market, pro-business and pro-growth policies to help build a better financial system, posted the following news release:
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Reducing Capital For Megabanks Will Hurt the Main Street Economy
Christopher Appel, Director of Banking Policy, and Phillip Basil, Director of Economic Growth and Financial Stability, at Better Markets, issued the following statement ahead of tomorrow's House Financial Services Committee hearing on the federal banking agencies' recent bank capital proposals,
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, April 27 [Category: Financial Services] -- Better Markets, an organization that says it promotes pro-market, pro-business and pro-growth policies to help build a better financial system, posted the following news release:
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Reducing Capital For Megabanks Will Hurt the Main Street Economy
Christopher Appel, Director of Banking Policy, and Phillip Basil, Director of Economic Growth and Financial Stability, at Better Markets, issued the following statement ahead of tomorrow's House Financial Services Committee hearing on the federal banking agencies' recent bank capital proposals,alongside the release of a new fact sheet, entitled "":
"Don't believe what they are telling you. The banking agencies and the country's biggest banks have mounted a relentless campaign falsely claiming that reducing capital requirements will boost lending to Main Street. This surely will be repeated at tomorrow's House hearing on the recent proposals from the banking agencies to reduce bank capital requirements. Our new fact sheet proves that recently proposed bank capital rules not only incentivize the biggest banks to do less lending to Main Street but also further undermine the critical support for local businesses and households provided by community banks.
"The proof is in the numbers. In 2025, the six largest megabanks grew their lending to hedge funds and private equity by 50 percent, while their lending to households and businesses grew by zero percent. After the capital proposals were released last month, not a single megabank CEO announced a new lending program. Rather, they announced their plan to send the capital back to shareholders through stock buybacks and dividends, rather than deploying it to Main Street borrowers.
"The proposals also tilt the playing field even further against community banks, despite their essential role in doing the heavy lifting for the Main Street economy- lending out 75 percent of their deposits to real-economy borrowers, compared to just 40 percent at the megabanks. If implemented as written, the leverage capital requirement across the largest, most complex banks will fall to less than half the requirement that applies to many community banks. That type of upside-down policy framework creates a competitive imbalance that accelerates consolidation and drains lending from the communities that need it most.
"At tomorrow's hearing, members of the House Committee should demand answers: Where is the evidence that lower capital for big banks increases lending? How can Main Street benefit when community banks are undermined? The answers are in our fact sheet: Wall Street wins, and Main Street loses."
Better Markets is a non-profit, non-partisan, and independent organization founded in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis to promote the public interest in the financial markets, support the financial reform of Wall Street and make our financial system work for all Americans again. Better Markets works with allies-including many in finance-to promote pro-market, pro-business and pro-growth policies that help build a stronger, safer financial system that protects and promotes Americans' jobs, savings, retirements and more. To learn more, visit www.bettermarkets.org.
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Original text here: https://bettermarkets.org/newsroom/reducing-capital-for-megabanks-will-hurt-the-main-street-economy/
Analysis: State Nutrition Guidelines Lack Consistency, Climate Change Focus
WASHINGTON, April 27 [Category: Biology] (TNSrpt) -- The Center for Biological Diversity posted the following news release:
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Analysis: State Nutrition Guidelines Lack Consistency, Climate Change Focus
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WASHINGTON-A new analysis released today by the Center for Biological Diversity found state dietary guidance is largely inconsistent in how it addresses healthy and sustainable diets across the country.
"People need clear, consistent nutrition guidance so they can make the best choices for their health and the planet. Our analysis shows that in most places they aren't getting it," said
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, April 27 [Category: Biology] (TNSrpt) -- The Center for Biological Diversity posted the following news release:
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Analysis: State Nutrition Guidelines Lack Consistency, Climate Change Focus
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WASHINGTON-A new analysis released today by the Center for Biological Diversity found state dietary guidance is largely inconsistent in how it addresses healthy and sustainable diets across the country.
"People need clear, consistent nutrition guidance so they can make the best choices for their health and the planet. Our analysis shows that in most places they aren't getting it," saidLeah Kelly, food and agriculture policy specialist at the Center for Biological Diversity. "Our country is at a tipping point, with nutrition-related chronic disease, food insecurity and the climate crisis coming to a head. States have the power and the responsibility to promote health and sustainability. It's desperately needed in light of the Trump administration's conflicting dietary guidelines."
Dietary Guidance and Sustainability by State: Scorecards and Analysis found only three states -California, Hawai'i and Virginia -consider both sustainability and the climate harm from meat production in their dietary guidance, despite the key role dietary choices play in driving climate change.
Most states lacked consistent nutrition guidance and cohesive sustainability messaging, which is pivotal to supporting a healthy and sustainable food system.
The report reviewed publicly available nutrition guidance for all 50 states. Each state was scored based on how they used federal dietary guidance to improve their constituents' health and whether they promoted environmentally sustainable diets.
The report also found only six states explicitly considered sustainability in their dietary guidance and just 13 states discussed reducing red or processed meat, which is strongly associated with lowering health risks -including cardiovascular disease -and fewer environmental harms.
While the federal government is responsible for dictating national nutrition policies through the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, state governments implement those policies and adapt federal guidance to meet the needs of their populations.
State guidance is especially crucial since the Trump administration has backtracked on its obligation to provide scientifically accurate nutrition guidance. Instead, it released dietary guidelines that favor unhealthy and unsustainable consumption of meat and dairy.
The administration has also cut funding and reduced eligibility for the federal food stamp program, known as SNAP. That includes eliminating SNAP-Ed, the nation's primary nutrition education program. It's also given food industry interest groups, particularly animal agriculture, influence on government nutrition policies and programs.
"We found great examples of states going above and beyond federal recommendations to provide sustainable dietary guidance. This proves that states can take the lead even as the Trump administration keeps throwing up roadblocks," said Kelly. "There's a clear opportunity for states to improve their nutrition-related resources and programs to support communities and the environment."
The report identifies several key recommendations for states. These include creating comprehensive state-tailored dietary guidance and a strategic plan that integrates sustainability goals with nutrition goals; creating and promoting dietary materials and programs that address the need to consume more plant proteins and less meat and dairy; and rejecting collaboration with for-profit food and agriculture industry interest groups.
Dietary guidance from governments plays a key role in both public health and environmental outcomes, influencing everything from individual diets to nutrition education, health policies and food access programs. Food systems account for one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions, so nutrition policy has a tremendous influence on our climate.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans shapes more than $40 billion in federal spending, with sweeping impacts on food-related greenhouse gas emissions. Earlier this year, the Center released a model for healthy and sustainable dietary guidelines, which shows what the Dietary Guidelines for Americans should have looked like had it followed scientific and sustainable nutrition research.
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REPORT: https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/population_and_sustainability/pdfs/dietary-state-scorecard-analysis.pdf?_gl=1*fyycdq*_gcl_au*ODUwMjg1ODgxLjE3NzczNTQ4MTk.
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Original text here: https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/analysis-state-nutrition-guidelines-lack-consistency-climate-change-focus-2026-04-27/
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network: Washington Lawmakers Missed Opportunity to Protect Access to Cancer Prevention, Detection Resources
WASHINGTON, April 27 [Category: Medical] -- The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network posted the following news release:
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Washington Lawmakers Missed Opportunity to Protect Access to Cancer Prevention, Detection Resources
OLYMPIA, Wash. - - Washington residents continue to face soaring health insurance costs and hundreds of thousands are at risk of losing life-saving coverage this year following changes to Medicaid. The Washington Legislature didn't do enough to help that situation in its 2026 session and too many in the state will face tough financial choices this year when it
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, April 27 [Category: Medical] -- The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network posted the following news release:
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Washington Lawmakers Missed Opportunity to Protect Access to Cancer Prevention, Detection Resources
OLYMPIA, Wash. - - Washington residents continue to face soaring health insurance costs and hundreds of thousands are at risk of losing life-saving coverage this year following changes to Medicaid. The Washington Legislature didn't do enough to help that situation in its 2026 session and too many in the state will face tough financial choices this year when itcomes to seeking the health care needed to live a happy, healthy life. Those who have to go without coverage will likely be forced to skip regular checkups and recommended cancer screenings, like mammograms.
The 2026 Washington Legislature missed the opportunity to solidify funding for the Breast, Cervical and Colon Health Program and Commercial Tobacco Prevention Programs, which also rely on the uncertain allocation of federal funds, leaving the state's most vulnerable to pay the biggest price and face increased risk of cancer and other deadly diseases. Funding for the programs are crucial to the overall health of Washington residents and survival of too many, as more than 14,000 in the Evergreen State will die this year from cancer, with nearly 27% of those deaths directly related to tobacco use.
The following quote can be attributed in full or in part to Audrey Miller Garcia, Washington government relations director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network:
"The 2026 Washington Legislature missed an important opportunity to keep our state strong in the face of these federal funding concerns. The Breast, Cervical and Colon Health Program and Commercial Tobacco Prevention Programs cannot be seen as luxury items anymore than fire extinguishers should be removed from homes as budget precaution. This is not political posturing. The harmful impact of inadequate funding for these programs is not a possibility but an inevitability.
Further erosion of these programs will continue to do serious damage to the health of Washington residents, a reality that needs to be understood fully by our state leaders. I ask legislators and Gov. Ferguson to take some time before the next session to meet with the people who will be most impacted by these cuts. Low-income and rural Washington residents will take the biggest hit. These programs matter to the long-term wellbeing of our people and the consequences might not show up right away, but long-term increased cancer diagnoses and preventable death will be the outcome. The final cost will be the health of our children and lives of our loved ones."
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Original text here: https://www.fightcancer.org/releases/washington-lawmakers-missed-opportunity-protect-access-cancer-prevention-detection
America First Legal Encourages U.S. Election Assistance Commission to Strengthen Election Integrity
WASHINGTON, April 27 [Category: Political] -- America First Legal, a civil rights organization, posted the following news release:
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America First Legal Encourages U.S. Election Assistance Commission to Strengthen Election Integrity
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Today, America First Legal (AFL) submitted a formal comment to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) in support of the proposed Voluntary National Election Audit Standards, urging the EAC to strengthen the standards by addressing three critical omissions: voter citizenship verification, ballot drop box security, and signature verification.
The EAC
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, April 27 [Category: Political] -- America First Legal, a civil rights organization, posted the following news release:
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America First Legal Encourages U.S. Election Assistance Commission to Strengthen Election Integrity
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Today, America First Legal (AFL) submitted a formal comment to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) in support of the proposed Voluntary National Election Audit Standards, urging the EAC to strengthen the standards by addressing three critical omissions: voter citizenship verification, ballot drop box security, and signature verification.
The EACpublished the proposed standards on February 23, 2026, pursuant to the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA), with the goal of establishing baseline expectations for how elections are reviewed, verified, and evaluated. While AFL supports the EAC's initiative and its framework built around the principles of Objectivity, Professionalism, Effectiveness, Security, and Accountability, the proposed standards fail to address some of the most pressing election integrity concerns facing the nation.
AFL's comment identifies three significant gaps:
* First, the proposed standards contain no guidance on auditing voter citizenship verification-despite the fact that the right to vote in federal elections is reserved exclusively for U.S. citizens.
* Second, the standards fail to address the unique security challenges posed by ballot drop boxes.
* Third, the standards acknowledge that signature verification exists but provide no guidance on auditing whether it is being performed effectively and consistently. AFL's comment emphasizes that audit standards must distinguish between non-matching signatures-which may indicate fraud or forgery-and missing signatures, which typically reflect voter error.
To fix these limitations, AFL proposes that the EAC include:
* Audit procedures to verify that voter rolls contain only eligible citizens and that ballots are cast only by those lawfully entitled to vote.
* Ballot drop box security audits that assess, at a minimum, whether each jurisdiction's drop boxes are secured by surveillance cameras; tamper-evident seals on the ballot compartment; law enforcement or security patrols; and bipartisan chain-of-custody logs documenting each collection.
* Comprehensive signature verification audit procedures that distinguish between non-matching signatures and missing signatures.
"Election audits are meaningless if they ignore the most basic questions of election integrity," said Alice Kass, Attorney at America First Legal. "We appreciate the EAC's effort to establish a national framework, and this proposal is an important step in the right direction. But stronger standards require addressing the issues voters care most about, including whether only eligible citizens are voting, whether ballot drop boxes are secure, and whether signature verification is being audited effectively."
Read the full comment here (https://media.aflegal.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/27105921/EAC-Comment.pdf).
Find more of AFL's petitions and comments here (https://aflegal.org/rulemaking-petitions/).
Learn more about AFL's fight for election integrity here (https://aflegal.org/priority/election-integrity/).
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Original text here: https://aflegal.org/press-release/america-first-legal-encourages-u-s-election-assistance-commission-to-strengthen-election-integrity/
AFP-MI Urges State Lawmakers to Focus on Housing Affordability, Citing New Polling
ARLINGTON, Virginia, April 27 [Category: Sociological] -- Americans for Prosperity posted the following news release:
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AFP-MI Urges State Lawmakers to Focus on Housing Affordability, Citing New Polling
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LANSING, MI - Today, Americans for Prosperity-Michigan (AFP-MI) released polling showing that Michiganders overwhelmingly support increasing housing supply in the state and reforming restrictive regulations.
The polling, conducted among 1051 registered Michigan voters between March 30 and April 2, found that 65% of Michiganders believe housing is unaffordable. Moreover, 61% say Michigan
... Show Full Article
ARLINGTON, Virginia, April 27 [Category: Sociological] -- Americans for Prosperity posted the following news release:
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AFP-MI Urges State Lawmakers to Focus on Housing Affordability, Citing New Polling
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LANSING, MI - Today, Americans for Prosperity-Michigan (AFP-MI) released polling showing that Michiganders overwhelmingly support increasing housing supply in the state and reforming restrictive regulations.
The polling, conducted among 1051 registered Michigan voters between March 30 and April 2, found that 65% of Michiganders believe housing is unaffordable. Moreover, 61% say Michiganneeds more housing and updated regulations to allow for more homes to be built. These results are consistent across party lines, urban density, and income levels.
AFP-MI State Director Tim Golding released the following statement:
"Our polling reinforces that housing affordability is a concern for Michiganders regardless of age, political affiliation, and income level. Abundant housing is affordable housing. Michiganders want the opportunity to build, not handouts.
"What's more, voters want lawmakers to work in a bipartisan manner in addressing issues like the current housing crisis. Lawmakers should take this into account this legislative session as they work to reform the state's current housing policy."
View the polling here (https://americansforprosperity.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/MI-Housing-Infographic_Final-1.pdf).
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Original text here: https://americansforprosperity.org/press-release/afp-mi-urges-state-lawmakers-to-focus-on-housing-affordability-citing-new-polling/
2026 World Cup: Tournament Will Kick Off in Climate of Fear
NEW YORK, April 27 [Category: International] -- Human Rights Watch posted the following news:
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2026 World Cup: Tournament Will Kick Off in Climate of Fear
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(Berlin) - The 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup is unfolding against a backdrop of abusive immigration enforcement in the United States, new threats to media freedom, discrimination, and unmet human rights commitments by FIFA and host cities, Human Rights Watch said today, releasing a "Reporters' Guide" for journalists covering the tournament. The tournament will open on June 11, 2026, across 16 host cities in Canada, Mexico, and the US.
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, April 27 [Category: International] -- Human Rights Watch posted the following news:
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2026 World Cup: Tournament Will Kick Off in Climate of Fear
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(Berlin) - The 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup is unfolding against a backdrop of abusive immigration enforcement in the United States, new threats to media freedom, discrimination, and unmet human rights commitments by FIFA and host cities, Human Rights Watch said today, releasing a "Reporters' Guide" for journalists covering the tournament. The tournament will open on June 11, 2026, across 16 host cities in Canada, Mexico, and the US.
The 79-page " Reporters' Guide for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States " summarizes Human Rights Watch findings on human rights conditions across all three host countries and the particular risks that the US government's policies pose to journalists, fans, players, and immigrant communities. The guide describes FIFA's weak response to the human rights risks posed by the US President Donald Trump administration's abuse of immigrants and its failure to meet its human rights commitments for the tournament.
"This was supposed to be the first-ever World Cup with a human rights framework: key protections for workers, fans, players, and communities," said Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch. "Instead, the US administration's brutal immigration crackdown, discriminatory policies, and threats to press freedom mean the tournament risks being defined by exclusion and fear."
The US will host the vast majority of World Cup matches, 78, including the semi-finals and final. Since taking office in January 2025, Donald Trump has rolled out abusive policies and actions targeting immigrants, protesters, human rights defenders, transgender people, and civil society. Fans from dozens of countries face visa bans.
People from immigrant communities who gather in stadiums or fan zones to celebrate their national teams and heritage may be at heightened risk of abuse. Also at risk are people that officers perceive as immigrants based on their skin color, spoken language, or place of work. From January 20, 2025, to March 10, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested at least 167,000 people in and around the 11 US cities where games will be played, based on ICE data provided in response to a freedom of information request to the Deportation Data Project and analyzed by Human Rights Watch.
Media freedom in the US is also under intense new pressure. Concerning cases include the arrest and detention of Mario Guevara, an Emmy-winning journalist, in Atlanta, a World Cup city, in June 2025. He was arrested reportedly for filming a political protest, transferred to ICE custody, and deported to El Salvador. In March 2026, Estefany Rodriguez, a journalist who had been covering ICE immigration raids, was reportedly arrested without her captors presenting a warrant. Human Rights Watch has documented that US officers have fired tear gas, pepper balls, hard foam rounds, and flash-bang grenades directly at protesters, journalists, and other observers, often at close range and often without sufficient warning or provocation.
FIFA has done little to respond to these risks. All but one of the World Cup host city committees have failed to present the human rights action plans FIFA promised ahead of the tournament or have produced plans that ignore or fail to adequately address risks, including those faced by immigrants, LGBT people, and journalists.
FIFA itself has not made meaningful efforts to use its leverage to push the Trump administration to roll back or pause abusive policies. Instead, in December 2025, it awarded Trump the first FIFA Peace Prize. Human Rights Watch has urged FIFA to work to convince the Trump administration to establish an " ICE Truce," that includes a public guarantee from federal authorities to refrain from immigration enforcement operations at games and venues.
"The 2026 World Cup risks becoming a sportswashing bonanza for the Trump administration," Worden said. "FIFA needs to take more effective steps to protect athletes, fans, and workers from the US government's abusive policies."
The 2026 World Cup is the first to span three countries, creating unprecedented logistical challenges for the media professionals expected to cover it. Journalists will be crossing international borders with different immigration regimes, visa requirements, and media freedom environments, in some cases multiple times over the course of the tournament.
Mexico remains one of the most dangerous countries in the world for the media. The press freedom organization Article 19 reported that seven journalists were killed in Mexico in 2025. Impunity for such killings remains the norm. Its Congress passed a law in 2025 that grants the authorities virtually unlimited power to access information about citizens without judicial authorization, affecting media freedom. FIFA has not addressed direct risks to journalists working in Mexico's World Cup host cities, including reporters covering possible intersections between soccer/football and organized crime.
Human Rights Watch wrote to FIFA President Gianni Infantino on April 6 with detailed questions about media freedom protections, including whether FIFA has established protocols to respond if journalists are detained, deported, or denied entry, and whether FIFA will commit to holding regular conferences open to all media throughout the tournament.
FIFA responded that it "has in place mechanisms and procedures to respond to any human rights or safeguarding-related incident, including those involving journalists."
"Journalists covering this World Cup will have no shortage of stories, if they can access the tournament and if they can report freely," Worden said. "The 'Reporters' Guide' is designed to make sure media have what they need to cover not just the matches, but everything happening outside the stadium walls."
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Original text here: https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/04/27/2026-world-cup-tournament-will-kick-off-in-climate-of-fear
