A highly rare and sensational incident has unfolded in the history of American media. The FBI searched a journalist's home in an investigation into the leak of 'classified information,' meaning secret government data.
On Wednesday, American federal agents raided the home of 'Washington Post' journalist Hanna Natanson. During the raid, her laptop, phone, and smartwatch were confiscated.
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Controversy over press freedom
The 'Washington Post' has claimed that investigators stated Hanna is not the main target of this investigation. The FBI is primarily looking for a Maryland system administrator named Aurelio Perez-Lugones, who is accused of taking highly-classified intelligence reports home in a lunchbox.
However, this raid by federal officers on a journalist's home in search of him has sparked major controversy over press freedom in America. According to America's 'Privacy Protection Act, 1980,' journalists' work materials cannot be searched if the journalist is not personally involved in any crime. Such searches are prohibited.
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Trump administration breaks precedent
In this case, the Trump administration broke that precedent. It has been learned that Hanna had been working for the past year on government employee layoffs and administrative changes in the Trump administration. Many government employees had shared their anger and fears with her.
