FPF challenges secrecy in Herridge source protection case

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Washington, D.C., Aug. 26, 2026 — Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) has moved to unseal two Department of Defense documents that are central to investigative journalist Catherine Herridge’s fight to protect her confidential sources. Herridge was held in contempt of court and faces an $800-per-day fine for refusing to reveal confidential sources for her reporting on scientist Yangping Chen’s alleged ties to the Chinese military while an online college that Chen founded received federal funds. The fine is on hold while Herridge asks the Supreme Court to review the contempt order. The documents FPF seeks to unseal memorialize the Defense Department’s decision to terminate Chen’s university from its Tuition Assistance program “on national security grounds,” and are…