Reporting on Israel could cost The Intercept our nonprofit status

Since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza, The Intercept has doggedly reported the facts without shading the truth to benefit Israel or the Biden administration.

But under new anti-terrorism legislation just passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, that kind of hard-hitting investigative journalism could cost The Intercept our nonprofit status.

The bill would allow the government to take away vital tax exemptions from nonprofits, including news outlets, deemed “terrorist supporting.” Existing laws on material support for terrorism have long been criticized for their overbreadth and potential for abuse, not only against free speech but also against humanitarian aid providers.

Pro-Israel politicians would love nothing more than to muzzle The Intercept, but we know readers like you won’t let that happen.

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Elected officials have already called for criminal terrorism investigations into news outlets like CNN and The Associated Press based on spurious allegations that freelance journalists in Gaza had somehow coordinated with Hamas.

One letter signed by more than a dozen state attorneys general floated the theory that the outlets’ reporting could itself evidence support for Hamas, asserting that “material support” for terrorist groups can include “writing and distributing publications supporting the organization.”

Nonprofit newsrooms are already struggling even without government harassment, but revocation of their tax-exempt status would be a death knell for outlets doing the kind of in-depth investigative journalism that is hardly ever profitable these days.

The mere prospect would chill reporting, not only on Israel but also on U.S. foreign policy generally. And that’s not to mention the threat to nonprofit press freedom organizations that defend the rights of journalists to report from war zones like Gaza.

This Orwellian legislation passed with broad bipartisan support in the House, and companion legislation is expected to reach the Senate floor soon.

The Intercept will never let the government bully or silence our reporting — and the stalwart support of readers like you ensures the independence we need to keep digging for the truth, no matter who tries to stop us.

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