In late February 1976 the Federal Bureau of Investigation publicly acknowledged that it had engaged in wiretapping and other forms of electronic surveillance that affected members of the news media. The admission came amid growing scrutiny of federal domestic intelligence activities following revelations of COINTELPRO and other programs that targeted political activists, civil rights leaders, and organizations. Background: By the mid-1970s, a series of congressional hearings and investigative news reports had already exposed a range of FBI practices previously kept secret. The Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities (commonly called the Church Committee) and the House Judiciary Committee produced extensive documentation of surveillance programs. That climate amplified public concern when the FBI acknowledged surveillance of journalists. Scope and context: The FBI statement in February 1976 did not claim that mass, ongoing wiretapping of the entire press corps had occurred; rather, it confirmed that particular investigations had included electronic monitoring that caught communications involving some reporters. Those investigations were generally presented by officials as aimed at national security or criminal matters, though critics argued that surveillance of journalists risked suppressing newsgathering and chilling sources. The exact number of journalists affected, the duration of the surveillance, and the targets’ identities were matters of dispute and remained incompletely documented in publicly released records. Legal and political reactions: The FBI acknowledgment intensified calls from members of Congress, press organizations, and civil liberties advocates for clearer limits on domestic intelligence collection and stronger protections for news gathering. Some lawmakers used the disclosure to press for statutory reforms, greater oversight, and restrictions on the use of electronic surveillance against the press. Press organizations voiced alarm about the precedent and stressed the need for confidentiality between reporters and their sources. Longer-term impact: The revelations of the 1970s, including the FBI’s admission about journalist surveillance, contributed to a re-examination of executive-branch intelligence practices. Legislative and policy changes that followed—such as revisions to wiretap authorization procedures and expanded oversight mechanisms—sought to balance law-enforcement and national-security needs with civil liberties and press freedom. However, debates over surveillance and the protection of journalists’ communications have continued in subsequent decades as new technologies and threats have emerged. Sources and limits: Public records, committee reports from the mid-1970s, contemporary news coverage, and later historical analyses document the broader pattern of surveillance disclosures in that era and the FBI’s statements acknowledging some surveillance of reporters. Precise details about individual wiretaps, including comprehensive lists of journalists affected, are not always available in the public record, and some aspects remain contested among historians and participants. This account adheres to documented facts and notes where records are incomplete or disputed.