Press Freedom in Michigan
Protected — by a law newer than this grade
against retaliatory lawsuits over what you say
IFS grade
Michigan has an anti-SLAPP law that this grade predates.
House Bill 4045 adopted the Uniform Public Expression Protection Act, making Michigan the 39th state with statutory anti-SLAPP protections. It was enacted on December 23, 2025, after the 2025 Report Card was published, and the Institute for Free Speech has announced it but not yet regraded the state. The F above describes the law as it stood before that — treat it as history, not as Michigan's current status. IFS announcement
On the 2025 Report Card, Michigan scored 0 of 100 with a grade of F. That is what the law it has since replaced was worth; the 51-jurisdiction median was 85.
How much of what you say the statute reaches
What it actually does once it applies
The overall score is two parts coverage to one part protections, as IFS weights them.
What Michigan actually gives a defendant
The five protections IFS scores. A statute can cover every kind of speech and still leave a defendant paying their own lawyer for two years.
- Case pauses while the motion is heardNothing: 0 / 20
- Plaintiff must show the case has meritNothing: 0 / 12
- Denial can be appealed at onceNothing: 0 / 25
- Winning defendant recovers legal costsNothing: 0 / 40
- Courts told to read the law broadlyNothing: 0 / 3
Incidents logged in Michigan
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker has logged 33 press-freedom incidents in Michigan since 2014, of which 12 are since January 1, 2021.
- Assault22
Physical attacks on journalists covering a story
- Equipment Damage5
Cameras and gear broken during coverage
- Subpoena/Legal Order5
Legal demands for notes, sources or footage
- Arrest/Criminal Charge3
Journalists arrested or charged while reporting
- Border Stop3
Stopped and questioned at a border crossing
- Equipment Search or Seizure2
Devices taken or searched by authorities
- Chilling Statement1
Officials threatening the press publicly
- Other Incident1
Logged, but outside the named categories
This is a count, not a score. It tracks where the protests and the newsrooms are as much as where the law is hostile, so a big state will out-count a small one whatever its statute says. An incident can carry more than one category, so the categories sum to more than the total. Nothing here is added to the anti-SLAPP score.
Where this comes from
The grade and the five component scores are the Institute for Free Speech's 2025 Report Card entry for Michigan. Incident counts are the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, used under CC BY 4.0. Both retrieved September 19, 2026. The score is IFS's own judgement and is not part of the FreedomRankings score.
Anti-SLAPP law is one part of press freedom, not all of it — shield laws, public records law and how Michigan courts actually rule are not scored here. None of this is legal advice; talk to a lawyer about an actual dispute.