Wouldn’t that be hard in practice though? Journalists typically have to travel for work so it would soon be apparent. And if they work for a big media outlet would be instantly litigated.

This is the terrorism watch list, not the no fly list. Any of us could be on that list and it would take a while for us to know.

The no fly list is much smaller, and far less ambiguous in its impact. You’re on that, you’ll find out the first time you try and fly.

Most journalists working for big outlets are docile when asked politely not to publish on a certain topic (either by their boss, or by government agencies), and that's how they avoid problems. See for example Glenn Greenwald's choice to leave the Guardian in order to publish the Snowden papers. For the french-speaking among us (not sure you can find english subtitles), the documentary "Les nouveaux chiens de garde" (the new watchdogs) goes into detail, interviewing sociologists and journalists, about the ties between the mainstream capitalist media establishment and other circles of power (industry, political parties).

About the no-fly list specifically, you should really check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Fly_List#Notable_cases . Some relevant quotes:

> TSA refused to allow an Air France flight from Paris to Mexico to cross U.S. airspace because it was carrying Colombian journalist Hernando Calvo Ospina

> On August 19, 2009, Air France flight AF-438 was not allowed to cross into U.S. airspace because of the presence on board of one Paul-Emile Dupret, a civil servant at the European Parliament for 18 years, who had written some articles criticizing the EU's policies toward Latin America because they are aligned too closely with those of the United States

> A U.S. citizen, stranded in Colombia after being placed on the No Fly List as a result of having studied in Yemen

> In October 2008, the Washington Post reported that Maryland State Police classified 53 nonviolent political activists as terrorists, and entered their names and personal information into state and federal databases

Seems like it's not hard in practice for psychopaths in uniforms to abuse secretive powers given to them.