Reps. Schiff, Salazar Introduce Bipartisan World Press Freedom Day Resolution
Washington, DC – Yesterday, Congressman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Congresswoman Maria Salazar (R-Fla.) introduced a resolution in honor of World Press Freedom Day to condemn threats to freedom of the press around the world, commemorate the bravery shown by journalists and media workers, and call on President Biden and the State Department to further U.S. leadership on press freedom.
The United Nations General Assembly declared May 3rd to be “World Press Freedom Day” in 1993 to celebrate the fundamental principles of freedom of the press, evaluate freedom of the press around the world, defend the media against attacks on its independence, and pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives while working.
The bipartisan resolution introduced by Reps. Schiff and Salazar comes at a critical time when there has been an increase in crackdowns on independent media. 55 journalists were killed around the world in 2022, 15 percent more than in 2021 – an alarming increase. Journalists continue to face imprisonment for their reporting, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich who has been wrongfully detained by Russia since March 29, 2023.
“We’re seeing an alarming rise in attacks on journalists around the world. The freedom of the press is at risk in country after country and the United States must push back against a rising tide of intimidation and violence. That’s why I have introduced a bipartisan resolution with Rep. Salazar to protect journalists who are under attack or imprisoned for their work, and to seek justice for those who have been killed,” said Rep. Schiff.
“As a former journalist who has covered totalitarian regimes, I understand the importance of having access to uncensored information in the way only a free press can provide,” said Rep. Salazar. “Serving as Chairwoman of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee on the Foreign Affairs Committee, I am proud to support the countless journalists who live in socialist regimes across Latin America who risk their lives fighting for the basic liberties we enjoy here in the United States.”
The resolution has been endorsed by the Committee to Protect Journalists, PEN America, and Reporters Without Borders, and has been cosponsored by Reps. Jim P. McGovern (D-Mass.), Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), Hank C. Johnson (D-Ga.), André Carson (D-Ind.), Brendan F. Boyle (D-Pa.), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.), and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-Washington D.C.).
The full resolution can be found here.
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