SENATE RESOLUTION 622--CONDEMNING ATTACKS AGAINST MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA AND REAFFIRMING THE CENTRALITY OF A FREE AND INDEPENDENT PRESS AND PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY TO THE HEALTH OF DEMOCRACY IN THE UNITED...; Congressional Record Vol. 166, No. 110
(Senate - June 15, 2020)
Formatting necessary for an accurate reading of this text may be shown by tags (e.g., <DELETED> or <BOLD>) or may be missing from this TXT display. For complete and accurate display of this text, see the PDF.
[Page S2977]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE RESOLUTION 622--CONDEMNING ATTACKS AGAINST MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA
AND REAFFIRMING THE CENTRALITY OF A FREE AND INDEPENDENT PRESS AND
PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY TO THE HEALTH OF DEMOCRACY IN THE UNITED STATES
Mr. MENENDEZ (for Mr. Markey (for himself, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr.
Merkley, Mr. Brown, Mrs. Murray, Ms. Cantwell, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr.
Sanders, Mr. Coons, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Booker, Mr. Casey, and Ms.
Klobuchar)) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on the Judiciary:
S. Res. 622
Whereas the First Amendment to the Constitution of the
United States provides the basis of the freedom of the press
and peaceful assembly in the United States, stating
``Congress shall make no law. . .abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably
to assemble. . .'';
Whereas Thomas Jefferson, who recognized the importance of
the press in a constitutional republic, wisely declared, ``.
. .were it left to me to decide whether we should have a
government without newspapers, or newspapers without a
government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the
latter.'';
Whereas Article 19 of the United Nations Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in Paris on December 10,
1948, states, ``Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion
and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions
without interference and to seek, receive and impart
information and ideas through any media and regardless of
frontiers.'';
Whereas, on December 18, 2013, the United Nations General
Assembly adopted United Nations General Assembly Resolution
163 (2013) on the safety of journalists and the issue of
impunity, which unequivocally condemns, in both conflict and
non-conflict situations, all attacks on and violence against
journalists and media workers, including torture,
extrajudicial killing, enforced disappearance, arbitrary
detention, and intimidation and harassment;
Whereas, according to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, a
nonpartisan website led by the Freedom of the Press
Foundation and the Committee to Protect Journalists, not less
than 328 press freedom violations by local and State
authorities have been reported by journalists across the
United States in the course of covering the demonstrations
associated with the death of George Floyd, a Black man, while
he was in Minneapolis police custody;
Whereas Kirstin McCudden, managing editor of the U.S. Press
Freedom Tracker, described the uptick in reports of
violations of freedom of the press in the United States
between May 25 and June 3, 2020, as ``unprecedented in scope
without a doubt.'';
Whereas Joel Simon, executive director of the Committee to
Protect Journalists, wrote that ``[c]overing protests and
demonstrations is vital, both in order to inform the public
about the demands of the protesters and also to hold
officials accountable.''; and
Whereas more than 100 media and press freedom
organizations, led by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of
the Press, signed a letter demanding that law enforcement
officers immediately stop attacks against credentialed,
clearly identifiable journalists and stressed that law
enforcement officers do not have legal immunity when they
violate clearly established rights under the First Amendment
to the Constitution of the United States: Now, therefore, be
it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) reaffirms its commitment to the freedom of the press
and peaceful assembly as pillars of democracy in the United
States;
(2) condemns in the strongest terms violence committed
against people of the United States exercising their right to
free speech and peaceful assembly, including journalists and
members of the media, whether that violence is committed by
government officials or anyone else;
(3) condemns in the strongest terms actions on the part of
any local, State, or Federal authorities to limit, restrict,
or in any way prevent members of the media from--
(A) performing their jobs, which contribute to the
distribution of vital information;
(B) promoting government accountability;
(C) defending democratic activity; and
(D) strengthening civil society;
(4) recognizes the bravery and courage of the journalists
of the United States, foreign journalists, and members of the
media who put their own safety at risk in order to cover the
demonstrations associated with the death of George Floyd and
bring information to the people of the United States and the
world;
(5) calls on local, State, and Federal authorities to--
(A) take steps to ensure that members of the media are able
to safely perform their duties without interference,
censorship, threats of violence, or physical harm; and
(B) explicitly exempt the news media from any curfew
regulations; and
(6) calls on local, State, and Federal authorities and
officials to--
(A) identify and thoroughly investigate instances in
which--
(i) government officials or members of police forces have
restricted media access to the demonstrations associated with
the death of George Floyd; or
(ii) violence was perpetrated against members of the media
during those demonstrations; and
(B) ensure that the perpetrators of violence against the
media are appropriately disciplined and, if appropriate,
charged.
____________________