[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 999 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 999

 Recognizing the threats to press freedom in the United States in the 
  wake of protests following the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed 
 Black man, by police in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020, reaffirming the 
centrality of a free and independent press to the health of democracy, 
and reaffirming freedom of the press as a priority of the United States 
       in promoting democracy, human rights, and good governance.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 11, 2020

  Ms. Scanlon (for herself, Mr. Schiff, Ms. Norton, Mr. Vargas, Mrs. 
 Hayes, Mrs. Beatty, Mr. Rush, Mr. Raskin, Mr. Cooper, Mr. Welch, Mr. 
Hastings, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Neguse, Mr. Cicilline, Mr. Huffman, Mr. San 
     Nicolas, Ms. Houlahan, and Ms. Eshoo) submitted the following 
    resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Recognizing the threats to press freedom in the United States in the 
  wake of protests following the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed 
 Black man, by police in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020, reaffirming the 
centrality of a free and independent press to the health of democracy, 
and reaffirming freedom of the press as a priority of the United States 
       in promoting democracy, human rights, and good governance.

Whereas the essential role of the independent press and journalists in a free 
        and democratic society has been recognized since the colonial period of 
        the United States and is enshrined in the First Amendment to the 
        Constitution;
Whereas the First Amendment to the Constitution proclaims: ``Congress shall make 
        no law respecting an establishment of religion, or preventing the free 
        exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; 
        or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the 
        government for a redress of grievances.'';
Whereas Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 
        adopted at Paris, 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 the United States has made promotion of press freedom worldwide a core 
        part of its human rights and democracy promotion efforts;
Whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the decline of local news, 
        documented by PEN America in the report Losing the News, shuttering 
        critical information resources, particularly for rural populations and 
        marginalized communities;
Whereas journalists have a long established and recognized right to report, and 
        actions by law enforcement or other authorities that prevent them from 
        doing so through intimidation, violence, arrest, or detention is an 
        affront to the First Amendment;
Whereas the United States has experienced mass protests in cities and 
        communities around the Nation following the killing of George Floyd by 
        police in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020;
Whereas Joel Simon, executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, 
        wrote that ``Covering protests and demonstrations is vital, both in 
        order to inform the public about the demands of the protesters and also 
        to hold officials accountable'';
Whereas, as of June 4, 2020, the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, a nonpartisan 
        website managed by the Freedom of the Press Foundation, has received 
        reports of more than 300 reports of press freedom violations committed 
        against journalists covering the demonstrations nationwide;
Whereas these cases include instances of journalists and media workers being 
        specifically targeted by law enforcement with tear gas, pepper spray or 
        pepper balls, or rubber bullets despite displaying press credentials and 
        identifying themselves as members of the press;
Whereas, on May 29, 2020, police in Minneapolis shot a rubber bullet at the face 
        of a freelance writer and photographer, permanently blinding her in one 
        eye;
Whereas, on May 30, 2020, Minneapolis police fired tear gas, pepper spray, and 
        concussion grenades directly at multiple journalists and photographers;
Whereas, on May 31, 2020, Seattle police fired projectiles directly at an MSNBC 
        reporter and camera crew;
Whereas, on May 31, 2020, a KPCC/LAist reporter was shot in the throat with a 
        rubber bullet by Long Beach police;
Whereas, on June 1, 2020, an Australian reporter and camera operator were struck 
        by Federal law enforcement as they covered a demonstration outside the 
        White House in Washington, DC, leading to a formal request by the 
        Australian Ambassador for a police investigation;
Whereas the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker has identified more than 49 instances of 
        journalists and media workers being arrested at protests as of June 4, 
        2020;
Whereas, on May 29, 2020, CNN reporter Omar Jiminez, an African-American and 
        Latino journalist, was arrested in Minneapolis while reporting on 
        camera, despite displaying his press credentials and offering to comply 
        with police directives;
Whereas, on May 29, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada, two photojournalists were 
        arrested while working and charged with the misdemeanor of ``failure to 
        disperse'', before being released a day later;
Whereas, on May 31, 2020, an NPR affiliate reporter, a Philadelphia Inquirer 
        reporter, and a Wilmington News-Journal reporter were arrested despite 
        having identified themselves as press;
Whereas some cities and States have imposed curfews in a bid to contain the 
        demonstrations, some of which have turned violent, but not all of the 
        curfew orders have explicitly exempted members of the press;
Whereas journalists have a vital role to play in documenting and reporting on 
        the protests and must be able to freely cover these events without fear 
        of retaliation from authorities; and
Whereas freedom of the press--

    (1) is a key component of democratic governance, activism in civil 
society, and socioeconomic development; and

    (2) enhances public accountability, transparency, and participation in 
civil society and democratic governance: Now, therefore, be it

    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) expresses support for the First Amendment-protected 
        right of journalists to report on events in the public 
        interest, including protests and demonstrations against police 
        brutality;
            (2) believes journalists perform an essential role in 
        safeguarding democratic values by keeping the public informed 
        about issues of national and local concern and ensuring 
        transparency and accountability;
            (3) calls on State, local, and Federal law enforcement to 
        protect the freedom of the press and refrain from targeting 
        journalists and media workers;
            (4) calls on government entities to clarify that 
        credentialed press are exempt from curfews enacted in response 
        to protests and public demonstrations;
            (5) stresses the need for accountability where law 
        enforcement entities or protesters violate the Constitution, 
        laws, or regulations in their treatment of journalists and 
        media crews during protests; and
            (6) reaffirms the centrality of freedom of the press in the 
        United States and around the world to support democracy, expose 
        corruption, and promote good governance.
                                 <all>