[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 622 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 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.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 15, 2020

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  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.

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 nonconflict 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.
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