[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 187 (Wednesday, November 28, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S7194]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING THREATS TO FREEDOM OF THE PRESS AND EXPRESSION AROUND THE 
                                 WORLD

  Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 545, S. Res. 501.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The senior assistant bill clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 501) recognizing threats to freedom 
     of the press and expression around the world and reaffirming 
     freedom of the press as a priority in efforts of the 
     Government of the United States to promote democracy and good 
     governance.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution, which had been reported from the Committee on Foreign 
Relations without amendment and with an amendment to the preamble.


 =========================== NOTE =========================== 

  
  On page S7194, November 28, 2018, first column, the following 
appears: RECOGNIZING THREATS TO FREEDOM OF THE PRESS AND 
EXPRESSION AROUND THE WORLD Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I ask 
unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of 
Calendar No. 545, S. Res. 501. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk 
will report the resolution by title. The senior assistant bill 
clerk read as follows: A resolution (S. Res. 501) recognizing 
threats to freedom of the press and expression around the world 
and reaffirming freedom of the press as a priority in efforts of 
the Government of the United States to promote democracy and good 
governance. There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to 
consider the resolution.
  
  The online Record has been corrected to read: RECOGNIZING 
THREATS TO FREEDOM OF THE PRESS AND EXPRESSION AROUND THE WORLD 
Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 545, S. Res. 
501. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution 
by title. The senior assistant bill clerk read as follows: A 
resolution (S. Res. 501) recognizing threats to freedom of the 
press and expression around the world and reaffirming freedom of 
the press as a priority in efforts of the Government of the United 
States to promote democracy and good governance. There being no 
objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the resolution, which 
had been reported from the Committee on Foreign Relations without 
amendment and with an amendment to the preamble.


 ========================= END NOTE ========================= 

  Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to; that the committee-reported amendment to the 
preamble be agreed to; that the preamble, as amended, be agreed to; and 
that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the 
table with no intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 501) was agreed to.
  The amendment to the preamble was agreed to as follows:

       Whereas freedom of the press is a cornerstone of American 
     democracy and is enshrined in the first amendment to the 
     Constitution;
       Whereas Article 19 of the United Nations Universal 
     Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in Paris, France, on 
     December 10, 1948, states that ``[e]veryone 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, in 1993, the United Nations General Assembly 
     proclaimed May 3 of each year as ``World Press Freedom Day'' 
     to--
       (1) celebrate the fundamental principles of freedom of the 
     press;
       (2) evaluate freedom of the press around the world;
       (3) defend against attacks on the independence of the 
     media; and
       (4) pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in 
     the exercise of their profession;
       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 the theme for World Press Freedom Day 2018 is 
     ``Keeping Power in Check: Media, Justice and The Rule of 
     Law'';
       Whereas the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act of 2009 
     (22 U.S.C. 2151 note; Public Law 111-166), which was passed 
     by unanimous consent in the Senate and signed into law by 
     President Barack Obama in 2010, expanded the annual Country 
     Reports on Human Rights Practices of the Department of State 
     to include an examination of freedom of the press;
       Whereas the 2017 World Press Freedom Index, published by 
     Reporters Without Borders, warned that ``media freedom has 
     retreated wherever the authoritarian strongman model has 
     triumphed'';
       Whereas Freedom House noted in the report ``Freedom of the 
     Press 2017'' that--
       (1) global press freedom has declined to its lowest point 
     in 13 years; and
       (2) only 13 percent of the global population enjoys a free 
     press, meaning a media environment in which ``coverage of 
     political news is robust, the safety of journalists is 
     guaranteed, state intrusion in media affairs is minimal, and 
     the press is not subject to onerous legal or economic 
     pressures'';
       Whereas journalists working inside the United States are 
     not immune from violence against the media, as was 
     demonstrated on the afternoon of June 28, 2018, when a 38-
     year-old gunman with a long-standing grudge against the 
     reporting of the Capital Gazette entered the newspaper's 
     newsroom in Annapolis, Maryland, and killed 5 employees with 
     a shotgun;
       Whereas, according to the Committee to Protect 
     Journalists--
       (1) in 2017--
       (A) the 2 deadliest countries for journalists on assignment 
     were Iraq and Syria;
       (B) 46 journalists were killed in cases in which the motive 
     for the killing was confirmed to be related to reporting by 
     those journalists;
       (C) 20 journalists were killed in cases in which the motive 
     for the killing was unconfirmed;
       (D) there were 21 cases in which journalists were jailed 
     for ``false news'', which represented more than double the 
     number of cases in which journalists were jailed for ``false 
     news'' in 2016; and
       (E) the percentage of female journalists who were killed in 
     a year was the highest on record;
       (2) the most dangerous subject for a journalist to report 
     is politics, followed only then by war; and
       (3) as of December 1, 2017, 262 journalists worldwide were 
     imprisoned for their work, marking the second consecutive 
     year that the number of journalists imprisoned for their work 
     hit a historic high;
       Whereas freedom of the press is a key component of 
     democratic governance, activism in civil society, and 
     socioeconomic development; and
       Whereas freedom of the press enhances public 
     accountability, transparency, and participation in civil 
     society and democratic governance: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) expresses concern about the threats to freedom of the 
     press and expression around the world;
       (2) welcomes the celebration of World Press Freedom Day 
     2018 on May 3, 2018;
       (3) commends journalists and media workers around the world 
     for their essential role in promoting government 
     accountability, defending democratic activity, and 
     strengthening civil society, despite threats to the safety of 
     those journalists and media workers;
       (4) pays tribute to journalists who have lost their lives 
     carrying out their work;
       (5) calls on governments abroad to implement United Nations 
     General Assembly Resolution 163 (2013) on the safety of 
     journalists and the issue of impunity by thoroughly 
     investigating and seeking to resolve outstanding cases of 
     violence against journalists, including murders and 
     kidnappings, while ensuring the protection of witnesses;
       (6) condemns all actions around the world that suppress 
     freedom of the press;
       (7) reaffirms the centrality of freedom of the press to 
     efforts of the Government of the United States to support 
     democracy, mitigate conflict, and promote good governance 
     domestically and around the world; and
       (8) calls on the President and the Secretary of State to--
       (A) on the basis of the protections afforded under the 
     First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, 
     preserve and build upon the leadership of the United States 
     on issues relating to freedom of the press;
       (B) improve the means by which the Government of the United 
     States rapidly identifies, publicizes, and responds to 
     threats against freedom of the press around the world;
       (C) urge foreign governments to conduct transparent 
     investigations and adjudications of the perpetrators of 
     attacks against journalists; and
       (D) highlight the issue of threats against freedom of the 
     press--
       (i) in the annual Human Rights Reports of the Department of 
     State; and
       (ii) throughout the year.

  The preamble, as amended, was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, as amended, was passed.

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