[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 110 (Monday, June 15, 2020)]
[Senate]
[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.

                          ____________________