[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 74 (Thursday, April 29, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S2362]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. KAINE (for himself and Mr. Graham):
  S. 1495. A bill to promote international press freedom, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mr. KAINE. Mr. President. A vibrant and independent media and public 
access to accurate information are critical to the functioning of any 
democracy. A free press is so important that our Founding Fathers 
explicitly guaranteed that right in the First Amendment of our 
Constitution, and the United Nations defined press freedom as a 
fundamental human right in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 
But today--as democracies worldwide are facing growing challenges from 
authoritarian leaders, censorship, and disinformation campaigns--
foreign journalists are facing unprecedented dangers that put their 
profession, and their lives, at risk.
  The nature of threats against journalists is shifting. While the 
number of journalists killed in war zones continues to drop, the number 
of journalists killed or targeted in countries at peace continues at 
historically high levels. Fifty journalists were killed because of 
their work in 2020, and 68% of these deaths occurred outside of 
conflict zones. Most of those who perpetrate attacks are never held 
accountable. Worldwide, there was complete impunity in 86% of cases of 
murdered journalists occurring between September 2019 and August 2020. 
In addition, the number of journalists imprisoned remains at 
historically high levels, with nearly 400 behind bars as of December 
2020. And authoritarian governments are using the COVID-19 pandemic as 
a pretext for censorship, restricting reporters' freedom of movement, 
and harassing them.
  The legislation I am introducing today with Senator Graham marks 
World Press Freedom Day by honoring journalists not only with words but 
with action. It builds on the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act, 
signed into law in 2009, to take concrete steps to ensure the wellbeing 
of journalism as a profession, and of individual journalists 
themselves. This legislation creates a new fund for programs to help 
keep foreign journalists safe, whether they are operating in dangerous 
environments or need to be re-located for their safety, and authorizes 
$30 million for this purpose. It uses existing funding to help nations 
prevent, investigate, and prosecute crimes against journalists 
overseas. It creates a new non-immigrant visa category to allow 
journalists in danger to come to the United States. And it creates a 
Coordinator for International Press Freedom at the State Department to 
serve as a focal point for advancing the right to freedom of the press 
and freedom of expression abroad.
  I am proud to join Senator Graham in this effort to ensure that the 
free press that we value so highly in the United States is protected 
and promoted around the world, and I look forward to working with my 
colleagues to ensure that this legislation is swiftly considered by the 
Senate.
  Thank you, Mr. President.
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