Freedom of the Press: A Bipartisan Priority

Earlier this month, I joined Republican and Democratic colleagues from the House and Senate to welcome Hatice Cengiz for her first visit to the United States after the brutal murder of her fiancée, Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. In October 2018, Hatice accompanied Jamal to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul so that Jamal could obtain documents he needed to legally marry Hatice. He never emerged from the consulate and we would find out later that he was brutally murdered and dismembered. His body has yet to be found.

Jamal was targeted for the simple fact that he was an outspoken advocate for freedom and democracy in Saudi Arabia and across the Arab world, and he had been critical of Saudi’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He paid with his life for his clear-eyed advocacy for human rights and the fundamental human freedom of expression.

Jamal’s case was extreme, but it is far from the only case in which journalists have been injured or killed for their work. Autocratic regimes around the world have sought to squash independent media in their nations as they dismantle democratic institutions, and I am concerned these trends portend a world in which autocracy and corruption are on the march, and where the ideals of freedom, democracy and human rights are brought to heel.

Worldwide, over 250 journalists are in prison at this very moment, and over 50 were killed last year just for doing their jobs. Some of these cases, like the disappearance and murder of Jamal Khashoggi or the imprisonment and recent release of Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo in Myanmar, captured the world’s attention. Unfortunately, far too many other cases have gone unnoticed. Every journalist who is threatened, intimidated, imprisoned or murdered represents a larger attack against freedom and the pursuit of truth – and the United States has a duty to speak out as global press freedom erodes.

Protecting freedom of the press abroad and at home is, and must remain, a bipartisan priority. In 2006, I founded the International Freedom of the Press Caucus with Vice President Mike Pence, then a Congressman from Indiana. The caucus is now co-chaired by Congressman Steve Chabot of Ohio.

Over the past decade, the caucus has worked to raise awareness and lend support to journalists who are harassed, arrested, assaulted or killed for their reporting. At every level, from foreign correspondents reporting from war zones and oppressive regimes to city government reporters at local papers across America, a free and independent press is critical to accountable leadership and healthy civil societies. Press freedom speaks to the core values of our democracy’s founding and is enshrined in the First Amendment of our Constitution.

Rep. Chabot and I recently introduced a Congressional resolution to highlight the importance of press freedom and reaffirm the United States’ commitment to protecting journalists around the world. Our caucus will continue seeking justice for imprisoned journalists, decrying attempts by governments to intimidate and harass journalists and highlighting the enduring importance of a free and independent press.

I was honored to spend time with Hatice when she visited Washington, D.C., and was deeply moved by her brave efforts to raise awareness about the grave danger journalists face across the world. She did not seek out this role and responsibility, but she is determined to see that Jamal’s ideals do not die with him. In a recent interview with the Washington Post, Hatice said that her late fiancée always viewed the United States as a country that promoted journalists’ freedom to “challenge the status quo and speak truth to power.” The United States has a moral obligation to live up to Jamal Khashoggi’s vision.

A nation cannot be free unless the press is free. We must continue to stand with those who hold power to account.