II 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 5026 

To establish the Office of Press Freedom, to create press freedom curriculum 

at the National Foreign Affairs Training Center, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 16, 2020 

Mr. SCHATZ (for himself and Mr. YOUNG) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

A BILL 

To establish the Office of Press Freedom, to create press 

freedom curriculum at the National Foreign Affairs 

Training Center, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Global Press Freedom 

5 Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress makes the following findings: 

8 (1) Freedom of the press is a fundamental civil, 

9 political, and human right that is foundational in the 

10 United States democratic system and enshrined in 


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1 the First Amendment of the United States Constitu2 tion, which states (in part) ‘‘Congress shall make no 

3 law . . . abridging the freedom of speech or of the 

4 press . . .’’. 

5 (2) Freedom of the press is essential to a free, 

6 open, and democratic system. 

7 (3) Historically, United States foreign policy 

8 has advanced freedom of the press as a central 

9 tenet, at home and abroad. 

10 (4) The United States led the drafting of the 

11 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 

12 Paris on December 10, 1948, which enshrines the 

13 commitment of countries around the world to protect 

14 and promote universal human rights and values that 

15 are indispensable for human dignity, including free16 dom of expression and of the press. 

17 (5) Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of 

18 Human Rights states, ‘‘Everyone has the right to 

19 freedom of opinion and expression; this right in20 cludes freedom to hold opinions without interference 

21 and to seek, receive and impart information and 

22 ideas through any media and regardless of fron23 tiers.’’. 

24 (6) In 1823, Thomas Jefferson wrote, ‘‘the only 

25 security of all is in a free press’’. 


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1 (7) A free press has long been recognized as an 

2 important aspect of the United States national secu3 rity and actions taken by foreign governments or or4 ganizations that weaken free press protections are a 

5 national security threat to the United States. 

6 (8) The right to freedom of the press is under 

7 renewed and, in some cases, increasing assault 

8 around the world, with rhetoric delegitimizing and 

9 discrediting the media or journalists, online harass10 ment, physical attacks, legal campaigns, censorship, 

11 and surveillance, all of which threaten the ability of 

12 journalists to do their jobs safely and freely. 

13 (9) In the past decade, the world has seen a 

14 significant deterioration of press freedoms. 

15 (10) According to Freedom House’s ‘‘Freedom 

16 in the Media 2019’’ study— 

17 (A) 19 percent of the countries it des18 ignates as ‘‘Free’’ with respect to press and 

19 journalistic freedom have seen reductions in 

20 their press freedom score during the past 5 

21 years; and 

22 (B) 28 percent of the countries it des23 ignates as ‘‘Not Free’’ have experienced further 

24 declines in press freedom during the past 5 

25 years. 


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1 (11) According to Reporters Without Border’s 

2 2020 World Press Freedom Index— 

3 (A) approximately 74 percent of the coun4 tries of the world are classified as ‘‘problematic 

5 situation’’ or worse with respect to journalistic 

6 freedom; 

7 (B) approximately 26 percent of the coun8 tries of the world have ‘‘satisfactory’’ or ‘‘good’’ 

9 press freedom environments; 

10 (C) among the countries that have recently 

11 suffered the largest declines in press freedom 

12 are Poland, Turkey, Burundi, Hungary, Bo13 livia, Serbia, and the Democratic Republic of 

14 Congo; 

15 (D) around the world, 2019 marked the 

16 fourth consecutive year in which 300 or more 

17 journalists were jailed; 

18 (E) the COVID–19 pandemic has precip19 itated state censorship, harassment, and vio20 lence in both authoritarian and democratic 

21 states; and 

22 (F) authorities have detained journalists 

23 for reporting on the pandemic in many nations, 

24 including China, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Mali, 

25 Belarus, Azerbaijan, Iran, the Philippines, 


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1 Tajikistan, Poland, the Democratic Republic of 

2 Congo, and Serbia. 

3 (12) According to the Committee to Protect 

4 Journalists, in 2019— 

5 (A) at least 250 journalists worldwide were 

6 in prison for the fourth consecutive year, with 

7 Turkey, China, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia re8 sponsible for more than 50 percent of the jailed 

9 journalists; 

10 (B) of the journalists detained— 

11 (i) 23 percent were detained without 

12 charge; and 

13 (ii) 66 percent were imprisoned on 

14 anti-state charges; 

15 (C) at least 25 journalists were killed for 

16 their work; and 

17 (D) there was complete impunity for jour18 nalists’ murders in an estimated 85 percent of 

19 cases. 

20 (13) Congress has recognized the importance of 

21 freedom of the press by enacting— 

22 (A) the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press 

23 Act of 2009 (Public Law 111–166); 


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1 (B) the Global Magnitsky Human Rights 

2 Accountability Act (subtitle F of title XII of 

3 Public Law 114–328); and 

4 (C) S. Res. 501, 115th Congress (recog5 nizing threats to freedom of the press and ex6 pression around the world and reaffirming free7 dom of the press as a priority in efforts of the 

8 Government of the United States to promote 

9 democracy and good governance). 

10 (14) The importance of freedom of the press 

11 has been recognized by numerous United States 

12 presidential administrations that span ideological 

13 and party lines, including— 

14 (A) a 1786 letter to James Currie, in 

15 which Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson 

16 wrote ‘‘our liberty depends on the freedom of 

17 the press, and that cannot be limited without 

18 being lost.’’; 

19 (B) an address to Congress on February 6, 

20 1986, in which President Ronald Reagan stat21 ed, ‘‘Victories against poverty are greatest and 

22 peace most secure where people live by laws 

23 that ensure free press, free speech, and freedom 

24 to worship, vote, and create wealth’’; 


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1 (C) a statement by Secretary of State 

2 Condoleezza Rice on April 11, 2007, stating 

3 that ‘‘there is no more important pillar of de4 mocracy than a free and active press’’; 

5 (D) a statement by former Secretary of 

6 State Madeline Albright on May 31, 2018, re7 porting that ‘‘Freedom of the press is a basic 

8 aspect of democracy, invented by Americans.’’; 

9 and 

10 (E) a statement by Secretary of State 

11 Mike Pompeo on May 3, 2019, stating, ‘‘A free 

12 and independent media is indispensable to a vi13 brant, functioning democracy. Despite some 

14 progress, journalists around the world continue 

15 to be persecuted, targeted with violence, or even 

16 killed—all too often with impunity.’’. 

17 (15) Protection of a free and open press is not 

18 a partisan issue. 

19 (16) It is imperative that Congress further en20 shrine the Department of State’s role in protecting 

21 this basic human right abroad. 

22 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

23 It shall be the policy of the United States— 

24 (1) to condemn violations of, and attacks on, 

25 press freedoms; 


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1 (2) to promote, and to assist other governments 

2 in the promotion of, the importance of a free and 

3 open press; 

4 (3) to support press freedom abroad in all as5 pects of American foreign policy; and 

6 (4) to work with foreign governments that af7 firm and protect press freedom— 

8 (A) to develop multilateral initiatives to 

9 combat suppression of the free press; and 

10 (B) to hold accountable those governments 

11 that violate and attack press freedoms. 

12 SEC. 4. OFFICE OF PRESS FREEDOM; AMBASSADOR-AT13 LARGE FOR PRESS FREEDOM. 

14 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established, within 

15 the United States Department of State, the Office of 

16 Press Freedom (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Office’’), 

17 which— 

18 (1) shall be situated in the Bureau of Democ19 racy, Human Rights, and Labor; and 

20 (2) shall be headed by the Ambassador-at21 Large for Press Freedom (referred to in this Act as 

22 the ‘‘Ambassador’’). 

23 (b) APPOINTMENT.—The Ambassador shall be ap24 pointed by the President, by and with advice and consent 

25 of the Senate, and shall work with the Assistant Secretary 


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1 of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor to ad2 vise the Secretary of State regarding matters related to 

3 press freedom. 

4 (c) DUTIES.—The Ambassador shall have the fol5 lowing duties: 

6 (1) GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Ambas7 sador shall have the primary responsibility— 

8 (A) to advance the protection and well9 being of members of the United States and for10 eign press abroad; 

11 (B) to denounce violations of press free12 dom or freedom of expression by foreign gov13 ernments or other actors; and 

14 (C) to engage with foreign governments 

15 and press freedom organizations around the 

16 world concerning press freedom and freedom of 

17 expression. 

18 (2) SPECIFIC TASKS.—The Ambassador, with 

19 the assistance of the Office, and in fulfillment of the 

20 responsibilities described in paragraph (1), shall— 

21 (A) coordinate efforts between relevant 

22 United States embassy personnel and press or23 ganizations or threatened individuals in situa24 tions in which freedom of the press is threat25 ened abroad; 


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1 (B) publicly and privately denounce op2 pression of the press abroad; 

3 (C) represent the United States in issues 

4 concerning press freedom in diplomatic engage5 ment with foreign governments, intergovern6 mental organizations, the United Nations, and 

7 other international organizations in which the 

8 United States is a member; 

9 (D) recommend appropriate responses by 

10 the United States Government when press free11 doms are infringed upon; and 

12 (E) provide Congress and the public with 

13 a regular report describing the successes and 

14 enduring challenges of the Office, based on 

15 metrics that the Office shall develop. 

16 (3) ADVISORY ROLE.—The Ambassador— 

17 (A) shall be a principal advisor to the 

18 President and to the Secretary of State regard19 ing matters affecting press freedom abroad; and 

20 (B) shall make recommendations regarding 

21 the polices of the United States Government to22 wards governments or other organizations or in23 dividuals that— 

24 (i) violate press freedoms; or 


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1 (ii) fail to ensure the protection of 

2 members of the press. 

3 (4) REPORTING RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Am4 bassador shall— 

5 (A) work with the staff of the Office to en6 sure the success of the Office in carrying out its 

7 mission— 

8 (i) to promote press freedom abroad; 

9 and 

10 (ii) to protect members of the press in 

11 foreign countries; 

12 (B) not later than 1 year after being ap13 pointed, ensure that there is a reasonable proc14 ess for measuring the efficacy of the Office in 

15 carrying out the missions described in subpara16 graph (A); 

17 (C) not later than 18 months after being 

18 appointed, and annually thereafter— 

19 (i) submit a report to Congress that 

20 describes— 

21 (I) the outcomes of the activities 

22 of the Office based on the process es23 tablished pursuant to subparagraph 

24 (B); and 


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1 (II) the efforts of the National 

2 Foreign Affairs Training Center to 

3 train Foreign Service Officers about 

4 press freedom in accordance with sec5 tion 5; and 

6 (ii) make a copy of the report sub7 mitted pursuant to clause (i) available to 

8 the public; and 

9 (D) review and approve the language in 

10 the ‘‘Freedom of Expression’’ section of each 

11 country reviewed in the annual Country Report 

12 on Human Rights Practices. 

13 (5) FUNDING.—The Secretary of State shall 

14 provide the Ambassador with sufficient funds— 

15 (A) to hire the staff for the Office to en16 able the Office to carry out the tasks and re17 sponsibilities described in paragraphs (1), (2), 

18 and (3); 

19 (B) to comply with the reporting require20 ments described in paragraph (4); and 

21 (C) for necessary travel to carry out this 

22 section. 

23 SEC. 5. PRESS FREEDOM CURRICULUM. 

24 (a) DEVELOPMENT.—The Ambassador and the Of25 fice shall develop a press freedom curriculum for the NaVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:33 Dec 31, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5026.IS S5026

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1 tional Foreign Affairs Training Center that enables For2 eign Service Officers to better understand issues of press 

3 freedom and the tools that are available to help protect 

4 journalists and promote freedom of the press norms, in5 cluding— 

6 (1) the historic and current issues facing press 

7 freedom, including countries of specific concern; 

8 (2) the Department of State’s role in promoting 

9 press freedom as an American value, a human rights 

10 issue, and a national security imperative; 

11 (3) ways to incorporate press freedom pro12 motion into other aspects of diplomacy; and 

13 (4) existing tools to assist journalists in distress 

14 and methods for engaging foreign governments and 

15 institutions on behalf of individuals engaged in jour16 nalistic activity who are at risk of harm. 

17 (b) REQUIRED STUDY.—Any Foreign Service Officer 

18 who is assigned to function as a Public Diplomacy Officer, 

19 a Political Officer, or a Consular Officer at an overseas 

20 mission shall complete the study of the curriculum de21 scribed in subsection (a) not later than 90 days after the 

22 first day of such assignment. 


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1 SEC. 6. GAO STUDY ON THE DANIEL PEARL FREEDOM OF 

2 THE PRESS ACT OF 2009. 

3 (a) STUDY.—The Comptroller General of the United 

4 States shall evaluate the implementation of the Daniel 

5 Pearl Freedom of the Press Act of 2009 (Public Law 111– 

6 166) by— 

7 (1) assessing the effects of including the infor8 mation described in section 116(d)(12) of the For9 eign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 

10 2151n(d)(12)) in the annual Country Reports on 

11 Human Rights Practices; and 

12 (2) determining how reporting on instances of 

13 governmental suppression of free press abroad and 

14 inaction in addressing press freedom violations has 

15 changed since the enactment of the Daniel Pearl 

16 Freedom of the Press Act of 2009. 

17 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

18 of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall 

19 submit a report to Congress and to the Secretary of State 

20 that— 

21 (1) summarizes the results of the study re22 quired under subsection (a); and 

23 (2) provides recommendations for any legisla24 tive or regulatory action that would improve the efVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:12 Dec 29, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5026.IS S5026

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1 forts of the Department of State to report on issues 

2 of press freedom abroad. 

Æ 


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