II 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 204 

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 

FEBRUARY 3, 2021 

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 and independent press has long been 

2 recognized as an important aspect of the United 

3 States national security and actions taken by foreign 

4 governments or organizations that weaken free press 

5 protections are a national security threat to the 

6 United States. 

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

8 renewed and, in some cases, increasing assault 

9 around the world, with rhetoric delegitimizing and 

10 discrediting the media or journalists, online harass11 ment, physical attacks, legal campaigns, censorship, 

12 and surveillance, all of which threaten the ability of 

13 journalists to do their jobs safely and freely. 

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

15 significant deterioration of press freedoms. 

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

17 in the Media 2019’’ study— 

18 (A) 19 percent of the countries it des19 ignates as ‘‘Free’’ with respect to press and 

20 journalistic freedom have seen reductions in 

21 their press freedom score during the past 5 

22 years; and 

23 (B) 28 percent of the countries it des24 ignates as ‘‘Not Free’’ have experienced further 


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1 declines in press freedom during the past 5 

2 years. 

3 (11) According to Reporters Without Border’s 

4 2020 World Press Freedom Index— 

5 (A) approximately 74 percent of the coun6 tries of the world are classified as ‘‘problematic 

7 situation’’ or worse with respect to journalistic 

8 freedom; 

9 (B) approximately 26 percent of the coun10 tries of the world have ‘‘satisfactory’’ or ‘‘good’’ 

11 press freedom environments; 

12 (C) among the countries that have recently 

13 suffered the largest declines in press freedom 

14 are Poland, Turkey, Burundi, Hungary, Bo15 livia, and Serbia; 

16 (D) around the world, 2019 marked the 

17 fourth consecutive year in which 300 or more 

18 journalists were jailed; 

19 (E) the COVID–19 pandemic has precip20 itated state censorship, harassment, and vio21 lence in both authoritarian and democratic 

22 states; and 

23 (F) authorities have detained journalists 

24 for reporting on the pandemic in many nations, 

25 including China, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Mali, 


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1 Belarus, Azerbaijan, Iran, the Philippines, 

2 Tajikistan, Poland, the Democratic Republic of 

3 Congo, and Serbia. 

4 (12) According to the Committee to Protect 

5 Journalists, in 2020— 

6 (A) at least 250 journalists worldwide were 

7 in prison for the fifth consecutive year, with 

8 China, Turkey, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia responsible for nearly 1 9 ⁄2 of the jailed journalists; 

10 (B) of the journalists detained— 

11 (i) 19 percent were detained without 

12 charge; 

13 (ii) 67 percent were imprisoned on 

14 anti-state charges; and 

15 (iii) nearly all were local journalists 

16 covering events in their own country; 

17 (C) at least 32 journalists were killed in 

18 the line of duty, 22 of whom were targeted for 

19 murder, which represents a sharp increase from 

20 2019; and 

21 (D) there was complete impunity in an es22 timated 86 percent of the cases of murdered 

23 journalists in the last decade. 

24 (13) Congress has recognized the importance of 

25 freedom of the press by enacting— 


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1 (A) the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press 

2 Act of 2009 (Public Law 111–166); 

3 (B) the Global Magnitsky Human Rights 

4 Accountability Act (subtitle F of title XII of 

5 Public Law 114–328); and 

6 (C) S. Res. 501, 115th Congress (recog7 nizing threats to freedom of the press and ex8 pression around the world and reaffirming free9 dom of the press as a priority in efforts of the 

10 Government of the United States to promote 

11 democracy and good governance). 

12 (14) The importance of freedom of the press 

13 has been recognized by numerous United States 

14 presidential administrations that span ideological 

15 and party lines, including— 

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

17 which Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson 

18 wrote ‘‘our liberty depends on the freedom of 

19 the press, and that cannot be limited without 

20 being lost.’’; 

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

22 1986, in which President Ronald Reagan stat23 ed, ‘‘Victories against poverty are greatest and 

24 peace most secure where people live by laws 


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1 that ensure free press, free speech, and freedom 

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

3 (C) a statement by Secretary of State 

4 Condoleezza Rice on April 11, 2007, stating 

5 that ‘‘there is no more important pillar of de6 mocracy than a free and active press’’; 

7 (D) a statement by former Secretary of 

8 State Madeline Albright on May 31, 2018, re9 porting that ‘‘Freedom of the press is a basic 

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

11 and 

12 (E) a statement by Secretary of State 

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

14 and independent media is indispensable to a vi15 brant, functioning democracy. Despite some 

16 progress, journalists around the world continue 

17 to be persecuted, targeted with violence, or even 

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

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

20 a partisan issue. 

21 (16) It is imperative that Congress further en22 shrine the Department of State’s role in protecting 

23 this basic human right abroad. 

24 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

25 It shall be the policy of the United States— 


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

2 press freedoms; 

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

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

5 open press; 

6 (3) to support press freedom abroad in all as7 pects of American foreign policy; and 

8 (4) to work with foreign governments that af9 firm and protect press freedom— 

10 (A) to develop multilateral initiatives to 

11 combat suppression of the free and independent 

12 press; and 

13 (B) to hold accountable those governments 

14 that violate and attack press freedoms. 

15 SEC. 4. OFFICE OF PRESS FREEDOM; AMBASSADOR-AT16 LARGE FOR PRESS FREEDOM. 

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

18 the United States Department of State, the Office of 

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

20 which— 

21 (1) shall be situated in the Bureau of Democ22 racy, Human Rights, and Labor; and 

23 (2) shall be headed by the Ambassador-at24 Large for Press Freedom (referred to in this Act as 

25 the ‘‘Ambassador’’). 


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1 (b) APPOINTMENT.—The Ambassador shall be ap2 pointed by the President, by and with advice and consent 

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

4 of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor to ad5 vise the Secretary of State regarding matters related to 

6 press freedom. 

7 (c) DUTIES.—The Ambassador shall have the fol8 lowing duties: 

9 (1) GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Ambas10 sador shall have the primary responsibility— 

11 (A) to advance the protection and well12 being of members of the United States and for13 eign press abroad; 

14 (B) to denounce violations of press free15 dom or freedom of expression by foreign gov16 ernments or other actors; and 

17 (C) to engage with foreign governments 

18 and press freedom organizations around the 

19 world concerning press freedom and freedom of 

20 expression. 

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

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

23 responsibilities described in paragraph (1), shall— 

24 (A) coordinate efforts between relevant 

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1 ganizations or threatened individuals in situa2 tions in which freedom of the press is threat3 ened abroad; 

4 (B) publicly and privately denounce op5 pression of the press abroad; 

6 (C) represent the United States in issues 

7 concerning press freedom in diplomatic engage8 ment with foreign governments, intergovern9 mental organizations, the United Nations, and 

10 other international organizations in which the 

11 United States is a member; 

12 (D) recommend appropriate responses by 

13 the United States Government when press free14 doms are infringed upon; and 

15 (E) provide Congress and the public with 

16 a regular report describing the successes and 

17 enduring challenges of the Office, based on 

18 metrics that the Office shall develop. 

19 (3) ADVISORY ROLE.—The Ambassador— 

20 (A) shall be a principal advisor to the 

21 President and to the Secretary of State regard22 ing matters affecting press freedom abroad; and 

23 (B) shall make recommendations regarding 

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1 wards governments or other organizations or in2 dividuals that— 

3 (i) violate press freedoms; or 

4 (ii) fail to ensure the protection of 

5 members of the press. 

6 (4) REPORTING RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Am7 bassador shall— 

8 (A) work with the staff of the Office to en9 sure the success of the Office in carrying out its 

10 mission— 

11 (i) to promote press freedom abroad; 

12 and 

13 (ii) to protect members of the press in 

14 foreign countries; 

15 (B) not later than 1 year after being ap16 pointed, ensure that there is a reasonable proc17 ess for measuring the efficacy of the Office in 

18 carrying out the missions described in subpara19 graph (A); 

20 (C) not later than 18 months after being 

21 appointed, and annually thereafter— 

22 (i) submit a report to Congress that 

23 describes— 

24 (I) the outcomes of the activities 

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1 tablished pursuant to subparagraph 

2 (B); and 

3 (II) the efforts of the National 

4 Foreign Affairs Training Center to 

5 train Foreign Service Officers about 

6 press freedom in accordance with sec7 tion 5; and 

8 (ii) make a copy of the report sub9 mitted pursuant to clause (i) available to 

10 the public; and 

11 (D) review and approve the language in 

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

13 country reviewed in the annual Country Report 

14 on Human Rights Practices. 

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

16 provide the Ambassador with sufficient funds— 

17 (A) to hire the staff for the Office to en18 able the Office to carry out the tasks and re19 sponsibilities described in paragraphs (1), (2), 

20 and (3); 

21 (B) to comply with the reporting require22 ments described in paragraph (4); and 

23 (C) for necessary travel to carry out this 

24 section. 


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1 SEC. 5. PRESS FREEDOM CURRICULUM. 

2 (a) DEVELOPMENT.—The Ambassador and the Of3 fice shall develop a press freedom curriculum for the Na4 tional Foreign Affairs Training Center that enables For5 eign Service Officers to better understand issues of press 

6 freedom and the tools that are available to help protect 

7 journalists and promote freedom of the press norms, in8 cluding— 

9 (1) the historic and current issues facing press 

10 freedom, including countries of specific concern; 

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

12 press freedom as an American value, a human rights 

13 issue, and a national security imperative; 

14 (3) ways to incorporate press freedom pro15 motion into other aspects of diplomacy; and 

16 (4) existing tools to assist journalists in distress 

17 and methods for engaging foreign governments and 

18 institutions on behalf of individuals engaged in jour19 nalistic activity who are at risk of harm. 

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

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

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

23 mission shall complete the study of the curriculum de24 scribed in subsection (a) not later than 90 days after the 

25 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 

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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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