IV 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 875 
Recognizing threats to freedom of the press and expression around the world 
and reaffirming freedom of the press as a priority in efforts of the 
Government of the United States to promote democracy and good govern-
ance. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 7, 2018 
Mr. SCHIFF (for himself and Mr. CHABOT) submitted the following resolution; 
which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
Recognizing threats to freedom of the press and expression 
around the world and reaffirming freedom of the press 
as a priority in efforts of the Government of the United 
States to promote democracy and good governance. 
Whereas Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declara-
tion of Human Rights, adopted in Paris, France, on De-
cember 10, 1948, states that ‘‘[e]veryone 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, in 1993, the United Nations General Assembly pro-
claimed May 3 of each year as ‘‘World Press Freedom 
Day’’ to— 
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•HRES 875 IH 
(1) celebrate the fundamental principles of freedom 
of the press; 
(2) evaluate freedom of the press around the world; 
(3) defend against attacks on the independence of 
the media; and 
(4) pay tribute to journalists who have lost their 
lives in the exercise of their profession; 
Whereas, on December 18, 2013, the United Nations General 
Assembly adopted United Nations General Assembly Res-
olution 163 (2013) on the safety of journalists and the 
issue of impunity, which unequivocally condemns, in both 
conflict and nonconflict situations, all attacks on and vio-
lence against journalists and media workers, including 
torture, extrajudicial killing, enforced disappearance, ar-
bitrary detention, and intimidation and harassment; 
Whereas the theme for World Press Freedom Day, May 3, 
2018, is ‘‘Keeping Power in Check: Media, Justice and 
the Rule of Law’’; 
Whereas the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act of 2009 
(22 U.S.C. 2151 note; Public Law 111–166), which was 
passed by unanimous consent in the Senate and signed 
into law by President Barack Obama in 2010, expanded 
the annual Human Rights Reports of the Department of 
State to include an examination of freedom of the press; 
Whereas the 2017 World Press Freedom Index, published by 
Reporters Without Borders, warned that ‘‘media freedom 
has retreated wherever the authoritarian strongman 
model has triumphed’’; 
Whereas Freedom House noted in the report ‘‘Freedom of 
the Press 2017’’ that— 
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•HRES 875 IH 
(1) global press freedom has declined to its lowest 
point in 13 years; and 
(2) only 13 percent of the global population enjoys 
a free press, meaning a media environment in which 
‘‘coverage of political news is robust, the safety of jour-
nalists is guaranteed, state intrusion in media affairs is 
minimal, and the press is not subject to onerous legal or 
economic pressures’’; 
Whereas, according to the Committee to Protect Journal-
ists— 
(1) in 2017— 
(A) the 2 deadliest countries for journalists on 
assignment were Iraq and Syria; 
(B) 46 journalists were killed in cases in which 
the motive for the killing was confirmed to be re-
lated to reporting by those journalists; 
(C) 20 journalists were killed in cases in which 
the motive for the killing was unconfirmed; 
(D) there were 21 cases in which journalists 
were jailed for ‘‘false news’’, which represented more 
than double the number of cases in which journalists 
were jailed for ‘‘false news’’ in 2016; and 
(E) the percentage of female journalists who 
were killed in a year was the highest on record; 
(2) the most dangerous subject for a journalist to 
report is politics, followed only then by war; and 
(3) as of December 1, 2017, 262 journalists world-
wide were imprisoned for their work, marking the second 
consecutive year that the number of journalists impris-
oned for their work hit a historic high; 
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•HRES 875 IH 
Whereas freedom of the press is a key component of demo-
cratic governance, activism in civil society, and socio-
economic development; and 
Whereas freedom of the press enhances public accountability, 
transparency, and participation in civil society and demo-
cratic governance: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) expresses concern about the threats to free-
dom of the press and expression around the world; 
(2) commends journalists and media workers 
around the world for their essential role in pro-
moting government accountability, defending demo-
cratic activity, and strengthening civil society, de-
spite threats to the safety of those journalists and 
media workers; 
(3) pays tribute to journalists who have lost 
their lives carrying out their work; 
(4) calls on governments abroad to implement 
United Nations General Assembly Resolution 163 
(2013) on the safety of journalists and the issue of 
impunity by thoroughly investigating and seeking to 
resolve outstanding cases of violence against journal-
ists, including murders and kidnappings, while en-
suring the protection of witnesses; 
(5) condemns all actions around the world that 
suppress freedom of the press; 
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•HRES 875 IH 
(6) reaffirms the centrality of freedom of the 
press to efforts of the Government of the United 
States to support democracy, mitigate conflict, and 
promote good governance domestically and around 
the world; and 
(7) calls on the President and the Secretary of 
State to— 
(A) on the basis of the protections afforded 
under the First Amendment to the Constitution 
of the United States, preserve and build upon 
the leadership of the United States on issues 
relating to freedom of the press; 
(B) improve the means by which the Gov-
ernment of the United States rapidly identifies, 
publicizes, and responds to threats against free-
dom of the press around the world; 
(C) urge foreign governments to conduct 
transparent investigations and adjudications of 
the perpetrators of attacks against journalists; 
and 
(D) highlight the issue of threats against 
freedom of the press— 
(i) in the annual Human Rights Re-
ports of the Department of State; and 
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•HRES 875 IH 
(ii) throughout the year. 
Æ 
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