Title: A resolution reaffirming the centrality of press freedom and freedom of expression to democracy in the United States and to international peace and stability.
Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues

Summary:
Reaffirms the central role that independent and professional journalism plays in our society, and expresses support for, and solidarity with, independent journalists around the globe.
Condemns President Trump's rhetoric against the press.
Concurs with the statement of CNN that the withdrawal of press credentials from Jim Acosta is "a threat to our democracy and the country deserves better."
Supports an independent investigation by the United Nations into the death of Jamal Khashoggi.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 691 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 691

 Reaffirming the centrality of press freedom and freedom of expression 
   to democracy in the United States and to international peace and 
                               stability.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 15, 2018

Mr. Merkley (for himself, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Markey, Mr. 
  Wyden, and Ms. Smith) submitted the following resolution; which was 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Reaffirming the centrality of press freedom and freedom of expression 
   to democracy in the United States and to international peace and 
                               stability.

Whereas the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States enshrines 
        press freedom as a foundational element of the democracy of the United 
        States when it declares, ``Congress shall make no law . . . abridging 
        the freedom of speech, or of the press'';
Whereas Thomas Jefferson famously and wisely wrote in 1787, ``were it left to me 
        to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or 
        newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to 
        prefer the latter'', underscoring the enduring importance of independent 
        and professional journalism as a check on government authority in every 
        society;
Whereas Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 
        adopted December 10, 1948, by the United Nations General Assembly, 
        enshrines press freedom as a vital aspect of universal human rights;
Whereas the use of threatening rhetoric by President Donald J. Trump, including 
        false declarations that the media are ``the enemy of the American 
        people'', and the repeated disparagements of specific journalists and 
        outlets by President Trump have undermined public trust in fact-based 
        journalism;
Whereas, on November 7, 2018, in the first press conference by President Trump 
        after the 2018 elections, President Trump accused Yamiche Alcindor of 
        PBS Newshour of asking a ``racist question'' when Yamiche Alcindor asked 
        about the support that the President receives from white nationalists;
Whereas the White House has withdrawn the press credentials of CNN White House 
        reporter Jim Acosta in clear retaliation for questioning of the 
        President by Jim Acosta;
Whereas White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders falsely claimed, and 
        distributed a doctored video purporting to show, that Jim Acosta placed 
        ``his hands on a young woman'' as the basis for the withdrawal of press 
        credentials from Jim Acosta;
Whereas, on November 9, 2018, President Trump threatened to revoke the press 
        credentials of other journalists as well;
Whereas, on October 18, 2018, President Trump praised Congressman Greg Gianforte 
        for the misdemeanor assault charges to which the Congressman pled guilty 
        for physically assaulting a reporter on the eve of a special election in 
        2017;
Whereas independent survey research has recently found that the trust of the 
        people of the United States in professional media outlets remains strong 
        despite repeated attacks by the President;
Whereas the respected nonprofit organization Committee to Protect Journalism 
        reports that, as of November 15, 2018, 45 journalists have been killed 
        around the globe in 2018 while doing their jobs;
Whereas Myanmar journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, while working for Reuters, 
        a highly reputable worldwide news gathering organization, were unjustly 
        convicted and sentenced to 7 years of imprisonment for their reporting 
        on the August 2017 campaign by Burmese security forces to assault, kill, 
        rape, and burn the villages of the Rohingya people and to force the 
        Rohingya people to flee from Myanmar to Bangladesh, which led 
        approximately 700,000 Rohingya people to flee their homeland;
Whereas more and more leaders in other countries are emulating attacks that 
        President Trump has made on professional journalism and investigative 
        journalism, leading to corruption and repression;
Whereas credible reports indicate that Saudi Arabia targeted Washington Post 
        columnist Jamal Khashoggi because of his critiques of the Government of 
        Saudi Arabia and his push for a free press in the Middle East;
Whereas credible reports indicate that agents of Saudi Arabia brutally tortured 
        and killed Jamal Khashoggi within the Saudi Arabian consulate in 
        Istanbul when he came to pick up a legal document necessary for his 
        planned marriage;
Whereas the Government of Saudi Arabia has engaged in a series of brazen lies 
        and attempted cover-ups of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi; and
Whereas the public statements of President Trump have led many people to 
        conclude that President Trump does not intend to hold senior Saudi 
        Arabian officials accountable or to demand an independent and impartial 
        investigation into the brutal death of Jamal Khashoggi: Now, therefore, 
        be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) reaffirms the central role that independent and 
        professional journalism plays in--
                    (A) strengthening democratic governance;
                    (B) upholding the rule of law;
                    (C) mitigating conflict; and
                    (D) informing public opinion in the United States 
                and around the world;
            (2) condemns the consistent use by President Trump of 
        rhetoric meant to celebrate and publicize acts of violence and 
        aggression against the press;
            (3) concurs with the statement of CNN that the withdrawal 
        of press credentials from Jim Acosta is ``a threat to our 
        democracy and the country deserves better'';
            (4) supports an independent and impartial investigation by 
        the United Nations Secretary-General into the death of Jamal 
        Khashoggi, with the full cooperation of the United States 
        Government; and
            (5) expresses support for and solidarity with independent 
        journalists around the globe working--
                    (A) to expose uncomfortable truths;
                    (B) to shine a light on systemic corruption; and
                    (C) to provide accountability in societies yearning 
                for democracy and development.
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