Recognizing the threats to press freedom in the United States in the wake of protests following the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, by police in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020, reaffirming the centrality of a free and independent press to the health of democracy, and reaffirming freedom of the press as a priority of the United States in promoting democracy, human rights, and good governance.

IV 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. RES. 999 Recognizing the threats to press freedom in the United States in the wake of protests following the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, by police in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020, reaffirming the cen- trality of a free and independent press to the health of democracy, and reaffirming freedom of the press as a priority of the United States in promoting democracy, human rights, and good governance. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JUNE 11, 2020 Ms. SCANLON (for herself, Mr. SCHIFF, Ms. NORTON, Mr. VARGAS, Mrs. HAYES, Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. RUSH, Mr. RASKIN, Mr. COOPER, Mr. WELCH, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. NEGUSE, Mr. CICILLINE, Mr. HUFFMAN, Mr. SAN NICOLAS, Ms. HOULAHAN, and Ms. ESHOO) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary RESOLUTION Recognizing the threats to press freedom in the United States in the wake of protests following the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, by police in Min- neapolis on May 25, 2020, reaffirming the centrality of a free and independent press to the health of democ- racy, and reaffirming freedom of the press as a priority of the United States in promoting democracy, human rights, and good governance. Whereas the essential role of the independent press and jour- nalists in a free and democratic society has been recog- VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:19 Jun 12, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR999.IH HR999 CTELLI on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 999 IH nized since the colonial period of the United States and is enshrined in the First Amendment to the Constitution; Whereas the First Amendment to the Constitution proclaims: ‘‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or preventing the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.’’; Whereas Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declara- tion of Human Rights, adopted at Paris, December 10, 1948, states, ‘‘Everyone has the right to freedom of opin- ion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and im- part information and ideas through any media and re- gardless of frontiers.’’; Whereas the United States has made promotion of press free- dom worldwide a core part of its human rights and de- mocracy promotion efforts; Whereas the COVID–19 pandemic has accelerated the decline of local news, documented by PEN America in the report Losing the News, shuttering critical information re- sources, particularly for rural populations and marginalized communities; Whereas journalists have a long established and recognized right to report, and actions by law enforcement or other authorities that prevent them from doing so through in- timidation, violence, arrest, or detention is an affront to the First Amendment; Whereas the United States has experienced mass protests in cities and communities around the Nation following the VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:19 Jun 12, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR999.IH HR999 CTELLI on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 999 IH killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020; Whereas Joel Simon, executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, wrote that ‘‘Covering protests and demonstrations is vital, both in order to inform the public about the demands of the protesters and also to hold offi- cials accountable’’; Whereas, as of June 4, 2020, the U.S. Press Freedom Track- er, a nonpartisan website managed by the Freedom of the Press Foundation, has received reports of more than 300 reports of press freedom violations committed against journalists covering the demonstrations nationwide; Whereas these cases include instances of journalists and media workers being specifically targeted by law enforce- ment with tear gas, pepper spray or pepper balls, or rub- ber bullets despite displaying press credentials and identi- fying themselves as members of the press; Whereas, on May 29, 2020, police in Minneapolis shot a rub- ber bullet at the face of a freelance writer and photog- rapher, permanently blinding her in one eye; Whereas, on May 30, 2020, Minneapolis police fired tear gas, pepper spray, and concussion grenades directly at mul- tiple journalists and photographers; Whereas, on May 31, 2020, Seattle police fired projectiles di- rectly at an MSNBC reporter and camera crew; Whereas, on May 31, 2020, a KPCC/LAist reporter was shot in the throat with a rubber bullet by Long Beach police; Whereas, on June 1, 2020, an Australian reporter and cam- era operator were struck by Federal law enforcement as they covered a demonstration outside the White House in VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:19 Jun 12, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR999.IH HR999 CTELLI on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 999 IH Washington, DC, leading to a formal request by the Aus- tralian Ambassador for a police investigation; Whereas the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker has identified more than 49 instances of journalists and media workers being arrested at protests as of June 4, 2020; Whereas, on May 29, 2020, CNN reporter Omar Jiminez, an African-American and Latino journalist, was arrested in Minneapolis while reporting on camera, despite displaying his press credentials and offering to comply with police directives; Whereas, on May 29, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada, two photojournalists were arrested while working and charged with the misdemeanor of ‘‘failure to disperse’’, before being released a day later; Whereas, on May 31, 2020, an NPR affiliate reporter, a Philadelphia Inquirer reporter, and a Wilmington News- Journal reporter were arrested despite having identified themselves as press; Whereas some cities and States have imposed curfews in a bid to contain the demonstrations, some of which have turned violent, but not all of the curfew orders have ex- plicitly exempted members of the press; Whereas journalists have a vital role to play in documenting and reporting on the protests and must be able to freely cover these events without fear of retaliation from au- thorities; and Whereas freedom of the press— (1) is a key component of democratic governance, activism in civil society, and socioeconomic development; and VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:19 Jun 12, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR999.IH HR999 CTELLI on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS 5 •HRES 999 IH (2) enhances public accountability, transparency, and participation in civil society and democratic govern- ance: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) expresses support for the First Amendment- 2 protected right of journalists to report on events in 3 the public interest, including protests and dem- 4 onstrations against police brutality; 5 (2) believes journalists perform an essential role 6 in safeguarding democratic values by keeping the 7 public informed about issues of national and local 8 concern and ensuring transparency and account- 9 ability; 10 (3) calls on State, local, and Federal law en- 11 forcement to protect the freedom of the press and 12 refrain from targeting journalists and media work- 13 ers; 14 (4) calls on government entities to clarify that 15 credentialed press are exempt from curfews enacted 16 in response to protests and public demonstrations; 17 (5) stresses the need for accountability where 18 law enforcement entities or protesters violate the 19 Constitution, laws, or regulations in their treatment 20 of journalists and media crews during protests; and 21 (6) reaffirms the centrality of freedom of the 22 press in the United States and around the world to 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:19 Jun 12, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR999.IH HR999 CTELLI on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS 6 •HRES 999 IH support democracy, expose corruption, and promote 1 good governance. 2 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:19 Jun 12, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR999.IH HR999 CTELLI on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS