A resolution condemning attacks against members of the media and reaffirming the centrality of a free and independent press and peaceful assembly to the health of democracy in the United States.

III 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. RES. 622 Condemning attacks against members of the media and reaffirming the cen- trality of a free and independent press and peaceful assembly to the health of democracy in the United States. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES JUNE 15, 2020 Mr. MENENDEZ (for Mr. MARKEY (for himself, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. MERKLEY, Mr. BROWN, Mrs. MURRAY, Ms. CANTWELL, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. COONS, Mr. WYDEN, Mr. BOOKER, Mr. CASEY, and Ms. KLOBUCHAR)) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary RESOLUTION Condemning attacks against members of the media and re- affirming the centrality of a free and independent press and peaceful assembly to the health of democracy in the United States. Whereas the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States provides the basis of the freedom of the press and peaceful assembly in the United States, stating ‘‘Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble . . .’’; Whereas Thomas Jefferson, who recognized the importance of the press in a constitutional republic, wisely declared, VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:37 Jun 16, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR622.IS SR622 rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS 2 •SRES 622 IS ‘‘. . . 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.’’; Whereas Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declara- tion of Human Rights, adopted in Paris on 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, 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, according to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, a nonpartisan website led by the Freedom of the Press Foundation and the Committee to Protect Journalists, not less than 328 press freedom violations by local and State authorities have been reported by journalists across the United States in the course of covering the dem- onstrations associated with the death of George Floyd, a Black man, while he was in Minneapolis police custody; Whereas Kirstin McCudden, managing editor of the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, described the uptick in reports of violations of freedom of the press in the United States between May 25 and June 3, 2020, as ‘‘unprecedented in scope without a doubt.’’; VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:19 Jun 16, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR622.IS SR622 rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS 3 •SRES 622 IS Whereas Joel Simon, executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, wrote that ‘‘[c]overing 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.’’; and Whereas more than 100 media and press freedom organiza- tions, led by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, signed a letter demanding that law enforcement officers immediately stop attacks against credentialed, clearly identifiable journalists and stressed that law en- forcement officers do not have legal immunity when they violate clearly established rights under the First Amend- ment to the Constitution of the United States: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate— 1 (1) reaffirms its commitment to the freedom of 2 the press and peaceful assembly as pillars of democ- 3 racy in the United States; 4 (2) condemns in the strongest terms violence 5 committed against people of the United States exer- 6 cising their right to free speech and peaceful assem- 7 bly, including journalists and members of the media, 8 whether that violence is committed by government 9 officials or anyone else; 10 (3) condemns in the strongest terms actions on 11 the part of any local, State, or Federal authorities 12 to limit, restrict, or in any way prevent members of 13 the media from— 14 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:19 Jun 16, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR622.IS SR622 rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS 4 •SRES 622 IS (A) performing their jobs, which contribute 1 to the distribution of vital information; 2 (B) promoting government accountability; 3 (C) defending democratic activity; and 4 (D) strengthening civil society; 5 (4) recognizes the bravery and courage of the 6 journalists of the United States, foreign journalists, 7 and members of the media who put their own safety 8 at risk in order to cover the demonstrations associ- 9 ated with the death of George Floyd and bring infor- 10 mation to the people of the United States and the 11 world; 12 (5) calls on local, State, and Federal authorities 13 to— 14 (A) take steps to ensure that members of 15 the media are able to safely perform their du- 16 ties without interference, censorship, threats of 17 violence, or physical harm; and 18 (B) explicitly exempt the news media from 19 any curfew regulations; and 20 (6) calls on local, State, and Federal authorities 21 and officials to— 22 (A) identify and thoroughly investigate in- 23 stances in which— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:19 Jun 16, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR622.IS SR622 rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS 5 •SRES 622 IS (i) government officials or members of 1 police forces have restricted media access 2 to the demonstrations associated with the 3 death of George Floyd; or 4 (ii) violence was perpetrated against 5 members of the media during those dem- 6 onstrations; and 7 (B) ensure that the perpetrators of vio- 8 lence against the media are appropriately dis- 9 ciplined and, if appropriate, charged. 10 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:19 Jun 16, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR622.IS SR622 rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS