CPJ Board: Free press must be protected

On November 6, after former President Donald Trump was declared the winner of the U.S. presidential election, the Committee to Protect Journalists urged the new administration “to recognize the free press and the factual information that journalists provide as an essential component of democracy, stability, and public safety.”

CPJ’s board of directors stated that it “stands firmly in defense of a robust press” that can hold power to account.

“The fundamental right to a free press, guaranteed by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, must not be impaired,” the board statement said. “Legal persecution, imprisonment, physical violence, and even killings have sadly become familiar threats for journalists across the world. They must not now also become commonplace in the United States, where threats of violence and online harassment have in recent years become routine.”

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