Tens of thousands of residents
demonstrated on the streets of Hong Kong on
Monday, the 16th anniversary of the city's return to Chinese rule. The
protests have become an annual rite, but the demonstrators' demands were quite specific this year. They
wanted the resignation of Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying and they called for
direct elections. These demonstrators look around and see eroding freedoms and
what one commentator, Emily
Lau, called "a rule of law in a precarious state." Journalists are uneasy
as well. Vague and potentially onerous aspects of recently passed privacy
legislation could put them at risk of harsh punishment.
Do you believe the free flow of information must be protected? Sign the #RightToReport petition and demand that President Obama immediately:
1. Issue a presidential policy directive prohibiting the hacking and surveillance of journalists and media organizations.
2. Limit aggressive prosecutions that ensnare journalists and intimidate whistleblowers.
3. Prevent the harassment of journalists at the U.S. border.
Or click here to see the full petition, and join leading journalists like Christiane Amanpour, The Guardian’s Alan Rusbridger, Editor of the AP Kathleen Carroll, and Arianna Huffington in signing on.
https://cpj.org