Town Hall on Jan. 27 to discuss rising violence against press in the U.S.
From The International press Institute
Media www.rajawalisiber.com – The International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of editors, journalists and media executives for press freedom, along with IPI’s North American Committee, condemn in the strongest possible terms the numerous verbal and physical attacks against journalists who covered the January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol.
Journalists were targeted by members of a pro-Trump mob, insulted, threatened and even physically attacked. Equipment was destroyed by protesters shouting at the news media and chanting “CNN sucks”; the words “Murder the media” were scratched into a door of the Capitol.
IPI-NAC recognizes the courage of those members of the media who covered the assault on the U.S. Capitol. It is entirely unacceptable that journalists who uphold the public interest by delivering fact-based news in a timely manner become the targets of a mob incited by a U.S. president. These assaults are an outcome of years of anti-media rhetoric by President Donald Trump and his followers, who have repeatedly portrayed independent journalists as enemies of the people. The American public learned because of the bravery of these journalists how grave a threat to democracy it was.
We call on law enforcement authorities to inform the media and the public of any ongoing threats and to protect the safety of journalists during this week’s U.S. presidential inauguration.
We urge the incoming administration of President Joseph R. Biden to work to restore the nation’s trust and respect for the practice of journalism, the rights to a free press as enshrined in the U.S. Constitution and the values of openness and transparency in government in general.
As investigations continue, it also is essential that perpetrators of attacks on journalists be brought to justice.
Failing to do so would only weaken press freedom as a pillar of the U.S. democratic system.
On Jan. 27 at 5 p.m. EST, IPI and the IPI North American Committee will convene a Town Hall web meeting to highlight the rising threat of violence directed at reporters in the U.S. and discuss the best way to forge an alliance to share resources and experience that might help newsrooms to work safely in the field. This will not be a safety training, but a wider discussion on what feels like a turning point in how journalists do their work in the United States.