Political Quotes

“I ask my colleagues to join me today in honoring journalists. A free, independent media is vital to our democracy. It is enshrined in our Constitution. We depend on reporters around the world to both tell the stories that have an impact on our day-to-day lives and dig for those stories that might not be told otherwise. Journalists are generally tenacious and dedicated. They ask the tough questions. They challenge special interests. They connect us with our communities and our world. They put themselves in harm's way to tell the unvarnished truth, unfiltered by government propaganda, at a time when the world needs it more than ever, and too often, that comes at a cost. Increasingly, journalists find themselves under attack, arrested, or targeted for simply reporting facts. Some even make the ultimate sacrifice to reveal the truth. In March, I spoke on this floor about three talented, brave journalists who were killed while reporting on Vladimir Putin's brutal invasion of Ukraine. Since then, at least nine other journalists have been killed in Ukraine, journalists who were covering this war. In May, Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed while reporting on an Israeli military raid in Jenin in the West Bank. This danger is not something American journalists are immune from.…”