Political Quotes

“I rise before you today to express the importance of freedom of the press both around the world and here at home. Journalists take risks--often great risks--to tell the stories of war, genocide, hunger, poverty, and corruption around the world while facing unprecedented rates of intimidation and violence. Freedom of expression is the bedrock of our democracy, but we must not take it for granted. It is how we hold ourselves to the standards set by the Founders and hold ourselves accountable and how we protect our institutions from falling into traps set by those who seek to abuse power. Earlier this year, I introduced S. Res. 501, a resolution recognizing threats to freedom of the press and freedom of expression. This resolution was introduced with Senators Rubio and Wyden, and I thank my colleagues for their leadership on this important issue. This resolution highlights the importance of the freedom of the press, condemns attacks against journalists, and reaffirms press freedom as a priority for the U.S. Government. This resolution is in honor of the 46 journalists who were killed in 2017 for their reporting, for the 262 journalists who were imprisoned around the world last year, and, as part of that 262, the 21 journalists who were jailed just in 2017 for ``false news,'' which more than doubled the 2016 record.…”