Patrick Leahy: “they are sometimes called the Fourth Estate. The dedicated writers, researchers, editors, and investigators of the…”

“they are sometimes called the Fourth Estate. The dedicated writers, researchers, editors, and investigators of the media, new and old. Their reporting writes the first draft of history. What an awesome responsibility. But today, I want to recognize one particular set of reporters: the press photographers. Their images, also part of the first draft of history, bring the words to life. The photos they capture tell stories through images--sometimes moving, sometimes horrific--a language so universal that, sometimes, they need no words. Many have written about the events of January 6, when a violent mob of insurrectionists attacked the Capitol and, indeed, our very seat of government. I was here that day, like so many Members of Congress, both the House and Senate, and so many staffers. And what I saw was unlike anything I have seen in my 47 years in the U.S. Senate. The press saw it, too--going on air to give accounts of what was happening, filing stories on the wires as the events were unfolding--and snapping the photographic evidence of the violence, the fear, the vandalism, and, yes, the determination of that day. Scott Applewhite, a longtime photographer for the Associated Press, earlier this month published a piece for ``The Public's Radio,'' recounting his experiences that day and sharing several of the photographs he took that document the events that unfolded. It is well worth a read, and I ask unanimous consent that it be printed in the Record.…”