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In the wake of the hideous attack on Charlie Hebdo editors, cartoonists and staff in Paris there has been a vigorous and spirited debate on freedom of speech and, of course, freedom of the press.
Today, Secretary of State John Kerry in remarks delivered at the Journalists Security Conference, at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., left no doubt as to which side of this debate he stands on.
After thanking Doug Frantz, Assistant Secretary of State and a journalist himself — “a great reporter…journalism is his passion” — Kerry explained how journalism can be dangerous. “There’s no way to eliminate the risk completely, except by keeping silent, and that’s what we call surrender. So that’s not in the cards, Kerry said.
He continued:
The world obviously needs to be informed about what is happening. Silence gives power to dictators, to the abusers, to tyrants. It allows tyranny to flourish, not freedom. And so what is happening in high-threat locations such as Syria, Iraq, Somalia, or Central African Republic, Libya, Pakistan – all of these are places where they don’t want people to tell the story or they distort it. We need people who are going to shed light also on subtler forms of coercion that rot a society from within – corruption, crime. Exposing them can be dangerous, difficult, but equally critical to the capacity to have accountability and to respect the rights of people.
On why it is important to protect journalists better, Kerry said:
Well, there are a bunch of reasons, but let me begin pretty starkly with a few: al-Moataz Bellah Ibrahim, Deniz Firat, James Foley, Gregorio Jimenez de la Cruz, Camille Lepage, Ali Mustafa, Andrea Rocchelli, Luke Somers, Steven Sotloff, and Bernard Verlhac. I could go on. Unfortunately, a bunch more were added the other day in Paris. These are much more than just names of people, folks. Each one of those names reflects a life that was prematurely cut off, and it was ended by violence – that’s just 2014, some of those names I read you; in the case of Monsieur Verlhac, earlier this month. And each reflects the death of a storyteller who had more stories to tell. Each is a personal tragedy. Each is a call to action. Each is a reminder that freedom of the press is not free but it is, in fact, very costly.
Kerry then went on to quote statistics that attest to the dangers involved in reporting the news: “Nine media workers were among the dead in Paris. In 2014, at least 60 journalists were killed; 73 the year before that. And many others wounded, harassed, detained, or threatened.” “These numbers are getting worse, not better,” Kerry added.
Recalling his own Vietnam service and preparation for his tour of combat duty — “Yet I still found that a lot of what I saw and engaged in was jarring and unexpected…” — Kerry emphasized the need for reporters to be trained and prepared for any eventuality and danger, but also for the government to have their back.
He cautioned, “…in our era, roughly two-thirds of the reporters who die violently are killed because of, not despite, their profession. They are attacked for what they have written, silenced for what they have witnessed, or kidnapped for the leverage their capture may provide. And in most cases, the perpetrators are not caught.”
Reflecting on the events in Paris, Kerry said:
The truth is that freedom of the press, whether symbolized by a pencil, a pen, a camera, or a microphone is under siege, purposefully. And that is because some people, some groups, and even some governments want to dictate the truth, want to define it, want to hide what we would know to be the truth. And obviously, we cannot and we will not let that happen, especially after the outrage in Paris on January 7th, we need to make certain that we are taking all the steps in our power to reiterate our commitment to the values that bring all of you here today.
Referring to what the gathered journalists would be hearing from other experts during the security conference, Kerry asked journalists and media workers present who “have ever been attacked or kidnapped or seriously threatened in the course of doing [their] jobs,” to stand.
Although no State Department photographs are available, apparently many stood up and Kerry remarked, “That’s amazing, as a matter of fact. An enormous number…”
More proof that freedom of the press does not come cheap.
Read the Secretary’s complete remarks here
Lead photo: Secretary Kerry at the Journalists Security Conference – State Department photo
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.