U.S. journalists must support press freedom globally, Hamrick says
From a position of relative comfort and security, U.S. journalists have an obligation to stand up for their colleagues around the world who are detained, beaten and killed in countries hostile to free media, Club President Mark Hamrick writes in his latest blog post.
Hamrick relates a meeting he had with a Pakistani television reporter named Mukesh following World Press Freedom Day activities the Club hosted on May 3. Mukesh, who had been in the United States on a media fellowship, told Hamrick that he was once detained for four months by his country’s government. One of his peers was killed.
Hamrick heard similar stories during the press freedom events and pledged that the Club would support reporters who are victimized simply for doing their jobs, he writes in From the President’s Desk.
The importance of being involved in the struggle to uphold media independence was driven home earlier when Hamrick attended the glitzy White House Correspondents Dinner, where U.S. reporters mingle with sources and Hollywood stars at an opulent fete.
“Compared to others around the world, American journalists generally have it pretty good,” Hamrick writes. “But we can use this advantage to motivate ourselves in a positive way. Given this opportunity, we must not forget the responsibility to stand behind people like Mukesh.”