The following is a message from National Press Club President Michael Freedman

Dear Colleagues,

At the top of the National Press Club homepage you will find two statements of fact: 

The first is: Black Lives Matter.

The second is: Reporters are witnesses. To silence the press is to silence the people, silence accountability and silence truth.

Today, our colleagues in the field are courageously engaging in double-crisis-duty in their coverage of the global coronavirus pandemic and the nationwide protests following the killing of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis. 

As many Americans take a deeper look at our history and our values as a nation, the Club is also reflecting and responding.

We have spoken out in support of press freedom as journalists have been physically attacked by police and arrested in several cities - for doing their jobs. It is a statement of fact that silencing the press is to silence the people, silence accountability and silence truth.  

The phrase Black Lives Matter, as it appears on our website, is also a statement of fact, not an endorsement of any organization or political agenda. It does not commit us to anything beyond those words and their meaning. 

That said, it does commit us, and appropriately so, to gain a better understanding of racial inequality and social injustice that is woven into the fabric of our nation's history. And then to be a force for positive change within our operations at the Club, in newsrooms across America and in our own lives. 

What is happening now is – and should be – affecting all of us very deeply as journalists and as citizens of a nation that cherishes freedom. It is a moment in time when having the courage of our convictions can make a positive difference.

On behalf of the Board of Governors, our officers and our staff, thank you for your commitment to the National Press Club, to press freedom, to racial equality, and to social justice - for all.

Sincerely,

Mike