MOSCOW, September 9 (RIA Novosti) – The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is calling on the White House to support journalists’ right to gather and report the news in the digital age through a campaign published on their official website on Tuesday.
“If journalists cannot communicate in confidence with sources, they cannot do their jobs,” the campaign said.
The CPJ is addressing the issue in light of the ongoing surveillance, intimidation, and exploitation of the press by the United States and other Western democracies. The campaign is motivated by information revealed by documents leaked by Edward Snowden from the US National Security Agency (NSA), which exposed the agency’s constant surveillance of news organizations, journalists, and human rights groups.
“We call on the Obama Administration to: 1. Issue a presidential policy directive prohibiting the hacking and surveillance of journalists and media organizations. 2. Limit aggressive prosecutions that ensnare journalists and intimidate whistleblowers. 3. Prevent the harassment of journalists at the U.S. border,” the campaign proclaims.
The campaign urges signatories to join and “support the right to report.”
At the time this article was written, there were 496 signatories hailing from countries all over the world.
