{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://web.archive.org/web/20131213203451/http://www.brown.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/in-session-of-congressional-executive-commission-on-china-sen-brown-calls-on-china-to-cease-harassment-of-foreign-journalists", "In Session of Congressional-Executive Commission on China, Sen. Brown Calls on China to Cease Harassment of Foreign Journalists", "2013-12-11", "2013", "2013-12", "Democrat", "House", "OH", "Sherrod Brown", "B000944", "web.archive.org", null, null, "legacy", "Brown Convenes Congressional-Executive Commission on China Session Detailing Chinese Denial and Delay of Visas for American Journalists, Block to U.S. Media Websites\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWednesday, December 11, 2013\n            \n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) convened a meeting of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) to call on the Chinese government to immediately cease its policy of harassing foreign journalists, denying and delaying their visas, and blocking the websites of foreign media in China.\n\u201cChina\u2019s retaliation against foreign journalists and news organizations for their reporting in China has reached a new low. We\u2019ve seen American journalist Paul Mooney being denied a visa in November, nearly two dozen other journalists facing imminent expulsion if their visas are not quickly renewed, and the Web sites for The New York Times, Bloomberg, and other news outlets blocked in China,\u201d Brown said. \u201cThese actions violate international standards for press freedom, constitute an unfair trade practice, and threaten our access to vital reporting on issues that Chinese journalists are often unable to cover.\u201d\nAs chair of the CECC, Brown hosted a roundtable on the topic of \u201cChina\u2019s Treatment of Foreign Journalists\u201d today in Washington, DC. The panelists included Edward Wong, Correspondent, The New York Times, Beijing Bureau; Hannah Beech, TIME\u2019s East Asia Correspondent and China Bureau Chief; Bob Dietz, Asia Program Coordinator, Committee to Protect Journalists; and Sarah Cook, Senior Research Analyst for East Asia, Freedom House. Paul Mooney, the freelance journalist who was recently denied a visa, also submitted a statement for the record.\nChinese officials have delayed renewing the visas for 23 journalists working for The New York Times and Bloomberg. These journalists will have to leave China at year\u2019s end if their visas are not renewed, effectively threatening these media\u2019s ability to report in China. In addition, access in China to The New York Times and Bloomberg Web sites was blocked after they published articles detailing the wealth of the relatives of China\u2019s leaders.\nIn November, Chinese officials denied a visa to Paul Mooney, an American journalist who was preparing to start a new position in China with Reuters. Mooney had spent the past 18 years in China reporting on environmental problems, Tibet, Xinjiang, the plight of human rights activists, and kidnapped children, among other stories.\n\u00a0\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://web.archive.org/web/20131213203451/http://www.brown.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/in-session-of-congressional-executive-commission-on-china-sen-brown-calls-on-china-to-cease-harassment-of-foreign-journalists"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.43572804518044, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}