{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.young.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/young-schatz-reintroduce-legislation-to-protect-journalists-promote-press-freedom-around-the-world/", "Young, Schatz Reintroduce Legislation to Protect Journalists, Promote Press Freedom Around the World", "2023-07-27", "2023", "2023-07", "Republican", "Senate", "IN", "Todd Young", "Y000064", "www.young.senate.gov", "toddyoung", "https://www.young.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), both members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, reintroduced legislation to promote press freedom and the protection of journalists worldwide. The Global Press Freedom Act would direct the U.S. State Department to establish an Ambassador-at-Large for Press Freedom and train Foreign Service Officers on methods to help promote media independence and protect foreign journalists.\n\n\u201cFreedom of the press is essential to democracy, good governance, and holding those in power accountable. This principle was enshrined in our founding documents for that reason. Our proposal will empower American diplomats to support a free press around the globe,\u201d said Senator Young.\n\n\u201cOur democracy depends on the ability of journalists to ask tough questions, dig for the truth, and report what they find \u2014 without fear of violence or persecution. Freedom of the press is a priority in our founding documents, and it must be a cornerstone of our domestic and foreign policy. Our bill reasserts our commitment to a free press at home and abroad, empowering the State Department to engage with these issues diplomatically on the world stage,\u201d said Senator Schatz.\n\nIn addition to Young and Schatz, the Global Press Freedom Act is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).\n\nPress freedom has faced a staggering global decline in recent years. According to Reporters Without Borders\u2019 2023 World Press Freedom Index, the environment for journalism is \u201csatisfactory\u201d or better in just three out of 10 countries.\n\nThe Global Press Freedom Act aims to institutionalize America\u2019s commitment to advancing press freedom abroad. The legislation would create an Ambassador-at-Large for Press Freedom, who would be tasked with engaging with foreign governments and organizations, drawing attention to violations of press freedom and reporter safety, and ensuring each country\u2019s Country Report on Human Rights Practices prioritizes press freedom in its \u201cFree Expression\u201d section. The bill would also establish a press freedom curriculum in the training of Foreign Service Officers, empowering them to assist in the protection of journalists and press freedom while stationed overseas.\n\nThe Young-Schatz legislation is supported by PEN America, Reporters Without Borders, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and Freedom House.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:25:20Z"]], "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://www.young.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/young-schatz-reintroduce-legislation-to-protect-journalists-promote-press-freedom-around-the-world/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.6887689232826233, "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"}