A top Trump administration diplomat this week went to bat for journalists, especially those covering wars, urging an international forum to strengthen safety standards for the media.
James S. Gilmore in Warsaw also cited the First Amendment in decrying international “disinformation” and said that “free expression” is the best way to fight it.
“Freedom of speech and of the press are fundamental values embedded in our Constitution’s First Amendment. Societies where governments respect the right to free expression and ensure journalists are free to report are the most peaceful, the most open, and the most able to cooperate internationally,” he said.
Gilmore is the newly installed U.S. Permanent Representative to the Vienna-based Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the diplomatic group that spans North America, Europe, and members of the former Soviet Union.
U.S. @ #HDIM2019: @OSCE_RFoM documented >90 attacks & threats against journalists in region during 1st half of 2019. Journalists involved in investigative reporting & uncovering of official corruption frequent targets of threats, intimidation & killings. https://t.co/3OCgoHw8An
— U.S. Mission to OSCE (@usosce) September 18, 2019
During a meeting this week, he promised continued U.S. support for the group’s media arm at a time when more journalists are being killed, especially while covering global hot spots. In 2018, 53 journalists were killed, most targeted because of the coverage, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Gilmore, a former Virginia governor and GOP presidential candidate, urged the strengthening of the international framework for protecting the media.
“Journalists keeps citizens informed, foster debate, and hold governments to account. They often face considerable risks. Murder should not be one of them,” he said.
Gilmore pressed his case during Europe’s largest human rights gathering, the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting. “The United States is very concerned about the role of disinformation and malign foreign influence,” he said in calling for new effort to fight disinformation.
