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ASNE stands with journalists arrested for doing their job
- By: ASNE staff
- On: 05/18/2017 10:52:21
- In: Freedom of the press
The American Society of News Editors, the nation's oldest and largest association for leaders of America's newsrooms, while disturbed by reports of the apparent recommendation made by President Donald Trump to James Comey that the now-former FBI director "should consider putting reporters in prison for publishing classified information," maintains its resolve to fight for the rights of all journalists in the face of unprecedented attacks on American journalists at all levels of government. ASNE members will not only lead the fight inside their own newsrooms, but also they will stand together when others are threatened.
"The statements attributed to the president regarding the jailing of reporters have no place in a democracy," said ASNE President Mizell Stewart III, vice president, news operations for Gannett and the USA TODAY Network. "They are the latest in a series of attempts by this administration to delegitimize the press. The danger of these attacks is readily evident as charges are still pending against Dan Heyman, who was arrested on May 9 for 'willful disruption of government processes' when it appears he was doing no more than his job in asking pointed questions of public officials. Not only should these charges be dropped, but also this climate of aggression against the media needs to stop before others are arrested or harmed."ASNE members who find themselves or their reporters in legal trouble are invited to contact Legal Counsel Kevin M. Goldberg via ASNE's Legal Hotline. We also invite you to become an active part of our advocacy efforts, both those taken on our own (which you can follow on our website and via our social media feeds) and in conjunction with other members of the News Media for Open Government Coalition.