U.S. presidential debate: press freedom is absent from campaigns yet crucial to debate
As the campaign trail heats up ahead of November’s U.S. elections, the two leading candidates, incumbent President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, will face off in the first televised debate of this election on June 27th on CNN. Despite the vital need for the next administration to take concrete action to protect journalism and the right to information, press freedom has been missing from the campaign. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) highlights several key issues that deserve priority attention from both sides.
“Press freedom and the right to information are like a cauldron reaching its boiling point right now, but you wouldn’t know it judging by the presidential campaigns so far. The United States is grappling with monumentally important issues, including mounting threats against the safety of journalists, AI-generated deep fakes that threaten the integrity of information online, and tech platforms that facilitate the spread of harmful misinformation. The American people must know where their presidential candidates stand and deserve a robust public debate over the policies that will define the next administration and the United States’ role in the world.
The United States fell 10 spots to a historically low 55th place on RSF’s 2024 Press Freedom Index, indicating a clear need for a public policy designed to bolster press freedom. Similarly, RSF found press freedom to be broadly on the decline globally, leaving room for US leadership to make a positive impact on several fronts.
Stopping the slaughter of journalists in Gaza
Over 100 Palestinian journalists have been killed since Israel invaded Gaza, at least 27 directly because of their work. Israel has also barred international media from entering Gaza and cut off supplies to support the beleaguered Gazan journalists covering the bloody war. As Israel’s most important strategic partner, the United States can do more to stop these killings and end Israel’s impunity, but neither candidate has addressed the need to prevent the continued targeting of journalists.
Freeing American journalists held abroad
Both candidates deserve credit for strongly committing to freeing Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter who has been jailed in Russia since March 2023 and who was indicted in June 2024. Trump has insisted he would be able to free Evan through his relationship with Vladimir Putin. Speaking at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, Biden also called for Evan’s release, as well as those of American citizens Alsu Kurmasheva and Austin Tice.
Unfortunately, neither candidate has managed to secure the release of any wrongly detained American journalist during their respective years in office. The next president must take all necessary steps to free these journalists, and to develop a credible strategy to deter rogue regimes from continuing to take journalists hostage. RSF calls for both candidates to acknowledge all journalists detained abroad and clarify what actions they would take to bring these Americans home. This also includes a coordinated effort to bring justice to the killing of Christopher Allen following a botched investigation by the government of South Sudan.
Reforming the Espionage Act post-Assange
On June 25, 2024 Julian Assange reached a plea deal with the Biden administration’s Department of Justice that resulted in the WikiLeaks publisher’s release after spending over five years in the high-security Belmarsh prison in the UK, and more than 13 years total arbitrarily deprived of his freedom. While Assange’s release is a welcome step, his prosecution under one Espionage Act charge as the first publisher to be pursued under this arcane World War I-era law remains cause for concern. Reform remains urgently needed, in particular the need for a public interest defense to ensure the Espionage Act cannot again be weaponized against journalistic activity. Neither candidate has taken a public position on this issue.
Shielding sources
The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 4250, known as the PRESS Act, in January 2024 by unanimous consent. This legislation would create a federal press shield law protecting journalists from divulging sensitive sources to law enforcement.
Some version of a press shield law exists in most states, but a federal law would help protect journalists who risk jail time, fines, or other punishment for refusing to reveal their sources in federal courts or congressional inquiries. It represents a much-needed improvement to legal protections for journalists and their sources.
RSF urges the Senate to adopt companion legislation and for both Biden and Trump to commit to signing the PRESS Act into law.
Regulating AI to protect information integrity
Generative AI is already exacerbating mis- and disinformation online. Citizens, especially journalists, must be even more vigilant about their words or likeness being misrepresented. President Biden issued an executive order establishing new standards for AI safety and security, but too little of the focus has been on information integrity.
Trump shared that he was impressed by AI and even used it to write one of his recent speeches. During his presidency, he issued his own executive order, which includes a program to set technical standards for AI development. Aside from expressing that he is troubled by deepfake technology, he has not addressed AI’s potential impact on journalists.
In order to better safeguard online spaces against the looming threat of artificial intelligence, RSF calls for the establishment of technical standards for information and image sourcing. Policymakers need to put information integrity at the core of any AI regulatory framework.
Reaffirming the importance of journalist safety
Protests have rocked the United States since Israel’s invasion of Gaza following Hamas’ October 7 attack. President Biden has stated his respect for the right to protest while condemning violence, but he has not addressed the 37 cases of assault against journalists since October 2023, recorded by the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.
Former President Trump has been quoted as threatening pro-Palestinian protestors with deportation if he is elected. His stance has not coincided with any comments about protecting reporters covering the protests. His administration oversaw the greatest recorded increase of journalist arrests in 2020 as reporters grappled with safely covering widespread Black Lives Matters protests at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Both candidates must reaffirm the importance of ensuring the safety of journalists who cover domestic protests, even amidst partisan differences, in order to protect core U.S. values. With the Democratic and Republican National Conventions set to take place this summer and campaigns shifting into high gear, the RSF calls for both candidates to make press freedom a priority and commit to real change.
Aller plus loin
