by GottaLaff
Daniel Pearl went to my high school. We didn’t know each other, and that we have that in common is not really relevant. However, it does bring the horrors of what happened closer to home somehow. It makes it even more real and appalling than ever, as if that were even possible.
Now President Obama has signed legislation named for Pearl (the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act) that expands the government’s role in monitoring freedom of the press worldwide:
Among other things, the State Department will now be required to “identify countries in which there were violations of press freedom; determine whether the government authorities of those countries participate in … or condone the violations; and report the actions such governments have taken to preserve the safety and independence of the media,” according to a statement from Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Connecticut, one of the bill’s primary sponsors.
President Obama said that the law “puts us clearly on the side of journalistic freedom.”
Pearl’s death “reminded us of how valuable a free press is, and reminded us there are those who would go to any length to silence journalists around the world,” Obama said. There are “enormously courageous journalists and bloggers … (on) the front lines against tyranny and oppression.”
A nod to bloggers? Much appreciated. Now let’s hope that the legislation makes a difference. Daniel Pearl sure did.
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