CEO statement on International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists
Every year journalists are killed, jailed, threatened, and harassed for reporting the news and confronting corruption and powerful forces who prefer to control the information space. In the past two decades, hundreds of journalists have been murdered, imprisoned, or disappeared for trying to do their jobs. All too often, the perpetrators evade justice because governments are complicit or turn a blind eye.
USAGM is far too familiar with this reality. Eighteen of our networks’ journalists have paid the ultimate price in pursuit of their reporting, and most of the murderers have never been brought to justice. Today we remember their legacies. We also call for the end of impunity for all crimes against journalists and for perpetrators to be held accountable.
This year, USAGM has created a special series honoring our journalists lost in the line of duty through the Fallen Journalist Portrait Project. Each portrait has been created in a different artistic style with a video telling their story. You can learn more about the project here and learn more about USAGM’s journalists under threat here.
Michael Pack
Chief Executive Officer
U.S. Agency for Global Media
