Tell Congress: we need peace and a free press
My Congressional Representative
President Trump’s anti-journalism stance may seem like a childish display of rude tweets and calling criticism “fake news.” But it’s much worse!
As recent history has shown us, we need a free press to push back against the war propaganda and government secrecy. The war in Iraq was sold to the American people through bad information, enabled by the mainstream media’s failure to challenge government claims.
Now, the Trump administration wants to deliver a fatal blow to the free press by criminalizing reporters working with inside sources and publishers releasing information deemed harmful to the government. The unprecedented U.S. indictment of Australian publisher Julian Assange, the co-founder of WikiLeaks, has drawn global condemnation from journalists, legal scholars, and human rights groups.
Why is Assange being targeted? The administration argues that Assange worked with whistleblower Chelsea Manning to obtain classified information and publish it. The information was true, it exposed civilian casualties and war crimes, and it was shared in the public interest. In other words, WikiLeaks did what any responsible media outlet should do!
Julian Assange co-founded WikiLeaks because the world needed more accurate information to counter war propaganda.
Now, Julian is languishing in a London prison during the pandemic as he fights extradition. Will you help?
The First Amendment is not a partisan issue. Democrats, Republicans, and independents are joining together to demand that the administration drop its efforts to extradite Julian Assange. Please join our effort to defend Julian Assange and civil liberties. Join with Noam Chomsky, Daniel Ellsberg, Alice Walker, Edward Snowden, Oliver Stone, Lady Gaga, and many more who are demanding justice!Sponsored by
Additional Sponsors
.png){kind=logo}
To:
My Congressional Representative
From:
[Your Name]
As your constituent, I am urging you to publicly support H. Res. 1175, which reaffirms that newsgathering is a crucial part of our free society and is protected by the First Amendment. The resolution also calls for the government to drop charges against publisher Julian Assange.
This resolution is important to our country because the use of the Espionage Act against a journalist threatens the freedom of the press. The administration’s decision to apply the Espionage Act in this case would set a dangerous precedent. It would place reporters and publishers at risk simply for doing the investigative journalism they do every day to keep the public informed.
Since the 9/11 attacks, we have seen our country engaged in endless wars. Some of these conflicts were unnecessary and justified through bad information -- and occasionally even deliberate manipulation. We need a free press to serve as a check on the government.
I ask that you stand up and support the First Amendment and call on the administration to drop the charges against Assange. Please keep our free press free!