letter to sec. kerry
Post on 26-Jan-2016
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The letter below calling for the release of Jason Rezaian was sent January 8, 2016.
Dear Secretary Kerry:
Journalism is not a crime. Yet Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian has been imprisoned by Iran since July 2014 for doing his job. Iran has never offered any evidence that even makes a pretense of justifying this imprisonment. We know you agree that Iran should release Jason and on behalf of our organizations and journalists around the world, we are writing to urge you to maintain your efforts to forge a path to that release.
Americans are fortunate to live in a nation that respects the role of reporters and the tenets of journalism. As journalists, we understand how central an informed citizenry is to a well functioning democracy. The need for information does not stop at the water's edge. Many of our organizations employ journalists who, like Jason, operate in countries, like Iran, that do not always hold a high regard for the free flow of information. We understand the risks involved, and accept them in fulfilling our commitment to provide Americans and audiences worldwide with the information they need to make informed decisions.
At the same time, we depend on The United States and other democratic countries to stand behind the values that Jason represents. Independent journalism is recognized as a fundamental human right. Iran should recognize this, too, and free Jason. The United States has considerable leverage with Iran right now to press that point, and we urge you to continue to do so.
Sincerely,
Stephen J. AdlerPresident and Editor-in-ChiefReuters
Raney Aronson-RathExecutive ProducerFRONTLINE
Dean BaquetExecutive EditorThe New York Times
Bruce D. BrownExecutive DirectorReporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Kathleen CarrollSenior Vice President and Executive EditorThe Associated PressSteve CollDean, Graduate School of JournalismColumbia University
Stephen EngelbergEditor-in-ChiefProPublica
Jeffrey FagerExecutive Producer60 Minutes
Pamela B. FinePresidentAmerican Society of News Editors
Susan GlasserEditorPOLITICO
James GoldstonPresidentABC News
Anders GyllenhaalVice President, News and Washington EditorMcClatchy
Sara JustSenior Vice President & Executive ProducerPBS NewsHour
Andrew LackChairmanNBC News and MSNBC
Davan MaharajEditorThe Los Angeles Times
John MicklethwaitEditor-in-ChiefBloomberg L.P.
Jason MojicaEditor-in-ChiefVICE NewsMichael OreskesSenior Vice President of News and Editorial DirectorNPR
David RemnickEditorThe New Yorker
David RhodesPresidentCBS News
Robert J. RosenthalExecutive DirectorThe Center for Investigative Reporting
Ben SmithEditor-in-ChiefBuzzFeed
Marty M. SteffensNorth America ChairInternational Press Institute
Mike WilsonEditorDallas Morning News
Jeff ZuckerPresidentCNN Worldwide
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