May Washington Memo
Hypocrisy galore on World Press Freedom Day!
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Early May marks World Press Freedom Day. With the Biden Administration attempting to make the promotion of press freedom a central part of their “rules based international order,” they were particularly vocal about marking the occasion. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken even appeared at the Washington Post headquarters for a special press freedom event.
While the promotion of press freedom is noble, if the Biden Administration is interested in press freedom they would start by ending their own attacks on it. Russia’s imprisonment of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on bogus espionage charges has rightfully been condemned. But the US, in complete defiance of the international human rights community, continues to seek to put journalist Julian Assange on trial. Although the US government has accused Assange of publishing truthful information, not spying, Assange is indicted under the Espionage Act.