Report: U.S. Senate Resolution Affirming Press Importance

RADIO ONLINE | Friday, August 17, 2018

U.S. Senate

The U.S. Senate on Thursday passed a resolution by unanimous consent affirming that the media "is not the enemy of the people," rebuffing statements made by President Trump. The move comes amid an initiative led by the Boston Globe editorial board in which more than 350 news organizations published editorials promoting the freedom of the press. The newspaper reported that these editorials were published in response to Mr. Trump's repeated verbal attacks on journalists, in which he has called mainstream press organizations "fake news" and "the enemy of the American people."

The resolution was introduced by Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI), Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). Largely symbolic, the Boston Globe reports it was passed by the Republican-controlled Senate in a rebuke to the president. The resolution passed by a unanimous voice vote around noon, according to a representative in Schatz's Washington office. No senators objected to the measure.

Schatz said in a statement the resolution was "an opportunity for us to uphold our oath and make clear that we support liberty and free speech." "Every member of Congress has sworn to uphold the Constitution, including the right to the free press," he said.

Schumer also said in a statement that Congress "has a duty protect the press's first amendment right."

Blumenthal said the measure reaffirms "the essential role played by a free press in our democracy."