Evan Gershkovich’s Captivity To Be Focus Of Clinton Global Initiative Session On Threats To Press Freedom
12.09.2023 - 13:17
/ deadline.com
The Clinton Global Initiative next week will feature a session on protecting freedom of the press, with a focus on Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been held in Russia for more than 160 days
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will deliver remarks at the Sept. 19 session, called Journalism on the Front Lines, with Jeanne Bourgault, president and CEO of Internews, announcing a commitment to support journalists.
As part of the session, Fox News anchor Dana Perino will moderate a panel featuring Jodie Ginsburg, president of the Committee to Protect Journalists; Almar Latour, the CEO of Dow Jones and publisher of The Wall Street Journal; and Jason Rezaian, global opinions writer and former Tehran bureau chief for The Washington Post.
Gershkovich’s captivity has drawn condemnation from the State Department and journalism and human rights organizations around the world. The panel also will focus on the mounting threats to freedom of the press “from censorship in the United States and removing girls from schools in Afghanistan, to the murder of protesters in Iran and half of all journalist deaths occurring across Latin America, often for covering issues such as deforestation or polluters,” per CGI.
Former President Bill Clinton trekked to North Korea in 2009 to negotiate the release of Euna Lee and Laura Ling, held in captivity in North Korea for 140 days. During her tenure as secretary of state, Hillary Clinton also advocated for the release of journalists being held abroad.
The Clinton Foundation was among 13 presidential centers who put out a joint statement expressing concern about the future of democracy in the United States.
The Clinton Global Initiative returned in 2022 after a six-year