In a joint statement sent to the US President Joe Biden, news outlets The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal have called on the administration to do more to guarantee safe passage out of Afghanistan for journalists and media workers who have supported their news operations.
The desperate request comes a month after the brutal killing of Pulitzer prize winning Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui by the Taliban who have now taken control of the country.
The joint statement addressed to Biden said that for the past 20 years, "brave Afghan colleagues have worked tirelessly" to help the US news outlets share news and information from the region with the global public.
"Now, those colleagues and their families are trapped in Kabul, their lives in peril. As employers, we are looking for support for our colleagues and as journalists we’re looking for an unequivocal signal that the government will stand behind the free press. In that light, we ask the American government to move urgently and take three concrete steps necessary to protect their safety," the statement mentioned.
The publishers sought for its workers and their families a facilitated and protected access to the US-controlled airport; a safe passage through a protected access gate to the airport and facilitated air movement out of the country.
Meanwhile, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) – deeply concerned for the safety of hundreds of local journalists and media workers who could be targeted by the emerging Taliban regime – has said that the US "must do more" to ensure the safety of Afghan journalists, including facilitating safe passage out of the country and providing emergency visas, as the county fell under the control of the Taliban.
"The United States has a special responsibility to Afghan journalists who created a thriving and vibrant information space and covered events in their country for international media. The Biden administration can and should do all within its power to protect press freedom and stand up for the rights of the vulnerable Afghan reporters, photographers, and media workers," said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon.
CPJ has registered and vetted the cases of nearly 300 journalists who are attempting to reach safety, and there are hundreds more whose cases are under review. Because of the deteriorating security situation at the airport, only a handful have been able to board a flight to the US or a third country where their visa requests can begin being processed. The vast majority of threatened journalists remain in hiding.
"The international community’s understanding of what is happening in Afghanistan will depend on the survival of what was once a thriving independent press, even if much of the reporting takes place from exile. The local knowledge of Afghan journalists cannot be replaced," said Simon.
Till Monday, CPJ had registered and vetted 45 high priority cases of Afghan journalists in which the threat from the Taliban is clear and imminent. Many are female journalists whose record of reporting on women’s rights has exacerbated the risk. CPJ has also registered and vetted 127 other cases of Afghan media members who face significant risk, along with 119 journalists affiliated with US news organisations.
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