Trump administration seeks to assess and limit journalist visas

Nov 04, 2020 at 05:14 pm by Staff


Proposed rules to limit foreign journalist visas violate press freedom, America's News Media Alliance says.

The Alliance has joined the Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the Press and 36 other media organisations in urging the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to scrap a proposal introduced in September that would restrict visas for foreign journalists working in the US.

'I visas', which are given to foreign journalists, will be limited to eight months, with an opportunity to extend for another eight months. "Not only is the limit troubling, but the proposal would require that DHS review 'the content that the foreign information media representative is covering in the US' to determine the eligibility for this extension," says NMA senior vice president of public policy Paul Boyle.

Under the existing policy, which has been in place for nearly 40 years, individuals who are representatives of "foreign information media outlets" are allowed to remain in the US for the entire period in which they are engaged in journalist activity for a news organisation.

"The United States should be a beacon for free speech and a free press, and these restrictions further damage our country's reputation as a free and open democracy," says Boyle.

Sections: Newsmedia industry

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