Joe Biden speaks during his meeting with members of the White House Covid-19 Response Team on the latest developments related to the Omicron variant in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., December 9, 2021. (Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images)
Joe Biden has vowed to fund and support free press worldwide.
Biden, alongside Secretary of State Antony Blinken, hosted the first virtual “Summit for Democracy” on Thursday and spoke with more than 100 leaders worldwide in efforts to support independent media. Despite reports revealing the current administration was found lobbying mainstream media outlets, Biden insisted the First Amendment is “the bedrock of democracy.”
This comes after White House officials reportedly said they were unhappy in regards to the media’s coverage of the country’s supply chain crisis.
Tune in as I deliver opening remarks at the virtual Summit for Democracy. https://t.co/rfh9mHQ07s
— President Biden (@POTUS) December 9, 2021
“We’re committing critical seed money to launch a new multilateral effort or international fund for public interest media to sustain independent media around the world and through USAID,” said Biden. “We’re going to be setting up a new defamation defense fund for journalists to help protect investigative journalists against nuisance lawsuits designed to prevent them from doing their work…vital work around the world.”
In the meantime, the White House has insisted the summit wasn’t a “stamp of approval,” despite leaders from China, Russia, Turkey and Hungary not being invited.
Source: One America News Network
