President Obama signed the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act into law yesterday. Named in honor of Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter brutally murdered in Pakistan by radical jihadists four months after nine-eleven, the legislation expands the federal government’s role in monitoring freedom of the press worldwide.
Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), one of the bill’s primary sponsors, explained in a written statement that the State Department “will now be required to identify countries in which there were violations of press freedom; determine whether the government authorities of those countries participate in or condone the violations; and report the actions such governments have taken to preserve the safety and independence of the media and ensure the prosecution of individuals who attack or murder journalists.” Until now, global freedom of the press hasn’t been an Obama priority.
Members of Daniel Pearl’s family attended the ceremony in the Oval Office. The president’s signing statement was elegant, even inspirational. Yet conspicuously omitted was any mention of the central fact that Pearl’s murderers were radical Islamic terrorists. This isn’t surprising in light of Obama’s promised “new beginning” in the relationship between the United States and the Muslim world. But an administration that refuses to name the enemy has little hope of preventing these types of murders in the future.
Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA), who co-authored the House bill, explained that the new law would not have prevented Pearl’s death. “But what it will do is it will tell countries that allow these murders to take place and don’t go after the killers that we are watching very carefully what they do and it will have an impact on our relationship.”
The ceremony was not without irony; not only did Obama decline to take any questions from reporters, but immediately after signing the press freedom act, he had the press escorted out the door.
According to The Committee to Protect Journalists, 811 journalists have been killed since 1992, the year the organization began keeping records. Of those casualties, 142 were in Iraq. So far, in 2010, three have been three killed in Pakistan and one in Iraq.
Amy H Laff
Amy H Laff is a StateBrief.com partner. A graduate of Univ of Penn and Stanford Law School, Amy practiced law and mediation on the east coast before relocating to the Valley, where she founded and chairs the AZ chapter of the Republican Jewish Coalition. Amy makes frequent media appearances, including AZ Law Channel and Tony Katz Radio Spectacular. Additionally, she works with companies and candidates on branding and communication. 
Well done! Especially important, as you rightly point out, is that Obama refused to even hint at the Islamic ideology that motivated Daniel Pearl’s murderers. At the same time, it was Daniel Pearl, himself, who refused to recognize that the ideology of Islam is violent and anti-Semitic. His politically correct naivete about Islam is what got him murdered.
I am so glad you reported on this because as I read the WSJ article this morning and saw the attached photo, my thoughts went out to Daniel Pearl’s father. It was he who wrote a moving but candid editorial in the WSJ several months ago in which he criticized this administration for not recognizing the threat of radical Islam. Obviously, he knows the truth about the so-called Obama outreach to Muslim nations so this ceremony must have been especially–for him–a limited victory. As the president’s actions showed, this “proclamation” was limited,too; most likely only to appease his liberal media advocates.