Does the name Jason Rezaian mean anything to you? Jason is an American-born Washington Post reporter who was taken into custody by Iranian authorities more than eight months ago. Today he sits in prison in Tehran and the Iranian government has yet to name a single charge against him. Jason is one of 221 journalists being held by governments around the world that are threatened by people seeking to report the truth.
I am excited to share with you a campaign that RoseComm is helping launch today. Press Uncuffed was started by University of Maryland (my alma mater) journalism students to raise money to free wrongfully imprisoned journalists by selling bracelets bearing their names. This morning we kicked off an Indiegogo crowdfunding effort to enable the students to manufacture and package the bracelets prior to making them available for sale on World Press Freedom Day, which is May 3, 2015.
The students and their professor, Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post reporter Dana Priest, created Press Uncuffed to support the Committee to Protect Journalists, an independent, nonprofit organization that advocates for journalists in danger. The last three years have been the worst on record for the safety of journalists covering news in many parts of the world. The goal of Press Uncuffed is to put pressure on the governments holding journalists in prison and raise awareness of the critical link between information and a free and prosperous society.
What can you do to support Press Uncuffed?
- Please consider supporting the Indiegogo campaign. Check out the incredible perks – behind-the-scenes media experiences, Homeland memorabilia, free subscriptions and, of course, bracelets
- Follow Press Uncuffed on social media
- Engage in the social conversation using #pressuncuffed
The Press Uncuffed campaign aspires to humanize the plight of journalists – like Jason Rezaian – who are risking everything, and paying the price, to share critical information with the world. We hope you’ll join us in this important movement.