Journalists around the world fight every day for the right to report the news without fear of reprisal. Travelers United condemns today’s violent attack on the French satirical newspaper, Charlie Hebdo, in Paris.
Every day, journalists expose readers to ideas with which many disagree. We ask questions many do not want asked. Expose practices that the powers that be would rather the public not know. We express beliefs that irritate zealots of every stripe. Telling the truth is not easy. It is not painless. And, insightful reporting has consequences.
In Paris, journalists paid the ultimate price. Everyday across the country and the world, those working courageously to provide insights into the actions of governments, organizations and corporations find themselves threatened with the loss of their job, legal actions and imprisonment. Some find their friends and families threatened. And, our journalistic institutions, too often, fail to protect those who expose the truth.
We join with journalists and all others who support freedom of expression to declare that such cowardly attempts to thwart free speech and a free press will not succeed, and that this most recent attack only strengthens our commitment to the ideal that all people in every nation should be able to express themselves freely and without fear.
Around the world, many stand with us.
Charlie Leocha is the President of Travelers United. He has been working in Washington, DC, for the past 14 years with Congress, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders on travel issues. He was the first consumer representative to the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections appointed by the Secretary of Transportation from 2012 through 2018.
