Please sign on to the following letter urging the House of Representatives to allow TV cameras on the floor of the House of Representatives to operate under the independent control of journalists, not the political control exercised by the leadership. Sign on by COB Tuesday, January 17th. Send questions to Daniel and Seth, whose email addresses are at the bottom of the letter.
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January XXX, 2023
Dear Speaker McCarthy and Democratic Leader Jeffries:
We urge you to allow C-SPAN to broadcast House floor proceedings using cameras under their independent control, just as they did during the debate concerning the recent election of the Speaker of the House of Representatives. We make this request on behalf of the American people in a letter endorsed by press freedom organizations, government accountability and civil liberties organizations, and media outlets.
Americans of all political stripes have enjoyed and benefited from the vastly improved coverage of events on the House floor in recent days. Up-close views of impassioned discussions among representatives from across our country have bolstered our civic life by making our government more transparent. They have enabled the public to better engage with and understand the debates that animate the House of Representatives and enabled the press to better report on the conduct of our elected officials.
The footage humanizes those in power. It fosters greater understanding of their motives and of the interplay that is the give-and-take of democracy. It affords journalists and the public a more complete and accurate picture of what goes on in Congress. It makes it easier for the members striving to be understood by the public to make their case. Even lawmakers agree.
There is a long history of public access to the floor of the House of Representatives. Members of the public have long been able to review the proceedings in person without impediment. So too is there a long history of press access to the House of Representatives. Members of the press have long had close access to Members of the House and have always used technology to tell that story.
In our internet era, video coverage of the House of Representatives should be as good as attending in person. Not everyone can travel to Washington to observe their elected officials at work. There is no reason for those Americans, from voters to journalists to school children, to be subject to an inferior perspective where so much more is possible.
The logistics of how this would work have been outlined by C-SPAN in letters over the decades, including in to Speaker Gingrich in 1995 and to Speaker Pelosi in 2007. Political control over the cameras must end. Let the free press be free.
Speaker McCarthy recently declared “this chamber is now fully open for all Americans.” It’s time to make that a reality.
We welcome the opportunity to discuss this with you further. Please contact Daniel Schuman, policy director, Demand Progress Education Fund, at daniel@demandprogress.org and Seth Stern, advocacy director, Freedom of the Press Foundation, at seth@freedom.press.
Sincerely yours,
National Security Counselors?
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