International News

NEW YORK, Oct 14 (APP): The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a New York-based independent watchdog body,has said Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is a threat to press freedom. The unprecedented move came after Trump strongly attacked the media for ‘framing’ him over sexual assault claims. The CPJ issued a statement on Thursday, saying that Trump had “consistently betrayed First Amendment values.” That amendment to the US Constitution guarantees freedoms concerning religion, expression, assembly, and the right to petition. “A Trump presidency would represent a threat to press freedom in the United States, but the consequences for the rights of journalists around the world could be far more serious,” CPJ Board Chairman Sandra Mims Rowe said in the statement. “Any failure of the United States to uphold its own standards emboldens dictators and despots to restrict the media in their own country.” The group said it was not picking sides in the election but rather, “recognizing that a Trump presidency represents a threat to press freedom unknown in modern history.”