【Compiler/Observer Network Chen Yijing】
On Monday, August 16, the three major U.S. newspapers, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal, asked President Joe Biden to help their Afghan correspondents evacuate Afghanistan.
On behalf of the three newspapers, Washington Post publisher Fred Ryan sent an "urgent help" email to U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, asking the U.S. to "move them from the civilian side of Hamid Karzai International Airport to the military side so they could safely wait for evacuation flights." ”
"Right now they are in danger and need the U.S. government to take them to safety," Ryan wrote in an email, adding that 204 reporters, staff and family members of the three newspapers were trapped on the civilian side of the airport.
On the 16th, a man tried to enter the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, picture source US CNBC
Late Monday, Fred Ryan of the Washington Post, Almar Latour, publisher of the Wall Street Journal and executive director of The Dow Jones & Company, and A. Lee, chairman and publisher of The New York Times, said that they would not be able to do so. A. G. Sulzberger co-signed a joint statement urging the United States to help the Afghan newspaper staff leave the country safely.
The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal issued a joint statement to President Joe Biden
"For the past two decades, brave Afghan colleagues have worked tirelessly to help The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal share news and information about the region with the global public," the statement reads. Now, these colleagues and their families are trapped in Kabul, where their lives are in danger. ”
"As employers, we are seeking support for our colleagues; as journalists, we are looking for a clear signal that the government will support a free press," the statement said. With that in mind, we call on the United States Government to act urgently and to take the three concrete steps necessary to protect their security. ”
"What we seek is: easy and protected access to U.S.-controlled airports; safe access to airports through protected access gates; and facilitation of air transport out of the country," the statement said.
This is the second request to the president after the three major newspapers pleaded with the White House to transfer more than 200 journalists and associated staff members who were "in danger" at Kabul airport.
In addition, deutsche Welle and other media outlets have urged Chancellor Angela Merkel to issue "emergency" visas for Afghan journalists to allow their employees to immigrate to Germany.
German media urged the issuance of "emergency" visas for Afghan journalists
As the Taliban took over Kabul on Sunday in a swift seizure of power, female journalists and activists working to amplify the voices of Afghan women expressed concerns through European media.
European news websites reported on the 16th that these female reporters and activists claimed that now worried about their own lives, many female reporters were told not to be outside, because they were not with men, nor wearing burqas, so they had to go home and hide.
But as the Afghan Taliban take over power in Afghanistan, there have been no further reports of violations of women's rights on the ground. Instead, Atta has repeatedly spoken on the issue of women's rights and interests that the outside world is concerned about, emphasizing the policy of respecting women's rights.
"I cry with my heart": Female journalists worry about the future under Taliban rule
This article is an exclusive manuscript of the Observer Network and may not be reproduced without authorization.