John Weis, Director of Development, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), has issued the following letter to its supporters:
Dear CPJ Supporter:
I'm writing to you as CPJ's director of development to say thank you-whether you're a new supporter or have been supporting CPJ since its founding-and to follow up on the impassioned plea for press freedom that Meryl Streep delivered at the Golden Globes.
When a small group of US journalists formed CPJ 35 years ago it was to defend the rights of their colleagues abroad. And we continue to do so. In fact, the past few years have been among the most dangerous for journalists in our organisation's history, with record numbers killed or imprisoned around the world. Yet we are also focused on defending journalists in the US, where press freedom and free expression are more important than ever, particularly following the polarising campaign that led to the election of Donald Trump.
Just yesterday, CPJ staff were quoted in media outlets including The Washington Post and The Hollywood Reporter on the impact of Streep's Golden Globes speech, and our executive director Joel Simon was featured in an interview on CNN, which you can watch here. We are covering the presidential transition in the US with a series of blog posts on issues including libel laws and civil suits targeting news outlets, transparency, and access to information. As Streep said on Sunday, "We need the principled press to hold power to account." And we are here to make sure that can happen.
Since Streep's onstage plea, we have received a record-breaking number of donations and seen a huge spike in our subscribers and social media followers. This means our voice can be louder and more powerful than before. More than 2,000 individuals have donated nearly $250,000, an amount we hope to double by Inauguration Day as we prepare to confront press freedom challenges in the US. This support-and your support-has been overwhelming.
Be sure you're signed up to read more about our work and how to get involved in our advocacy campaigns, and please consider making a gift to help us reach $500,000 by January 20. With your help, we will continue working to uphold press freedom in the United States and around the world.
If you have any questions or want more information about our work, please reach out to us on Facebook or Twitter, or email our development associate, Peldun Tenzing, at ptenzing[at]cpj[dot]org. Thank you, old and new supporters, for standing with us.
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