PARIS: More than 100 international media groups and industry bodies urged Washington on Thursday not to reduce the time foreign journalists can stay in the United States.
President Donald Trump’s plan would reduce the quantity and quality of coverage coming from the US and damage America’s global standing according to AFP and 117 other signatories.
Backers included international news agencies like AFP and Reuters alongside public broadcasters such as Britain’s BBC and Germany’s ARD.
National newspapers like Canada’s Globe and Mail and press freedom groups including Reporters Without Borders also supported the appeal.
The Trump administration proposed cutting journalists’ stays to a renewable 240-day period with just 90 days for Chinese media workers alongside a four-year student visa limit.
Current rules allow journalists to stay in the US for up to five years enabling them to gain deep knowledge and trusted networks according to the signatories.
This serves a critical US interest by ensuring America’s policies and leadership are accurately communicated to international audiences in their own languages.
The visa proposals form part of a wider crackdown on foreigners in the US following recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests of South Korean workers.
Slashing journalists’ stays risks leaving the world less informed about American news and current affairs according to the news organisations.
Rival nations and powerful adversaries will fill the resulting vacuum with narratives about the US that serve their own interests before the truth they added.
Trump popularised the term fake news around his 2017 inauguration while the White House recently criticised German-owned outlet Politico.
The media groups emphasised that quality journalism requires time to develop context and understanding of complex American society. – AFP