WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) joined Senators Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Roy Blunt (R-MO) in calling on U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the U.S. delegation to the United Nations (UN) to push for the creation of a new Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for the Safety of Journalists.

“Every day, around the world, courageous journalists regularly put themselves in harm’s way in pursuit of truth and accountability. They accept risks to their lives in service to the public. They are a check on the powerful and those that abuse their authority,” the senators wrote to Seccretary Blinken. “Protecting the freedom and safety of the press to carry on its vital work is a fundamental American value and worthy of promotion on the international stage.”

According to Reporters Without Borders, at least 910 journalists have been killed over the last decade, with 488 reporters arbitrarily detained at the end of 2021.