President Obama signed the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act on Monday morning, May 17, joined by six family members of the Wall Street Journal reporter who was killed in 2002 by Islamic extremists.
The president said that he was instructing the State Department to follow and report “with vigor” on violations of press freedom anywhere in the world, as provided in the act.
Obama said that he particularly wanted to thank the Pearl family, “who have been so outspoken and so courageous in sending a clear message that, despite Daniel’s death, his vision of a well-informed citizenry that is able to make choices and hold governments accountable, that that legacy lives on.”
Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and decapitated by terrorists in Pakistan while investigating a story on the al-Qaeda financial network.
The most excited person at the 15-minute ceremony in the White House Oval Office was 7-year-old Adam Pearl, who received a presidentially imprinted yo-yo, M&M packet and coin.
Adam was born three months after his father’s murder. He will mark his eighth birthday on May 28 and was sharply dressed in a blue blazer, gray slacks, red tie and white shirt.
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Other members of the family present were Daniel Pearl’s widow, Mariane, who now lives in Paris with her son; Daniel’s father, Judea — a Jewish Journal columnist — and mother, Ruth, both of Encino; and sisters Michelle and Tamara.
The new law mandates the State Department to identify countries in which there are violations of press freedom; determine whether the government authorities of those countries participate in, facilitate or condone the violations; and report the actions such governments have taken to preserve the safety and independence of the media, and ensure the prosecution of individuals who attack or murder journalists.
“This is a very significant and emotional event for us,” said Judea Pearl, a UCLA professor emeritus in computer science. “President Obama’s signature assures us that violators of press freedom throughout the world now know that they will be closely watched. That is something our son Danny fought for all his life.”
The trip to the White House had its beginning 14 months ago, when Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Pasadena) phoned to consult with the Pearls on introducing a Freedom of the Press bill in the House of Representatives, honoring their son’s legacy.
The bill passed in the House last October and unanimously in the Senate last month, sponsored by Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.). Both Dodd and Schiff attended the White House ceremony.
It was only four days before the ceremony that the Pearls were notified of the event by the White House. Ruth Pearl quickly rounded up the rest of the family, she recalled Tuesday.
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