John Kerry marks World Press Freedom Day

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry marked Friday World Press Freedom Day, saying "people everywhere count on a free press to keep us informed, hold leaders accountable, filter fact from fiction, and unmask false narratives masquerading as truth." "May 3 we commemorate World Press Freedom Day at a time when for too many, a free press is under assault, and the journalists, bloggers, photographers, essayists, satirists, and essayists who give life to the words "free press" are in danger," Kerry said in a statement. He stressed that abuses against journalists "are happening in too many places: journalists are intimidated into self-censorship or arrested without cause. They're imprisoned without judicial recourse or killed with outright impunity." "I am in awe of the courage of those who risk their lives to tell the stories the world needs to hear," he remarked. The U.S. top diplomat noted "so today we pay tribute to all our truth tellers in a noble cause: The people who put their lives and liberties on the line to tell the stories the world would otherwise never know." Kerry reaffirmed "our commitment not only to stand by them, but to stand up for them this day and every day the world over