Name: Maryland congressional delegation seeks Presidential Medal of Freedom for Capital Gazette shooting victims
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Maryland congressional delegation seeks Presidential Medal of Freedom for Capital Gazette shooting victims

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AdvertisementBy Capital GazetteJan 29, 2021 at 8:48 pmAll but one member of the Maryland congressional delegation have requesting President Joe Biden posthumously award the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor, to the five people killed in the Capital Gazette shooting.On June 28, 2018, , , , and were . The and is awaiting a trial to determine if he is criminally responsible for his actions.Advertisement“Though their memories have been honored in numerous ways since the attack, including through the forthcoming National Memorial to Fallen Journalists, we concur with their families and former colleagues that they deserve our Nation’s highest civilian honor,” the congressional delegation wrote in the letter.Winters, McNamara, Fischman, Smith and Hiaasen “embodied and protected the First Amendment,” and deserve the award, the delegation members wrote.AdvertisementThey are heroes who gave their lives to protect independent and investigative journalism for the community, Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., said.It is “highly appropriate” that they be considered for the award, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said in a statement.“Each of these individuals ought to be honored for their bravery on that fateful day, and I urge President Biden to honor them with the Medal of Freedom,” Hoyer said. “My thoughts continue to be with their families as we grieve their loss, but also as we celebrate the remarkable lives they led.”Since 2018, animosity toward members of the press has increased, the members wrote, citing the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol where rioters destroyed media equipment and, in one case, .“This trend is incredibly corrosive to our democracy,” the delegation members wrote.Awarding the medal to those lost in the Capital Gazette shooting would be a sign from the president that he will defend the free press, a shift from the previous administration that labeled the press “the enemy of the people.”It is important to honor those who lost their lives while pursuing the truth, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md, said. The Capital was attacked because its members were reporting the news.If Biden awards the medal to five Capital Gazette members, it would show a commitment to press freedom, Van Hollen said.Advertisement“And I think that’s an urgent message at this point in time,” Van Hollen said. “After all, we just had a previous president who referred to the press as ‘the enemy of the people.’ And talked constantly about fake news. So I think it’s important that the United States stand up for freedom in the press.”A free press is an essential part of the system of checks and balances that is employed in the United States, Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Md., said in a statement.“Their contributions to the security of their country and fellow citizens weren’t just ‘meritorious,’ as required, but heroic,” Ruppersberger said.Winters, McNamara, Fischman, Smith and Hiaasen were killed for doing what they loved, Rep. Anthony Brown, D-Md., said in a statement.“These men and women were targeted for doing their job — reporting on the community they cherished, constantly seeking the truth and holding people in power accountable,” Brown said in the statement. “They were never ‘the enemy of the people,’ just everyday heroes working to make this country better. The lives they led, the examples they set and the memories and legacies they leave behind have earned them this honor.”The letter comes after a Jan. 24 in The Capital requesting Biden award the medal 2 ½ years after the shooting. It is the . Former President Donald Trump did not respond to the previous request.AdvertisementWinters died after charging the shooter, armed with her trash and recycling bins, which allowed some of her colleagues to escape.Winters, a features editor and writer, wrote three columns for Capital Gazette papers, which are owned by Baltimore Sun Media and Tribune Publishing. She was known for her prolific writing and community involvement — an active member of her church, a Girl Scout troop leader and organizer of an annual Red Cross blood drive.Hiaasen was an assistant editor known to be a in the office. He had a Sunday column and was known for finding and writing quirky stories.DailyGet the day's top news, sports, opinion, features and local events. &gt; Fischman was the veteran editorial page editor who wrote before becoming a victim to one. His editorials won multiple awards.McNamara was a longtime sports reporter who was also working as an editor/reporter for Bowie Blade-News. He was known for his encyclopedic knowledge of sports, passion for the University of Maryland and willingness to help younger reporters.Smith was a sales advertising assistant who was the first in her family to attend and graduate from college. She was engaged to be married at the time of her death.AdvertisementIt would be a fitting tribute to their “eternal memory and to our entire Annapolis community,” if Biden awards them with the medal, Rep. John Sarbanes said in a statement.The only member to not sign the letter, sent Thursday, was Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md. He did not sign a previous letter to Trump asking for the medal to be awarded to Winters. . Harris’ office did not return a request for comment Thursday.It is unclear how Biden will handle the Medal of Freedom, but Cardin said he thinks there is interest in showing how much the country values the press. By awarding the medal to the five Capital employees, it would show the country and the world that an attack on the press is not acceptable.“It says that we cherish the independent press, that we cherish our constitutional democracy and the checks and balances in our system,” Cardin said. “And we will go to whatever length necessary to make the clear that the press is the guardian of our democracy, and that when there is an attack on our press, it’s an attack on our democracy.” Advertisement

AdvertisementBy Capital GazetteJan 29, 2021 at 8:48 pmAll but one member of the Maryland congressional delegation have requesting President Joe Biden posthumously award the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor, to the five people killed in the Capital Gazette shooting.On June 28, 2018, , , , and were . The and is awaiting a trial to determine if he is criminally responsible for his actions.Advertisement“Though their memories have been honored in numerous ways since the attack, including through the forthcoming National Memorial to Fallen Journalists, we concur with...

Maryland congressional delegation seeks Presidential Medal of Freedom for Capital Gazette shooting victims

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