Public Diplomacy and Press Freedom

[Commentary] Among the principal assets of US public diplomacy are American values. They are admired around the world, even by many people who dislike American policy. No other political system offers such extensive individual and systemic freedoms as those enumerated in the Bill of Rights. Showcasing and standing up for those freedoms should be at the heart of US public diplomacy.

To narrow this a bit, consider freedom of the press. From time to time, it faces challenges within the United States, but it remains a fundamental element of American law and national character. As an instrument of soft power -- which relies on attraction rather than coercion -- it is an invaluable attribute. US public diplomacy should proceed on several levels. First, President Barack Obama should set the tone with a major speech about press freedom. It should be translated and disseminated widely. Second, the United States should make clear that it is standing by its values. It should pressure the Egyptian government by threatening to withhold aid until press freedom -- which enjoyed a brief surge of growth after the uprisings of 2011 -- begins to be rebuilt. Third, the State Department should shine a spotlight on its existing programs in support of international journalists and should expand those efforts. Along with the work of numerous private organizations, the US government already offers foreign journalists a wide array of training programs and opportunities to visit the United States. These should be made more visible to diverse publics, not just the international journalism community. The breadth and virulence of current efforts to silence journalists is striking. Those in countries where independent reporting of news has been blocked might well ask, "Where is the United States?" The official US response is usually little more than offering perfunctory remarks about the value of a free press and finger-wagging at the governments jailing or otherwise obstructing journalists. This is not enough.

[Seib is a professor at the University of Southern California]