NYT, WSJ, WaPo Publishers Urge Biden To Protect Afghan Colleagues In Kabul: ‘Stand Behind The Free Press’

The publishers of the The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Monday urging safety for their colleagues and journalists operating in Afghanistan. 

The letter reads: 

Dear President Biden:

For the past twenty years, brave Afghan colleagues have worked tirelessly to help The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal share news and information from the region with the global public. Now, those colleagues and their families are trapped in Kabul, their lives in peril.

As employers, we are looking for support for our colleagues and as journalists we’re looking for an unequivocal signal that the government will stand behind the free press. In that light, we ask the American government to move urgently and take three concrete steps necessary to protect their safety.

What We Seek

• Facilitated and protected access to the US-controlled airport
• Safe passage through a protected access gate to the airport
• Facilitated air movement out of the country

Sincerely,

Frederick J. Ryan, Jr., Publisher and CEO, The Washington Post

Almar Latour, CEO, Dow Jones & and Co. and Publisher, The Wall Street Journal

A.G. Sulzberger, Chairman and Publisher, The New York Times

As The Daily Wire previously reported, Biden has been heavily criticized for not being adequately engaged with the situation in Afghanistan.

“Biden ordered a complete pullout of the U.S. from Afghanistan in April. In the past week, the Taliban has conquered multiple major cities across the country and entered the nation’s capital of Kabul. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled on Sunday morning, all but sealing the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan,” The Daily Wire reported. 

“While the Taliban have blitzed across Afghanistan in the wake of U.S. military forces pulling out, Biden has been absent from Washington. The president left the capital on Thursday for Camp David, the presidential retreat, and has been there since. Biden, notably, did not take questions from reporters about Afghanistan before he left,” it noted.

“Why is Joe Biden in hiding? He should immediately address the nation and answer for the catastrophic situation in Afghanistan. Conference calls between cabinet secretaries and senators don’t cut it in a crisis,” Sen Tom Cotton (R-AR) said.

“America’s in crisis. Afghanistan’s in chaos. Why’s Joe Biden on vacation?” Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) posted.

Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) added: “On the conference call briefing for members of Congress with Biden officials. It’s clear the Biden administration was caught unprepared, didn’t anticipate this catastrophe and the President is hiding & asleep at the wheel.”

As The Daily Wire reported, Biden quickly departed a press conference he gave at the White House on Monday afternoon regarding the worsening situation in Afghanistan.

“During his remarks, Biden sought to cast blame on others for the situation that unfolded on his watch and then, after finishing his short speech, he turned his back and bolted from the room as reporters shouted questions,” The Daily Wire reported. 

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