Press Club Statement On Attack Against Club Member in Texas

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Sep 16, 2024, 10:56 ET

WASHINGTON, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Following is a statement by Emily Wilkins, president of the National Press Club, on a reported incident in the Dallas-area that may have violated the First Amendment rights of reporter Rohit Sharama, a member of the National Press Club.

"According to a recent article in India Today and confirmed in conversations between Mr, Sharma and an NPC Board member, Sharma was at a hotel near the Dallas Airport awaiting the arrival of Rahul Gandhi, the opposition leader in India, who was beginning a U.S. tour. While he waited, Sharma interviewed the Chair of the India Overseas Congress (IOC), Sam Pitroda. The two had met in the past and the interview was done in a professional manner with agreed to recording.

"Several members of the IOC were listening to the interview as well as several members of Mr. Gandhi's advance staff. On the last question, members of the audience objected to the subject of the question and stopped the interview by shouting at Sharma and pushing him while taking his phone. The group, which included Gandhi's staff, deleted files from Sharma's phone and kept it from him.

"Pitroda, who had been whisked to the airport to meet Gandhi, later apologized to Sharma. He had no objection to Sharma's question and was in the process of answering when the audience erupted. Later in the week, Rahul Gandhi answered a similar question at a Press Club Newsmakers event in Washington.

"Security staff must be aware that reporters working in the U.S. are protected by the First Amendment, regardless of the nationality of the interview subject, reporter or security teams. This was an on-the-record interview with ground rules set between Mr. Sharma and Mr. Pitroda. The security team had no role related to the content or duration of the interview. They had no right or standing to take Sharma's phone from him or delete content."

Founded in 1908, the National Press Club is the world's leading professional organization for journalists. With more than 2,500 members representing nearly every major news organization, the Club is a leading voice for press freedom in the U.S. and worldwide.

Contact: Bill McCarren, 202-662-7534 for the National Press Club

SOURCE National Press Club