Joint statement on proposed changes to US visas for foreign journalists

We, the undersigned, representing leading broadcast, print and digital media, news organizations and journalists’ organizations around the world, call on the United States Government to withdraw its recent proposal to change the I visa programme for foreign journalists.

The current I visa framework, which typically allows for stays of up to five years, has for decades ensured that international journalists can report accurately on rolling and breaking news in the United States.

By spending years, not months, on the ground, journalists gain the deep knowledge, trusted networks and contextual immersion needed to explain America to global audiences. This serves a critical U.S. interest: ensuring that America’s policies, culture, and leadership are clearly and accurately communicated to international audiences in their own languages.

The proposal to limit visas to 240 days would disrupt this proven system, create instability for correspondents and their families, and reduce the quantity and quality of coverage coming from the U.S.

That risks leaving the world less informed about American news and current affairs. Rival nations and powerful adversaries will waste no time in filling the resulting vacuum with narratives about the U.S. that serve their own interests before the truth.

We recognize the importance of national security and visa integrity, but the proposed change will not advance these priorities. The existing I visa program already provides for strict accountability, transparency and compliance by tying each visa to a specific journalist and their employer. Curtailing it will not strengthen security—it will just weaken the world’s understanding of American life, including around events like the Olympic Games and national elections.

The U.S.A. has always stood for openness, freedom of expression and a strong, independent press. Restricting foreign media access risks undermining that legacy because it emulates countries where press freedom is near extinct. That would damage, not enhance, America’s global standing.

We therefore urge the Administration to maintain the existing I visa framework, which supports the United States in projecting strength, credibility, and leadership worldwide.

We also stand ready for further dialogue with the U.S. authorities on how best to achieve these shared objectives.

Signed by:

1. 3Cat (Catalan Public Service Media)

2. Agence France Presse (AFP) Phil Chetwynd, Global News Director

3. Alianza Informative Latinoamericana Juan Carlos Isaza, Executive Director

4. Altinget Veslemoy Ostrem, Editor-in-Chief

5. Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU) Abdelrahim Suleiman, Director General

6. ARTE Heike Hempel, President

7. Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) Ahmed Nadeem, Secretary-General

8. Association of Commercial Television and VOD Services in Europe (ACT)

9. Association of European Radios (AER)

10. Association of Foreign Press Correspondents in the USA (AFPC-USA)

11. Association of Independent Regional Press Publishers of Ukraine, Oksana Brovko, CEO

12. Association of Norwegian Editors, Reidun Kjelling Nybø, Secretary General

13. Association of Public Broadcasters in Germany (ARD) Katja Wildermuth, Director General, Bayerischer Rundfunk

14. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Justin Stevens, Director of News

15. Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF) Roland Weissmann, Director General

16. Bloomberg News

17. Bell Media, Richard Gray, Vice-President, CTV News

18. British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Tim Davie, Director General

19. Bulgarian National Television (BNT) Emil Koshlukov, Director General

20. Bundesverband Digitalpublisher und Zeitungsverleger, Dr. Jörg Eggers, CEO

21. Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) Brent Jolly, President

22. Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU)

23. CBC/Radio-Canada, Brodie Fenlon, General Manager and Editor-in-Chief, CBC News; Luce Julien, General Manager, News and Current Affairs, Radio Canada

24. Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)

25. Corporación Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE) José Pablo López Sánchez, President

26. Croatian Radio and Television (HRT) Robert Šveb, Director General

27. Czech Publishers Association, Tomáš Tkačík, Chairman

28. Czech Radio, René Zavoral, Director General

29. Czech Television, Hynek Chudárek, Director General

30. Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) Bjarne Fog Corydon, Director General

31. Deutschlandradio, Hynek Chudárek, Director General

32. Die Zeit, Giovanni di Lorenzo and Jochen Wegner, Editors-in-Chief

33. DW (Deutsche Welle) Peter Limbourg, Director General

34. Eesti Rahvusringhääling (Estonian Television) Erik Roose, Chairman and CEO

35. Estonian Association of News Media Enterprises, Väino Koorberg, CEO

36. European Alliance of News Agencies (EANA)

37. European Broadcasting Union (EBU) Delphine Ernotte Cunci, President, and Noel Curran, Director General

38. European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)

39. European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) Ricardo Gutierrez, General Secretary

40. European Magazine Media Association (EMMA)

41. European News Exchange (ENEX) Adrian Wells, Managing Director

42. European Newspaper Publishers’ Association (ENPA)

43. European Publishers Council (EPC) Angela Mills Wade, Executive Director

44. Feature Story News, Simon Marks, President

45. Foreign Press Association (FPA) Ian Williams, President

46. France Médias Monde, Marie-Christine Saragosse, CEO

47. France Télévisions, Delphine Ernotte Cunci, CEO

48. Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) Tina Berdzenishvili, Director General

49. Global News, Sonia Verma, Editor-in-Chief

50. Hungarian Publishers’ Association, Tibor Kovacs, President

51. Index on Censorship, Jemimah Steinfeld, CEO

52. Inter American Press Association

53. International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Anthony Bellanger, General Secretary

54. International Press Institute (IPI), Scott Griffen, Executive Director

55. International Publishers Association (IPA)

56. ITV, Laura Wilshaw, Editor, ITV News

57. Japan Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association (NSK) Shiro Nakamura, Chair

58. Journalists for Human Rights, Rachel Pulfer, President

59. JP/Politikens Hus, Stig Kirk Ørskov, CEO

60. Korean Association of Newspapers, Chai Chung, Lim, President

61. La Presse, Francois Cardinal, VP-Deputy Publisher

62. La Radio-télévision belge de la Communauté française (RTBF) Jean Paul Philippot, Director General

63. Latvian Publishers Association, Maris Ancs, Chair of the Board

64. Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT), Monika Garbačiauskaitė-Budrienė, Director General

65. Luxembourg Association of News Media (ALMI) Paul Peckels, President

66. Media For Europe (MFE)

67. Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Dr. Felix Graf, CEO, and Simon Jakob, Senior Legal Counsel

68. News Media Canada, Paul Deegan, President and CEO

69. News Media Europe, Wout van Wijk, Editor-in-Chief

70. North American Broadcasters Association (NABA), Rebecca Hanson, Director General

71. Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK), Vibeke Furst Haugen, Director General, and Sigurd Falkenberg Mikkelsen, Editor of Foreign Affairs

72. Norwegian Union of Journalists, Dag Idar Tryggestad, President

73. NOS (Dutch Public Broadcaster for News) Renate Eringa, General Manager

74. NPO (Dutch Public Broadcaster), Lucien Brouwer, Board of Directors

75. Organización Editorial Mexicana (OEM) Martha Ramos, Chief Editorial Officer

76. Pacific Media Network (PMN) Don Mann, CEO, Pacific Media Network

77. Private Newspapers and Online News Publishers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG) David Tamakloe, President

78. Project Kontinuum, Branko Brkic, Leader

79. Public Media Alliance (PMA)

80. Public Television Company of Armenia

81. Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP) Nicolau Santos, President

82. Radio France, Sibyle Veil, President and Director General

83. Radio New Zealand (RNZ)

84. Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI) Giampaolo Rossi, CEO

85. Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Bruce D. Brown, President

86. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Thibaut Bruttin, Director General

87. Reuters

88. Ringier Hungary, Tibor Kovacs, CEO

89. Ringier Media, Dmitry Shishkin, Strategic Editorial Advisor

90. Rory Peck Trust, Jon Williams, Executive Director

91. RTCG, Boris Raonić, Director General

92. RTÉ, Kevin Bakhurst, Director General

93. RTV Slovenia, Natalija Gorščak, President of the Management Board

94. RÚV, Stefán Eiríksson, Director General

95. Sky News, Tim Singleton, Head of International News

96. SRG SSR, Susanne Wille, Director General

97. Star Media Group, Esther Ng, Chief Content Officer

98. Süddeutsche Zeitung, Wolfgang Krach, CEO

99. Suspilne Ukraine, Mykola Chernotytskyi, Head of the Managing Board

100. Sveriges Radio / Swedish Radio, Cilla Benkö, Director General

101. SVT (Swedish Television), Anne Lagercrantz, CEO

102. The Associated Press (AP), Paul Haven, VP Head of Global News Gathering

103. The Financial Times, Brooke Masters, US Managing Editor

104. The Globe and Mail, Andrew Saunders, CEO and President

105. The Guardian, Katharine Viner, Editor-in-Chief

106. The Irish Times, Deirdre Veldon, Group Managing Director

107. Tidningsutgivarna, Swedish Newspaper Publishers Association, Johan Taubert, CEO

108. TV2 Denmark – Anne Engdal Stig Christensen, CEO

109. Ukrainian Media Business Association, Oleksii Pogorelov, President

110. United Daily News, George K. Shuang, Managing Director

111. Utbildningsradion (UR), Kalle Sandhammar, CEO

112. VAUNET – German Association of Private Media

113. Verlegerverband Schweizer Medien (Swiss Publishers Association) Andrea Masüger, President

114. Vocento, Fernando Belzunce, Executive Editorial Director

115. World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) Ladina Heimgartner, President, and Vincent Peyregne, CEO

116. World Editors Forum, David Walmsley, President

117. Yleisradio Oy (YLE), Merja Ylä-Anttila, CEO

118. ZDF, Norbert Himmler, Director General