Jason Rezaian, NF ’17, is the director of Press Freedom Initiatives at The Washington Post. He served as the paper’s Tehran bureau chief from 2012 to 2016, during which time he spent 544 days in an Iranian prison — 49 of them in solitary confinement — following his 2014 arrest on false charges of espionage. In addition to writing a newsletter and articles on press freedom and individual journalists under threat, Rezaian leads the Post's Press Freedom Partnership, a coalition of nonprofit organizations dedicated to promoting independent media worldwide.
He speaks about his new role and the need to cover press freedom as a standalone beat.
These comments have been edited for length and clarity.
This work has [been] a core part of my activities at The Washington Post for years, writing about cases of journalists in trouble around the world. When I was arrested over a decade ago, it really wasn't easy for newsrooms to make a decision about how to advocate for a journalist in trouble, even if it was one of their own. That landscape has changed dramatically, and I'm proud to say that I've been part of that shift. Those efforts laid the foundation for a more focused operation, and last year, I was asked to lead it by building on our existing initiatives.
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