Press Uncuffed is a campaign to raise money to free imprisoned journalists around the world by selling bracelets bearing their names. The last three years have been the worst on record for press freedom globally. In addition to the 221 imprisoned journalists, in 2014, 61 were killed and we've already lost 16 brave reporters in the first months of 2015. Journalism students at the Philip Merrill Col
lege of Journalism at the University of Maryland and their professor, two-time Pulitzer-prize winning Washington Post reporter Dana Priest, created the campaign, which benefits the Committee to Protect Journalists. Partnering with the Committee to Protect Journalists, Press Uncuffed aims to raise awareness of the plight of imprisoned journalists, raise money for the CPJ's emergency assistance fund and advocate for a free and robust press in every corner of the world. We want to spotlight the human cost of courageous reporting. The awareness created by this campaign will not only raise money, but also put pressure on the organizations holding journalists in prison. The brave individuals who take on these assignments do so in spite of the risk. They believe to stay silent while thousands of people suffer or die means you’re not doing your job. Often, these are people who won’t leave their countries simply because they’re under death threat. We believe the link between information and a free and equitable society is vital and sometimes not fully understood. We hope Press Uncuffed humanizes the people who are risking their lives to give us information and creates a greater appreciation for the role of a free press. With generous support from RoseComm, a strategic communications firm in New York City, Lucite International, TechPlus, Investigative Reporters and Editors, Marketwired and of course, you, we can make a difference.
