Who We Are
Press4Democracy is a nonpartisan coalition of veteran print, television, radio and digital journalists. We have covered the White House and city halls, foreign wars and local school boards. We have reported under deadline, under pressure, and sometimes under threat. And while many of us are no longer working journalists, our commitment to a free and independent press has never wavered.
We came together because we cannot stand silent on the sidelines. Attacks on the freedom of the press — through legal intimidation, legislative interference, political delegitimization, and outright threats to journalists' safety — are not abstract concerns to us. They are attacks on the work we dedicated our lives to, and on the constitutional freedoms that are essential for a democracy.
Press4Democracy exists to defend the First Amendment and to stand in solidarity with the journalists still doing this essential work. Our coalition of current and former journalists raises its voices when freedom of the press is threatened, when the First Amendment and journalists are under political attack, and when government, corporations and news organizations fail to stand up for press freedoms.
This is not a partisan issue. A free press helps inform citizens and hold leaders accountable. It is vital for a healthy democracy.
Veteran journalists. Defenders of press freedom.
“There is no more essential ingredient than a free, strong, and independent press to our continued success in what the Founding Fathers called our ‘noble experiment’ in self- government.”
- President Ronald Reagan, October 6, 1983
Founders
Lisa Stark
spent more than four decades as a journalist, beginning her career in local news in Oregon and California, and then coming to Washington D.C. as a correspondent for ABC News. She spent 20 years covering federal regulatory agencies for ABC. Stark also worked as a correspondent for Al Jazeera America and the PBS NewsHour. She is the winner of two Emmys, a Peabody award and a DuPont award for her work.
Ian Cameron
spent 30 years in broadcast journalism, including 20 years in senior news editorial and management roles at ABC News and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He served as executive producer for This Week with George Stephanopoulos and Washington senior producer for ABC World News Tonight and was previously senior producer for CBC’s The National. He is a DuPont Award recipient.
Our Coalition
Hundreds of veteran print, television, radio and digital journalists have joined together to stand up for freedom of the press.