{"id":9730,"date":"2019-10-10T09:00:05","date_gmt":"2019-10-10T13:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newsmediaalliance.org\/?p=9730"},"modified":"2019-10-10T09:00:05","modified_gmt":"2019-10-10T13:00:05","slug":"ask-about-austin-on-capitol-hill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsmediaalliance.org\/ask-about-austin-on-capitol-hill\/","title":{"rendered":"Volunteers Flood Capitol Hill to Help #FreeAustinTice"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Marc and Debra Tice at the opening of an exhibition of their son’s work in the Rayburn House Office Building (by Jennifer Peters)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Austin Tice<\/a> disappeared seven years ago, in August 2012, while working as a freelance photojournalist in Syria. He has been held hostage for the past seven years, the only American journalist currently being held overseas.<\/p>\n

On September 23, free-press advocates from the National Press Club Journalism Institute<\/a> and Reporters Without Borders<\/a>, along with more than 100 volunteers (including myself), canvassed Capitol Hill to ask legislators to support efforts to free the American journalist.<\/p>\n

During the day-long initiative, supporters \u2013 including Tice\u2019s parents, Marc and Debra \u2013 visited the offices of all 535 members of Congress to ask them to keep pressure on the Syrian government to obtain Tice\u2019s \u201cimmediate, safe and unconditional release.\u201d Volunteers asked each representative and senator to sign a bipartisan and bicameral letter<\/a> to President Trump, urging him to work with the State Department to free Tice. The letter, which was drafted by Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Patty Murray (D-WA), as well as Representatives Eliot L. Engel (D-NY), Michael T. McCaul (R-TX) and Al Green (D-TX), implored the president to \u201ccontinue to use the full weight of your national security team \u2014 including dispatching the Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs \u2014 to secure [Austin Tice\u2019s] release.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a result of the volunteers\u2019 efforts, 173 members signed the letter<\/a> \u2014 121 Representatives and 52 Senators.<\/p>\n