COLLEGE PARK, MD (April 30, 2015) – Press Uncuffed, a campaign to raise awareness of and help free imprisoned journalists by selling bracelets bearing their names, today announced bracelets are now available via PressUncuffed.org.
Created by students at the University of Maryland and their professor, Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post reporter Dana Priest, Press Uncuffed launched a successful month-long Indiegogo campaign that ended on April 24, 2015 to raise funds to produce the bracelets. With the support of 292 donors, the campaign secured $31,495 to cover manufacturing and packaging costs for approximately 10,000 bracelets.
Proceeds from the effort will benefit the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). CPJ is an independent, nonprofit organization that provides emergency assistance to journalists facing threats around the world and advocates for journalists imprisoned and attacked in reprisal for their work.
The Press Uncuffed bracelets are available for $10 each on the Investigative Reporters and Editors online store. The bracelets, which are made in Memphis, Tennessee with LuciteLux® clear acrylic – a reminder of the importance of transparency of information – are taking center stage at three events:
“We hope Press Uncuffed helps create a groundswell of support on behalf of these journalists and humanizes those people behind the headline who are risking their lives to give us information, creating a greater appreciation for the role of a free press," said Courtney Radsch, advocacy director, Committee to Protect Journalists.
The Press Uncuffed bracelets honor nine journalists:
“The last three years have been the worst on record for the safety of journalists covering news in many parts of the world,” said Dana Priest, the John S. and James L. Knight Chair in Public Affairs Journalism at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism. “By purchasing and wearing a Press Uncuffed bracelet, people can show their support for a free press while raising funds that will put pressure on the governments holding journalists in prison without cause.”
Last fall, Priest assigned each of her students an imprisoned journalist to profile for the semester. The students then wanted to do more to help release them. The campaign was born out of this experience.
Press Uncuffed is a campaign to raise money to free imprisoned journalists around the world by selling bracelets bearing their names. Journalism students at the University of Maryland and their professor, Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post reporter Dana Priest, created the campaign, which benefits the Committee to Protect Journalists’ emergency assistance campaign. Additional information about Press Uncuffed is available at PressUncuffed.org.
CPJ promotes press freedom worldwide and defends the rights of journalists to report the news without fear of reprisal. CPJ ensures the free flow of news and commentary by taking action wherever journalists are attacked, imprisoned, killed, kidnapped, threatened, censored or harassed.
The Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland is one of the world’s leading journalism schools. Our curriculum emphasizes a hands-on approach to learning with professional equipment that leads to the jobs of today and those waiting in the future. We have a world-class award-winning faculty with years of experience and intimate class sizes. The Merrill College is just a few short miles from Washington, D.C. and Baltimore - locations that provide unparalleled internships and broad learning opportunities.
Media Contact: Carolyn Lasky
clasky@rosecomm.com