NY Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal formally plea Biden administration to save journalists in Afghanistan

The heads at three of America’s biggest outlets are begging the Biden administration to guarantee safe passage to journalists fleeing the Taliban in Kabul.

It’s a situation that was first born in the heat of the moment as the situation on the ground in Afghanistan is uncertain.

According to CNN, Washington Post’s publisher Fred Ryan emailed something to White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

"Jake, Urgent request on behalf of the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post is to have our 204 journalists, support staff and families transported by US Military from the civilian side of the Kabul airport to the military side of the airport where they can be safe as they await evacuation flights," is what it said, per NBC News.

This message from someone in the International Federation of Journalists captures the urgency.

It led to the more formal message.

Here’s the statement the The Washington Post posted yesterday. It has also been shared on The New York Times.

"For the past twenty years, brave Afghan colleagues have worked tirelessly to help The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal share news and information from the region with the global public. Now, those colleagues and their families are trapped in Kabul, their lives in peril."

It was earlier today that President Biden briefly returned from his retreat at Camp David. In an address from the White House he acknowledged that the situation in Afghanistan happened faster than expected.

However, he largely laid blame on his predecessors and focused entirely on the fact that America was getting out of Afghanistan at all, rather than going into detail how the retreat from the country was being conducted.

At least seven people have died as a result of the chaos Sunday evening at Kabul airport.

The statement from the outlets continues.

"As employers, we are looking for support for our colleagues and as journalists we’re looking for an unequivocal signal that the government will stand behind the free press. In that light, we ask the American government to move urgently and take three concrete steps necessary to protect their safety."

They list specifically what they want in terms of help from the White House.

• "Facilitated and protected access to the US-controlled airport"
• "Safe passage through a protected access gate to the airport"
• "Facilitated air movement out of the country"

In the last week alone stories about the Taliban targeting journalists have hit the headlines. An anonymous female journalist wrote in the Guardian about having to flee her home after insurgents took over her town.

Here’s the situation of another reporter.

"I'm hopelessly stuck in Kabul with my wife and child. Like myself, hundreds of other journalists are also stuck here. I have an 11—months old daughter. Please pray for her safety."

Two female journalists in Kabul told CNN that members of the Taliban visited them as well.