Marking one year after the inauguration of Donald Trump as president of the United States, the International Press Institute (IPI) will join a Jan. 15 to 17 international mission to the United States to assess changes in the media and press freedom landscape in the country and bring concerns to the attention of relevant authorities.

In a series of meetings with media and government representatives, as well as with legislators, policymakers and other experts, in the states of Texas and Missouri, and in Washington, D.C., international mission delegates will discuss the consequences of threats to journalists and heightened anti-press rhetoric on journalists’ ability to carry out their job without fear of retaliation.

The international mission, led by the U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the IFEX network of freedom of expression groups, also reflects concerns that the United States, long considered a leading defender of press freedom rights, is weakened in its ability to serve as a role model in the defence of such rights around the world.

“President Trump’s frequent bashing of the media has emboldened autocratic leaders around the world to do the same,” IPI Executive Board Chair John Yearwood, who will join the International Press Freedom Mission to the United States, said.

“This mission sends a strong message that attacks on the media are unacceptable regardless of where they originate.”

IPI highlighted repeated attacks against journalists and media outlets already during Trump’s presidential campaign. Those attacks included verbal harassment and the denying of press credentials.

In a June 2016 statement IPI observed that “attempting to stifle free speech and manipulate coverage […] goes against the centuries-old traditions of free speech and free political discourse for which the United States is rightly admired the world over.”

IPI North American Committee Chair Marty Steffens, the Society of American Business Editors and Writers (SABEW) endowed chair at the University of Missouri and a member of IPI’s Executive Board, will also join the mission.

“Allegations of ‘fake news’ leveled at serious media by President Trump have had a pervasive effect on the American value of open government,” Steffens said. “Trump’s comments have encouraged officials in some counties and states to restrict access to elected lawmakers, or charge unrealistic fees for data, citing that media is untrustworthy or ‘fake’.”

Yearwood and Steffens will present findings from the mission in a Facebook Live exchange with the IPI community from Washington, D.C. on Thursday, Jan. 18 at 9 am EST, following a public event at Washington’s Newseum. Updates from the mission will be tweeted from @john_yearwood, @MartySteffens and @globalfreemedia.

The additional groups joining the mission are Reporters Without Borders, Article 19 and Index on Censorship.