In celebration of the freedom of the press we enjoy in this country, the Benicia Library will host a special event on Thursday, May 2nd at 2pm. Seven journalists, five men and two women, from Turkmenistan, a country where there is no freedom of the press will join in a conversation with their counterparts and journalists from the United States. In 2023 the organization Reporters Without Borders ranked Turkmenistan as 176th out of 180 countries in their Press Freedom Index, meaning there are only four other countries throughout the world with more restrictions on the press (Iran, Vietnam, China, and North Korea).

The conversation will be moderated by local author Michael Barrington who will lead a discussion about what it’s like to be a journalist in a country where the government controls the press as well as what dangers exist in our own country that threaten the freedom of the press. The program will include an opportunity for Q&A with the audience.