On June 10, National Association of Science Writers president Jill U. Adams submitted a letter to the Office of Dame Karen Pierce, British Ambassador to the United States, joining other journalism organizations in urging the United Kingdom to encourage their Brazilian counterparts in the search of Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira. The missing journalist and his activist colleague were last seen alive on June 5 in western Brazil; both were subsequently found to have been shot and killed.
The letter reads:
June 10, 2022
Dame Karen Pierce
Ambassador to the United States
3100 Massachusetts Avenue N.W.
Washington, DC 20008-3688
karen.pierce@fco.gov.uk
Dear Madam Ambassador,
I write on behalf of the board of the National Association of Science Writers; we stand with so many of our peers in urging you to seek action from those who might help find British subject Dom Phillips and Brazilian citizen Bruno Pereira.
The two men have been missing since Sunday June 5 in the Javari Valley in the western part of Amazonas state. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-61714232
NASW is a membership organization of journalists, authors, editors, and public information officers that promotes the professional interests of science writers globally. We advocate for the free flow of science news and the rights of reporters to research and tell true stories.
I was alerted to Mr. Phillips’s status by the Alicia Patterson Foundation, which has supported many NASW members in recent years. I understand that Mr. Phillips, a fellow of the Patterson Foundation, was reporting on the environmental degradation of the Amazon and its implications for climate change when he disappeared.
We ask that you add your voice to the appeals from former Secretary of State John Kerry, journalism groups, and national and international publications to investigate this very troubling situation. We’d like to see the Foreign Office of the United Kingdom encourage the Brazilian government to devote more resources to finding these two men.
Thank you, in advance, for your prompt attention to this matter.
Kind regards,
Jill Adams
To reach the NASW Board, email president@nasw.org
Founded in 1934 with a mission to fight for the free flow of science news, NASW is an organization of ~2,500 professional journalists, authors, editors, producers, public information officers, students and people who write and produce material intended to inform the public about science, health, engineering, and technology. To learn more, visit www.nasw.org
