President Biden Signs Executive Order On American Hostages and Wrongful Detainees
Evan Vucci/AP
We ran the numbers: There are 1,346 news articles covering this topic. 47% (638) are left-leaning, 39% (522) are centrist, and 14% (186) are right-leaning.
President Joe Biden signed an executive order aimed at freeing Americans taken hostage and wrongfully detained by foreign governments. While left-leaning articles highlight the response to the executive order, right-leaning articles highlight how Saudi Arabia was not included on the list of countries designated as at risk.
A left-leaning article from CNN focuses on how Biden signed the executive order because hostage-taking and wrongful detention abroad are “an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.” While some families supported the executive order’s ability to bring their loved ones home, others feel as though it did not address larger concerns.
NPR published a centrist article reporting on how Biden’s executive order allows departments and agencies to punish state and non-state actors with financial sanctions and visa bans to encourage the release of American detainees. Countries with an increased risk of wrongful detention of Americans also now have an added letter D on State Department travel advisories under the order.
A right-leaning article from the New York Post focuses on how the countries listed as risky destinations for Americans included Burma, China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela, but not Saudi Arabia. However, Saudi Arabia has wrongfully detained four Americans – one is jailed and the other three cannot leave the country.
From the right
Biden signs order vs. countries that detain Americans — but Saudis get pass
New York Post