The U.S. State Department has reiterated its support for the media in response to the recent arrests of journalists and personnel associated with NewsClick in India. Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel conveyed U.S. President Joe Biden’s “strong support” for the media and emphasized the importance of respecting the human rights of journalists, including freedom of expression. While the State Department refrained from commenting on the alleged ties between NewsClick and the Chinese government, it urged the Indian government to uphold the rights of journalists both online and offline. The arrests occurred shortly after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s visit to Washington D.C.