Per White House pool reporter George Condon, who attended the signing ceremony today:

Joining the president in the Oval Office for the bill signing were the chief sponsors of the bill and the family of the new law’s namesake, Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter slain by terrorists in 2002. That included his widow, Mariane; father, Judea; mother, Ruth; sisters Michelle and Tamara; and son, Adam Daniel, who turns eight on May 28th. The president was seated at his desk with his guests arrayed behind him. Immediately to his right was Mariane, standing behind her son, Adam, who was quite natty in a blue blazer, gray slacks, red tie and white shirt. Sen. Chris Dodd and Rep. Adam Schiff were also there. The president used four pens to sign his name, concluding with , “There you go.”

The bill requires the State Department to now include in its annual Human Rights Reports a listing of countries where press freedoms are threatened and to identify the governments that participate in the repression of journalists.

In the spirit of journalism freedoms, pooler Chip Reid attempted a question about BP, prefacing it with, “Speaking of press freedoms…” The president was not biting, though. “You are free to ask them,” he said, adding, “I’m not doing a press conference today.”

You’ll get a transcript. The president cast the bill as an enduring legacy for the slain journalist. He said the new law “sends a strong message” that the U.S. government and the State Department “are paying attention” to other governments when they assault press freedoms. He said the law “puts us clearly on the side of journalistic freedom.” He praised the Pearl family for being “outspoken and so courageous.” With this law, he said of Daniel Pearl, “his legacy lives on.”