President Obama signed the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act Monday morning (5/17), joined by six family members of the Wall Street Journal reporter slain by Islamic extremists.

The president said that he was instructing the State Department to vigorously follow and report on violations of press freedom anywhere in the world, as provided in the act.

“This puts us clearly on the side of journalistic freedom,” he said.

Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and decapitated by terrorists in Pakistan in 2002, while investigating a story on the Al Queda financial network.

The most excited person at the 15-minute ceremony In the White House Oval Office was seven-year old Adam Pearl, who received a presidentially-imprinted yo-yo, M&M packet, and stamp.