Press Freedom
CPJ Updates
- Journalist Casimir Kpedjo detained, facing false news accusations in Benin
- Trial of detained Nicaraguan journalists Lucía Pineda and Miguel Mora indefinitely delayed
- Editor-in-chief of Mexican newspaper Reforma targeted by death threats following criticism from president
- Peruvian judge orders assets freeze for Ojo Público, 2 journalists in defamation case
- Israeli forces injure four Palestinian journalists covering Gaza protests
- Two journalists arrested covering yellow vest protests in France
- Jordanian journalist Abdulrahman Farhana detained by Saudi authorities
- Myanmar military sues The Irrawaddy for criminal defamation over conflict coverage
- #WeStandWithLyra
Reporter Without Borders
- Media pluralism – collateral victim of the crisis in Indian-held Kashmir
- US should redouble efforts to secure the safe return of detained American journalist Austin Tice
- Media regulator threatens Brazzaville weekly with closure
- Philippine army “red-tagging” leads to threats, violence against journalists
- Kyrgyz TV channel’s forced closure deals blow to media pluralism
- US – #WeeklyAddress: August 5 – August 11: Trump administration floats draft of social media “censorship” executive order
- Total of journalists abducted in Yemen in past five years reaches 20
- RSF refers Myanmar journalist’s arbitrary detention to UN
Philippine Government to Charge Rappler Founder Maria Ressa
The Philippine government has announced it will charge veteran journalist Maria Ressa and her online news start-up Rappler with tax evasion. The move is the latest attack on media from the regime of President Rodrigo Duterte. The announcement comes just one day after the International Center for Journalists honored Ressa for outstanding journalism.
You can watch a video of Ressa accepting the award in the window below.
She told attendees that the website had “written a lot about out two battle fronts, a brutal drug war with tens of thousands killed, and the exponential lies on social media that incite hate and stifle free speech.”
A New York Times article details the tax evasion case, which stems from a 2015 investment in Rappler by an organization owned by Pierre Omidyar, the founder of eBay.
In January this year, the government revoked Rappler’s license, so the site moved its operations overseas.
Ressa is a veteran journalist, former CNN bureau chief and head of national broadcaster ABS-CBN. She launched Rappler in 2012.