Press Freedom
CPJ Updates
- New Guatemalan president must work hard to improve press freedom
- Governments around the world crack down on journalists covering COVID-19
- Philippines COVID-19 state of emergency includes prison time for spreading ‘false news’
- Trust deficit: About This Report
- Trust deficit: Guatemala's new president must overcome skepticism to improve press freedom
- Trust deficit: 'The goal was to silence me'
- Journalist Adnan Rashidi tortured, robbed in Iraqi Kurdistan
- Iraqi security forces seize journalist’s belongings for allegedly violating COVID-19 curfew
- Egypt expels Guardian reporter Ruth Michaelson over COVID-19 coverage
Reporter Without Borders
- Repressive laws, prosecutions, attacks… Europe fails to shield its journalists against the abuse of the COVID-19 crisis
- Cambodian reporter jailed for quoting PM’s comment about Covid-19
- Iran: Press freedom violations recounted in real time January 2020
- RSF calls on Trump to end attacks on journalists, encourages news outlets to assess coverage of COVID-19 briefings
- Bangladesh: Surge in violence against reporters orchestrated by local officials
- Comoros: Journalist threatened for exposing flaws in handling of coronavirus crisis
- Somali officials cannot claim Covid-19 information monopoly, RSF and NUSOJ say
- Indian newspaper accused of “fake news” about lockdown’s impact on poor
Report of the Press Freedom Committee to OPC Board October 25, 2010
United States
On October 20, the Committee sent a strongly worded letter to U.S. Senate candidate, Joe Miller, following his security team’s “arrest” of reporter, Tony Hopfinger, of Alaska Dispatch at a publicly advertised town hall in Anchorage. Americans will tolerate all sorts of quirks in their politicians, we told Miller, but we loathe a bully.
Iran
On October 8, we were in touch with President Ahmadinejad about the on-going intimidation of journalists by the Iranian government. Citing only the most recent examples, we called the brutality of the police and courts “dishonorable” and illegal — not only under Iran’s laws — but under those of international conventions to which it is a signatory.
Russia
October 6, we wrote a rare letter of commendation to Russia applauding the announcement by Aleksandr Bastrykin, chairman of an Investigative Committee, pledging to pursue 19 cases of murdered journalists in recent years.
Iraq
On October 4, we told Iraqi president, Jalal Talabani, about this month’s move to evict journalists from the well-known Mansour Hotel — which has been a symbol of free expression since the hardest days of the American invasion. We viewed the move as a part of the amplifying pressure on journalists to get in line in advance of next year’s Arab League Summit in Baghdad.
Mexico
That same day, we gave the Club’s active support to Mexican president following this fall’s formation of a new program to protect journalists who have been threatened in Mexico’s escalating drug wars.
Respectfully submitted by: Kevin McDermott