Wattan TV bills itself as the voice of the voiceless. But since the Israeli army gutted its Ramallah headquarters in a predawn raid two months ago, that voice has been reduced to a whisper.
Committee to Protect Journalists
CPJ Blog
Press Freedom News and Views
Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory
To many in the Indian media community, the arrest of independent journalist Syed Mohammad Kazmi by the Delhi police's Special Cell on March 6 for his alleged involvement in a bombing brings back troublesome memories.
Two weeks ago, late on a Monday evening, the Israeli parliament passed a controversial law aimed at protecting the country from calls to boycott Israel because of its policies about Palestinians. The law, dubbed the "anti-boycott" law, makes supporting these campaigns a civil offense in the state of Israel. Days after the bill passed, public opinion polls revealed that a majority of Israelis (roughly 52 percent) support the aggressive measure.
The true stories of journalists from Mexico, Sri Lanka, Russia, the United States, and the Occupied Palestinian Territories will hit the stage July 20 at London's Arcola Theatre. "On the Record," which runs through August 13, examines the careers of six journalists, the risks they face, and their determination to make an impact through their work. This is the latest production by the UK-based Ice and Fire theater company, founded in 2003 to explore human rights stories through performance. Christine Bacon, Ice and Fire's artistic director and co-author of "On the Record," discusses the production's inspiration, messages, and challenges in this CPJ interview.
Firsthand accounts from reporters who were on the flotilla of humanitarian activists raided by Israeli forces on Monday are finally coming out as the journalists are released from custody. These early reports indicate that soldiers harassed international journalists—at least six had their equipment either confiscated or destroyed, according to CPJ interviews and news reports. Media accounts have indicated that 60 journalists or more were aboard the ships; on Tuesday, CPJ independently verified the names and affiliations of 20 journalists who had been taken into custody.
Although Israeli military operations have officially come to
an end in
The murder of prominent Sri Lankan editor Lasantha Wickramatunga remains in the news with The New York Times running an editorial about him over the weekend. The Daily Times of Pakistan also has coverage of Wickramatunga's death, which has garnered worldwide attention with the publication of the editor's final column--it explained why he felt compelled to risk his life to pursue journalism.
Inter Press News has an article about the continued struggle journalists are facing to report on the conflict in Gaza. The story quotes our letter to Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak criticizing the IDF's decision to bar journalists from entering Gaza. The article cites CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon who says, "By preventing journalists from covering its military offensive in
Gaza, Israel is betraying its own democratic principles. It is also
denying the world access to fact-based reporting."
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