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…
Dear Prime Minister Olmert: Since the Israeli military campaign began last month, international journalists have been denied independent access to Gaza. With the declaration of a cease-fire, we urge your government to immediately lift the ban and allow international journalists to independently report on events in Gaza.
New York, January 16, 2009–CPJ welcomes the release of a freelance Somali photojournalist and two Somali drivers on Thursday but remains deeply concerned for the fate of two foreign freelance reporters who have been held since their abduction on August 23, 2008, by unknown gunmen.
New York, January 16, 2009–Unidentified individuals shot and injured a Venezuelan journalist outside the offices of the local daily El Regional in the southwestern Portuguesa province on Tuesday evening. The Committee to Protect Journalists called today on Venezuelan authorities to investigate the attack and bring all those responsible to justice.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has tried to create an image apart from his mentor Vladimir Putin. Medvedev claims to support civil liberties, vows to combat corruption, and likes to speak about press freedom. In his first State of the Nation address last fall, Medvedev said the Internet was a guarantor of press freedom in Russia.
In many countries around the world, what is known as “soft-censorship” has replaced outright repression as the favored means of controlling the media. Governments in these countries use state advertising to reward favorable coverage and punish dissenters. Sometimes they simply pay journalists to tell the story they want told.