2009

CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon appeared on the August 6 edition of KCRW’s To The Point radio program to discuss the topic of dangerous assignments and travel in light of Euna Lee and Laura Ling’s release from prison in North Korea.

The notion that three American hikers could innocently wander across the border from Iraqi Kurdistan into Iran has elicited some understandable skepticism. But a statement from their friend who stayed behind in his hotel because he was ill helps explain how the situation unfolded. 

CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon is one of four diverse voices featured on The New York Times “Room for Debate” blog. The debate centers on the risk of venturing into dangerous territories, whether for recreation or journalism. You can read Simon’s take on the Times’ Web site.

New York, August 6, 2009–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the highly politicized court verdict against six independent journalists today in the capital of the Gambia, Banjul. 

New York, August 6, 2009–Officials shut down the office of the Association of Iranian Journalists in Tehran on Wednesday night, just after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was sworn in for a second term, according to international news reports. 

Some Zimbabwean journalists say 2003 was the most repressive year for independent journalists. Others claim it was 2008. But no one is yet claiming it was 2009 after a recent series of positive developments for the country’s media.

New York, August 5, 2009–The Committee to Protect Journalists called today for the release of three Americans–one of whom is a journalist–who were arrested on July 31 in Iran. The three have been charged with illegally entering the country. 

At noon on Tuesday, Venezuelan authorities arrested pro-government activist Lina Ron and took her to Caracas’ military intelligence headquarters, according to an official statement by the Venezuelan Minister of Interior and Justice Tarek El Aissami. Ron, a founding and very public member of the far-left political party Union Patriótica Venezolana (UPV), appeared in footage of…

In June, CPJ traveled to Ciudad Juárez to report on the extraordinary challenges that Mexican reporters face in covering the drug trade. As CPJ’s Mike O’Connor noted in his report, self-censorship is rife and many critical stories are uncovered. The primary reason is impunity: Those who kill or threaten journalists know there is almost no…

In response to Russian press reports that the family of Anna Politkovskaya has appealed for further investigation into the suspected role of three men in her murder before sending them back to court, we issued the following statement…