2010
Somali journalist killed in Mogadishu crossfire
New York, August 24, 2010–Veteran radio journalist Barkhat Awale, at left, was killed by crossfire today in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, according to local journalists and news reports. He is the second journalist killed on duty in Somalia this year, according to CPJ research. Awale, 60, director of the community radio station Hurma Radio, was…
Indonesian TV journalist killed covering clashes
New York, August 24, 2010–The Committee to Protect Journalists called on police in the eastern Indonesian province of Maluku today to thoroughly investigate Saturday’s death of journalist Ridwan Salamun, who was killed while covering violent clashes between local villagers.
CPJ in the Philippines
Bob Dietz, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator currently on a CPJ mission to the Philippines, writes in The Huffington Post about the Maguindanao massacre. On November 23, 2009, 32 journalists and media workers were killed in the single deadliest event for the press since 1992, when CPJ began keeping detailed records on journalist deaths. Now, nine…
Labidi: Jordan, latest enemy of press freedom online?
CPJ Middle East and North Africa consultant Kamel Labidi writes in an article in the Guardian Comment is Free that Jordan’s new provisional law on cyber crimes, has brought the Hashemite kingdom a step closer to Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Egypt, which are considered among the most notorious online oppressors worldwide. On August 17, CPJ sent…
What’s new on the CPJ Blog
You may have noticed a few changes we’ve made to the CPJ Blog recently. Here’s what’s new (with much thanks to our Web developer, John Emerson): Our bylines are now clickable. You can see a staffer’s (or guest blogger’s) entries on one page by clicking, giving you an overview of blogs written by, say, Bob Dietz,…
Despite fatal shootout, Philippines officials meet with CPJ
About 18 hours after eight hostages and the gunmen holding them in a tourist bus were killed in a shootout with police in the heart of Manila, officials broke away from the demands of the moment to meet with a CPJ delegation in the president’s offices at Malacañang Palace. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima was…
CPJ meets Philippine officials, urges anti-impunity policies
Manila, August 24, 2010–Nine months after the killing of 32 journalists and media workers in the southern Philippines, a delegation from the Committee to Protect Journalists met today with justice officials in Manila and called on the government of President Benigno Aquino to address pervasive impunity in the recurring murders of journalists in the country.
A lesson for South African media: Look to Kenya
The chorus of voices opposing the South African government’s proposed Protection of Information Bill and state-backed ombudsman continue to grow. South Africa’s Business Day estimates the press produces three articles per day opposing what many journalists see as an attempt by the ruling party to muzzle investigative reporting. More than 30 editors from major papers published protest messages…
Colombia nabs alleged mastermind in Sambrano murder
New York, August 23, 2010–The alleged mastermind in the 2009 murder of Venezuelan journalist Orel Sambrano, at left, was arrested Thursday in Colombia and is now facing extradition to Venezuela, local and international press reported.Colombian authorities arrested Walid Makled García in the city of Cúcuta, near the border with Venezuela, according to news reports. A warrant was issued in…
From grief of Maguindanao, a ‘family’ emerges
Today marks nine months since the Maguindanao massacre, the deadliest event for the press that CPJ has ever recorded. On November 23, 2009, at 10 a.m., a convoy traveling to the provincial capital of Shariff Aquak to file gubernatorial candidacy papers stopped at what appeared to be a routine military checkpoint. Hours later, authorities would…