2013

  
BIR officers, like this one seen here, obstructed journalists from covering the site of a plane crash. (AFP/Reinnier Kaze)

Journalists threatened, obstructed in Cameroon

New York, June 14, 2013—Authorities in Cameroon should investigate reports of journalists being threatened and obstructed from covering the site of an airplane crash on Monday, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.”We are alarmed by reports of obstruction and intimidation involving an officer of Cameroon’s top elite security unit, the BIR,” said CPJ Africa…

Read More ›

Iranian authorities target Internet, media before elections

New York, June 13, 2013–Iranian authorities have intensified their crackdown on the Internet, including on media outlets and journalists, in the days leading up to Friday’s presidential election, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Several opposition websites have reported being briefly hacked, while Google issued a statement on Wednesday that said tens of thousands…

Read More ›

Media executive gunned down in Brazil

New York, June 13, 2013–Brazilian authorities must identify the motive behind Tuesday’s murder of a media executive, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Four masked men shot José Roberto Ornelas de Lemos at least 41 times while he was at a bakery in a suburb of Rio de Janeiro, according to news reports.

Read More ›

Brazilian journalists detained while covering protest

New York, June 13, 2013–At least three Brazilian journalists were detained by military police while covering a protest on Tuesday, with one still in custody, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Brazilian authorities to allow journalists to be able to work freely without fear of harassment.

Read More ›

Chinese journalist held after publishing book on Tiananmen

New York, June 13, 2013–Chinese authorities must immediately release a journalist who has been detained since May 31 following the publication of his book on the Tiananmen massacre, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Du Bin’s detention, which was reported by his family members, came a few days before the 24th anniversary of the…

Read More ›

A burnt out car blocks Dee Street in east Belfast in January. Threats against journalists have increased since a wave of protests early this year. (Reuters/Cathal McNaughton)

Threats to Northern Irish journalists on the rise

The Police Service of Northern Ireland has informed a Belfast-based reporter that dissident republican groups, opposed to the peace process, have issued a death threat against her, the British National Union of Journalists said this week. The threat came after the journalist published a story in a local Sunday newspaper claiming an Irish republican group…

Read More ›

Journalist convicted on defamation charges in Cameroon

New York, June 13, 2013–A Cameroonian appellate court should overturn on appeal a criminal defamation conviction and sentence handed to a journalist on June 5 in the commercial city of Douala, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Read More ›

Remembering Iraq, a forgotten war

As growing sectarian violence across Iraq renews fears of civil war, journalists gathered in New York this week to talk about their experiences reporting in the country over the past decade.

Read More ›

In revolt, freelancers establish Frontline Freelance Register

Finally, there is an organization for freelancers run by freelancers, and it could not come at a more opportune time. As anyone who has been one knows, being a freelance conflict reporter, in particular, can be tricky business.

Read More ›

Burma Falters, Backtracks on Press Freedoms

New York, June 13, 2013–Burma’s media continue to face threats and obstacles to free reporting despite recent reforms, according to a report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) released today. A new draft publishing bill and the failure to reform existing restrictive laws jeopardize still limited freedoms of expression and the press. “The changes…

Read More ›

2013