2015
A year after James Foley and Steven Sotloff murders, more awareness of risks
Journalists who regularly cover violence are considered a hard-boiled bunch. But a year ago this month, even the toughest were crying. There was no emotional body armor to deflect the horror of the beheading videos of freelancers James Foley, Steven Sotloff, and other Westerners held hostage in Syria by the self-styled Islamic State, also known…
South Sudanese President Salva Kiir threatens to kill journalists
Nairobi, August 17, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns statements made by South Sudan President Salva Kiir on Sunday in which he threatened to kill journalists for reporting “against the country.” Kiir made the statement at the airport in the capital, Juba, before flying to Addis Ababa to attend peace talks with former Vice President…
Yemeni journalists: ‘Our mouths are gagged’
In March 2014, Sana’a University media student Hisham al-Yousifi stood next to Dar al-Hajar, a royal palace built on the precipice of a rock formation just outside the capital, and announced to the video camera, “Here, there are a lot of tourists!” But there were no tourists, just his friends barely failing to hold back…
Moroccan court orders news website to shut for three months, fines editor
New York, August 14, 2105–A Moroccan criminal court on Monday ordered the independent news website Badil to suspend operations for three months and handed a harsh fine to its editor-in-chief, according to news reports and the journalist who spoke to CPJ. Hamid al-Mahdaoui was convicted of criminal defamation.
Hong Kong must identify, prosecute the mastermind of 2014 attack on journalist Kevin Lau
New York, August 13, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on authorities in Hong Kong to work quickly and efficiently to identify the mastermind of the February 2014 attack on newspaper editor Kevin Lau Chun-to and ensure there is full justice in the case. Two men identified as Yip Kim-wah and Wong Chi-wah were found…
Egypt should release Shawkan, photographer detained for two years
New York, August 13, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Egyptian authorities to release freelance photographer Mahmoud Abou Zeid, also known as Shawkan, from prison immediately and drop the baseless allegations against him. By the time of his hearing on Monday, Shawkan will have exceeded the two-year legal limit on pretrial detention, according to…
Q&A: How to cope with perils of being a Chinese news assistant for foreign media
News assistants, or zhongmi (which literally means “Chinese secretaries”), are Chinese citizens working for foreign journalists in China. They play a number of roles including monitoring news leads, conducting research, translating materials, and arranging interviews, as well as acting as cultural liaisons who can explain social and political phenomena to journalists who may not be…