2020
Physical Safety: Covering wildfires
Wildfires are becoming more frequent across the world and increasing in both severity and extent, according to Science Brief, a website that reviews peer-reviewed scientific studies on various topics, including climate change. Media workers covering any wildfire should be aware of the dynamic nature of such a disaster, and how a rapidly evolving situation on…
Chinese authorities detain, assault Los Angeles Times bureau chief, force her out of region
In early September 2020, police in Hohhot city, in China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, detained Los Angeles Times Beijing Bureau Chief Alice Su for more than four hours and released her without charge, according to an account in her newspaper and an Associated Press report. Su wrote the account in the Los Angeles Times without…
Mexican reporter Julio Valdivia found beheaded in Veracruz state
Mexico City, September 10, 2020 – Mexican authorities must immediately undertake a thorough and credible investigation into the killing of journalist Julio Valdivia and bring the perpetrators to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The body of Valdivia, a reporter for the local El Mundo newspaper, was found yesterday afternoon in the municipality…
When police patrol protests in military gear, journalists face a hostile reporting environment
When St. Louis Post-Dispatch photographer David Carson was covering protests against police violence in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014, he said other reporters often asked him what it was like to get teargassed night after night. These days, he told CPJ, he rarely gets asked that question: “Now all of my journalist friends have been teargassed.” Tear gassings, rubber…
Turkey convicts 5 journalists under national security law
Istanbul, September 10, 2020 – Turkish authorities must not contest recently convicted journalists’ appeals on national security cases, and cease jailing members of the press for covering sensitive topics, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, the 34th Istanbul Court of Serious Crimes convicted Odatv chief editor Barış Pehlivan, and reporter Hülya Kılınç, Yeniçağ…
Ethiopian authorities re-arrest journalists and media worker released on bail
Nairobi, September 10, 2020 – Ethiopian authorities must stop abusing judicial processes to hold journalists and media workers in prolonged pre-trial detention without charge, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On September 8, seven plainclothes security personnel in Addis Ababa, the capital, arrested reporter Belay Menaye, news anchor Mulugeta Anberbir, and camera operator Misganaw…
Guide to legal rights in the U.S.
The following advice and recommendations are intended to give the reader a high-level understanding of the rights of a journalist when confronted by law enforcement officers while covering a protest or other political event. Given that these incidents often quickly escalate and that some – both protestors and police – do not always conform to legal…
Kosovo journalist Ermal Panduri receives death threats following criticism of president
Berlin, September 10, 2020 — Kosovo authorities should conduct a quick and thorough investigation into the threats sent to journalist Ermal Panduri and ensure his safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Since September 8, dozens of Facebook users have sent threatening messages to Panduri, managing director of the privately owned Kosovo TV station…
At least 6 Iraq-based journalists with Dijlah TV resign, go into hiding following threats
New York, September 10, 2020 — Iraqi authorities must investigate the threats against employees of Dijlah TV and do their utmost to ensure they can work freely and without fear of reprisal, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Since August 28, at least six reporters and camera operators working in Iraq for the Jordan-based…