Renamed Obiang prize is a blow to UNESCO
New York, March 8, 2012–A vote by a commission of UNESCO’s executive board to rename the discredited Obiang prize is a blow to the credibility of the organization, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Meeting in Paris, the commission voted to change the name of the prize to “International UNESCO-Equatorial Guinea Prize” and for…
CPJ supports calls for immediate cease-fire in Syria
New York, February, 24, 2012–The Committee to Protect Journalists supports efforts by the international community to impose an immediate cease-fire in Syria to allow for the safe delivery of humanitarian aid and a cessation of hostilities. Two journalists injured in Wednesday’s Homs attack require urgent medical attention and evacuation. The bodies of two more journalists…
Media Under Siege Across the Globe, New Report Says
On February 21 CPJ released it’s annual Attack on the Press report providing detailed information on the 46 journalists killed, and 179 imprisoned in 2011. Globally, last year brought a sharp increase in imprisonment and the coverage of uprisings and conflict proved deadly for journalists, a fact no better underscored than the recent deaths of…
Reporter’s Death Puts Focus on Difficulties of Covering a Secretive Syria
In search of the truth in Syria, foreign correspondents face unprecedented restrictions and are often left with choice of sneaking into the country using dangerous overland smuggling routes, or not going at all. Violence in the country has already claimed 4 journalists, and the difficult journey itself led to the death of Anthony Shadid, who…
Syria arrests 14 in attempt to block news
New York, February 16, 2012–The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the arrests of 14 journalists, bloggers, and press freedom activists with the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM). The group has played a key role in getting out information about daily developments in Syria as foreign journalists are virtually banned…
‘There’s a lot more to journalism in this country than tittle tattle’
Tim Hancock, of Amnesty International UK, rises to lend perspective on the on-going Leveson inquiry reminding the world that a free press is vital for far more than coverage of celebrity gossip. Citing CPJ figures he notes that in 2011 one third of all journalists killed occurred during coverage of the Arab Spring, and that…
Dripping with blood
When high profile murders take place in Pakistan it is routine to include police and government forces along with criminals and ne’er-do-wells. This is the stark reality of the simmering and often bloody terrorist war in Balochistan. The Economist explains how a long standing secessionist movement and rampant corruption make Pakistan a dangerous place in…
Hrant Dink’s Voice
A murder that spawned a movement, the five-year anniversary of Hrant Dink’s high profile assassination drew huge crowds in Turkey to protest the judiciary’s decision to dismiss charges of conspiracy to silence one of the nation’s most outspoken critics. In this New Yorker article CPJ Deputy Director Robert Mahoney describes the current backslide of press freedom in Turkey and the spectre…
For Turkish Journalists, Arrest is a Real Danger
In a rapidly changing Middle East, Turkey is increasingly being looked to by Arab neighbors as an example of what a post Arab-Spring society could look like. However, despite progressive, democratic, and secular institutions, the Turkish government maintains a dim view on press freedom. CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon goes on the record to denounce Turkey as…
OAS should stand firm against Correa
Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa has a torrid relationship with press freedom. His arsenal of repression includes such tactics as pre-empting private broadcasts to denounce the presenters, bankrupting papers through defamation suits, and publicly shouting down critics who dare question him.In his latest attempt to censor free expression Correa has targeted the office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, an independent…