In an October 9 file photo, protesters outside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul hold portraits of critical Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Saudi Arabia today said the journalist was killed during a fight in the consulate. (AFP/Ozan Kose)
In an October 9 file photo, protesters outside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul hold portraits of critical Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Saudi Arabia today said the journalist was killed during a fight in the consulate. (AFP/Ozan Kose)
The Torch

Is there a path to justice in Khashoggi’s murder?

The Torch is a weekly newsletter from the Committee to Protect Journalists that brings you the latest press freedom and journalist safety news from around the world. Subscribe here.


CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon explores “the path(s) to justice in Jamal Khashoggi’s murder.” CPJ published a new report that finds secondary screenings of journalists crossing U.S. borders can undermine press freedom. Efforts to find the mastermind in the murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia are stalled.

Journalist Raghav Bahl, center, is seen in this screen grab with staff at The Quint. Tax officials raided the website's offices and Bahl's home on October 11.
Journalist Raghav Bahl, center, is seen in this screen grab with staff at The Quint. Tax officials raided the website’s offices and Bahl’s home on October 11.

Global press freedom updates

  • India’s NDTV was sued for US$1.3 billion over its reporting on Rafale jet deal. Separately, tax officials in the country raided offices and home of Quint editor-in-chief Raghav Bahl, who has been critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi
  • Read the latest Turkey Crackdown Chronicle, CPJ’s weekly round-up of press freedom violations in the country
  • “It offers no consolation to have Saudi officials confirm what the whole world already knows–Jamal Khashoggi was murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul,” Simon said after Saudi Arabia’s attorney general claimed that Khashoggi was killed during fight in consulate.
  • CNN mail bomb is latest case of attacks and threats against U.S. newsrooms
Journalists flagged by CBP for secondary screening say they find questions about their past and current reporting invasive, and are uncertain of their rights when agents demand passwords for electronic devices.
Journalists flagged by CBP for secondary screening say they find questions about their past and current reporting invasive, and are uncertain of their rights when agents demand passwords for electronic devices.

Spotlight

CPJ’s new report “Nothing to declare: Why U.S. border agency’s vast stop and search powers undermine press freedom,” details warrantless searches journalists face while crossing U.S. borders. The report finds these searches can have a negative impact on press freedom, including weakening the ability of the media to protect source privacy and conduct reporting trips. The report includes an accompanying documentary and safety advisory for journalists crossing the border. Join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #NothingToDeclare.

On Monday, October 29, CPJ will launch the report, “Getting Away with Murder: CPJ’s 2018 Global Impunity Index spotlights countries where journalists are slain and their killers go free.” The report will mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, on November 2.

Learn more about CPJ’s ongoing campaign against impunity here.

What we are reading

So far in 2018

45 journalists have been killed worldwide in relation to their work. Explore our data.

Visit the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker database for information on press freedom violations in the U.S.

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