Americas

2012

  

Defining who is a journalist, Mexican style

This month, the Mexican Senate approved an amendment to the country’s constitution that would make attacks on journalists a federal crime in Mexico.

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Ahmed Rashid on U.S. policy in South Asia

At Columbia University on Monday evening, CPJ board member Ahmed Rashid held forth to a full house in a conversation with Steve Coll about U.S. foreign policy in Afghanistan and Pakistan. If you’re reading this blog, there’s most likely no need to explain who Rashid is–or Coll, for that matter. The earliest reference I could…

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Salvadoran news website threatened for its reporting

New York, March 21, 2012–The editor of the Salvadoran news website El Faro says his staff members have been followed after the site reported on a criminal network involving politicians. In addition, he said a senior government official told the staff last week that gang members were angered by coverage of alleged ties between law enforcement…

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Colombian radio journalist killed by gunman

New York, March 16, 2012–A Colombian radio journalist was shot dead by an unidentified gunman on Thursday, according to news reports. 

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Bolivian journalist sentenced to prison for defamation

New York, March 15, 2012–A Bolivian journalist who wrote about government corruption was found guilty of defamation by a criminal court in La Paz on Wednesday and sentenced to 30 months in prison. 

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Days before the Senate approved the amendment, CPJ's Carlos Lauría met with Sen. José González Morfín, right, to speak about the risks that Mexican journalists face. (Ignacio González Anaya)

Mexican Senate backs federalizing anti-press crimes

New York, March 13, 2012–The Committee to Protect Journalists hails the Mexican Senate’s landmark approval today of a constitutional amendment that, if passed by a majority of states, would federalize anti-press crimes and transfer investigative powers to national authorities.

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CPJ welcomes Mexican anti-press crimes legislation

New York, March 13, 2012–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the Mexican Senate’s approval today of a constitutional amendment that makes attacks on the press a federal offense and calls on authorities to end the widespread impunity for crimes against journalists. 

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From Small World, timely advice on safe satphone use

Journalists and technologists often speak different languages. But a Portland, Oregon-based nonprofit, Small World News, is bridging the gap with a new guide on the safe use of satellite phones. It comes at a critical time. The group’s Guide to Safely Using Satphones just went online, less than three weeks after the deaths of international…

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The author, right, looks on as Sen. José González Morfín, center, confers with CPJ Americas Senior Program Coordinator Carlos Lauría. (Ignacio González Anaya)

Mexican senators say journalist murders to be federal crime

With near impunity in the murders of journalists a persistent reason for the terror and self-censorship among Mexican news organizations, legislators say the national Senate is on the verge of passing a constitutional amendment that would allow federal authorities to take over cases of crimes against freedom of expression. Passage would mean that the typically…

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Citizens, officials, and civil society groups joined journalists for Tuesday's discussion on the state of press freedom in Sinaloa. (Ron Bernal)

Solidarity in Sinaloa: Journalists, others address crisis

A unified front is crucial when facing a crisis in press freedom like that in the violent state of Sinaloa in Mexico, Colombian journalist and CPJ board member María Teresa Ronderos said this week. She was speaking to a packed room of print, radio, and television reporters; members of civil society groups; state legislators; union…

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2012