Americas

  
A view of the Voice of America building in Washington, D.C. on March 16, 2025 , a day after more than 1,300 employees of the U.S. Agency for Global Media's broadcaster were placed on leave. (Photo: Reuters/Annabelle Gordon)

Media rights, journalist groups call on US to protect press freedom after USAGM gutted

The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 27 other press freedom and journalist groups on March 19 in voicing support for a free press, and called on the United States to protect reporters and media workers employed by the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM). The letter, organized by CPJ, said that eliminating the agency’s outlets,…

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CPJ calls on Argentine authorities to investigate after photographer gravely injured covering protest

São Paulo, March 18, 2025—Argentine authorities should hold to account police officers who injured independent photographer Pablo Grillo, who was struck in the head by a tear gas cartridge during a March 12 pensioner protest in Buenos Aires that was suppressed by police, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Tuesday.  “Photographer Pablo Grillo was peacefully working…

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CPJ, partners urge Peruvian lawmakers to reject bill that could harm press freedom

The Committee to Protect Journalists and four other international organizations in a joint statement called on the Peruvian Congress to reject a bill that could severely harm press freedom in the country. The bill proposes to increase the penalties for slander and defamation related to ongoing investigations into the alleged commission of crimes by officials and public servants, decreasing…

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President Donald Trump is seen leaving Trump International Golf Club on March 15, 2025, in West Palm Beach, Fla. CPJ has called on congressional leaders to support the agency funding Voice of America and Radio Free outlets after Trump signed an executive order on March 14 that decimated those groups. (Photo: AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

‘Reward to dictators’: CPJ stands with thousands of journalists harmed by Trump’s dismantling of VOA, Radio Free outlets

The Committee to Protect Journalists stands in support of thousands of journalists and millions of citizens around the world impacted by President Donald Trump’s dismantling Voice of America’s (VOA) staff and termination of funding to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and Radio Free Asia (RFA). CPJ condemns a Trump executive order issued Friday that resulted…

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President Donald Trump arrives in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Friday, March 14, 2025, the day he signed an executive order that aims to dismantle the agency funding Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. (Photo: AP Manuel Balce Ceneta)

CPJ urges US Congress to stop Trump from gutting VOA parent as ‘mass suspensions’ begin

Washington, D.C., March 15, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists urges United States congressional leaders to protect the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) after President Trump signed an executive order on Friday aimed at dismantling the parent of Voice of America (VOA). “It is outrageous that the White House is seeking to gut the Congress-funded…

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CPJ, partners call for Guatemalan journalist José Rubén Zamora’s release

The Committee to Protect Journalists and eight other international organizations call for the immediate and unconditional release of Guatemalan journalist José Rubén Zamora and urgent guarantees of due process. Judge Erick García ordered Zamora’s return to prison on March 10, executing a appeals court order that revoked the journalist’s house arrest. At the hearing, García reported threats…

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Brendan Carr

CPJ, partners urge FCC to stop threatening press freedom and free speech

The Committee to Protect Journalists and 16 other organizations, led by the nonprofit group Public Knowledge, sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr on March 7, expressing concern about recent developments that threaten to erode long-established safeguards for editorial independence and free expression. The agency recently launched investigations into public broadcasting…

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CPJ calls for release of José Rubén Zamora after Guatemala judge orders the journalist back to jail

The Committee to Protect Journalists denounces Monday’s court ruling to revoke the house arrest of Guatemalan journalist José Rubén Zamora and send him back to prison. “The decision to return journalist José Rubén Zamora to prison is a blatant act of judicial persecution. This case represents a dangerous escalation in the repression of independent journalism,”…

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Patricio Aguilar

Journalist Patricio Aguilar shot and killed in Ecuador

Bogotá, March 6, 2025—Ecuadorian authorities must thoroughly investigate the March 4 killing of journalist Patricio Aguilar, determine if he was targeted for his work, and bring those responsible to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday.  “Ecuadorian authorities must not let the killing of journalist Patricio Aguilar go unpunished,” said Cristina Zahar, CPJ’s Latin…

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A police vehicle (left) guards the March 3, 2024, funeral of journalist Kristian Zavala (right), who was shot dead a day earlier in the central Mexico state of Guanjuato. (Photo, left: AFP/Mario Armas; screenshot, right: ElUniversalMex/YouTube)

Mexican journalist Kristian Zavala killed after seeking state protection

Mexico City, March 5, 2025—Authorities must credibly investigate the March 2 shooting of journalist Kristian Zavala, who is the third press member to be killed in Mexico this year, despite his 2021 request for federal protection, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. Zavala, founder and editor of the Facebook-based news outlet El Silaoense MX,…

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