Americas

  

Unarmed man shot trying to storm local TV station in Washington, DC

In the afternoon of October 22, 2018, a man tried to force his away into the offices of Fox 5, a local television station in Washington D.C. The station released security camera footage showing the man bashing in two sets of glass doors with his foot, eventually gaining entrance to the lobby. There, two Fox…

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Warrantless searches of journalists at U.S. borders pose press freedom threat

New York, October 22, 2018–The Custom and Border Protection (CBP) agency’s powers to carry out warrantless searches of electronic devices has serious press freedom implications, including weakening the ability of the media to protect source privacy, the Committee to Protect Journalists found in its report, “Nothing to declare: Why U.S. border agency’s vast stop and…

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Customs and Border Protection agents pictured at Los Angeles International Airport in January 2017. The agency’s power to search electronic devices without warrant has serious implications for press freedom. (Reuters/Patrick T. Fallon)

Nothing to declare: Why U.S. border agency’s vast stop and search powers undermine press freedom

Secondary screenings of journalists crossing U.S. borders risk undermining press freedom as Custom and Border Protection agents search devices such as laptops or phones without warrant and question journalists about their reporting and contacts. As the government ramps up searches of electronic devices, rights groups mount legal challenges to fight invasive searches. A special report…

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Customs and Border Protection agents pictured at Los Angeles International Airport in January 2017. The agency’s power to search electronic devices without warrant has serious implications for press freedom. (Reuters/Patrick T. Fallon)

Nothing to declare:

About This ReportThis report was written by CPJ North America Program Coordinator Alexandra Ellerbeck and CPJ North America Research Assistant Stephanie Sugars, with additional research and reporting by North America Research Associate Avi Asher-Schapiro. CPJ Advocacy Director Courtney C. Radsch wrote the accompanying piece, “CPJ’s slog to improve DHS and CBP policy toward journalists.” Reporters…

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Customs and Border Protection agents pictured at Los Angeles International Airport in January 2017. The agency’s power to search electronic devices without warrant has serious implications for press freedom. (Reuters/Patrick T. Fallon)

Nothing to declare:

CPJ’s slog to improve DHS and CBP policy toward journalists One of the key principles of journalism is protecting the confidentiality of sources. So when CPJ started hearing from journalists who said they were being stopped and questioned about their journalism when they entered the United States, and that their electronic devices were sometimes searched…

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Customs and Border Protection agents pictured at Los Angeles International Airport in January 2017. The agency’s power to search electronic devices without warrant has serious implications for press freedom. (Reuters/Patrick T. Fallon)

Nothing to declare:

Recommendations The Committee to Protect Journalists offers the following recommendations:

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Artwork: Jack Forbes

Nothing to Declare: CPJ’s advice for journalists crossing a U.S. border

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency (CBP) has authority to search electronic devices without warrant or probable cause. Civil liberties groups are challenging this power in court, but journalists should be aware that current practice risks exposing contacts, sourcing, and reporting material contained on laptops, phones, and other devices.

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A sign warning drivers of hikers ahead is seen in the mountains in Sun Valley, Idaho, July 6, 2015. Two newspaper carriers were shot at on the Nez Perce Indian reservation in Idaho on October 8, 2018. (Reuters/Mike Blake)

Newspaper carriers shot at on Nez Perce Indian Reservation

An unknown assailant fired multiple shots at Lewiston Tribune newspaper carriers Donna and Dane Correll on October 8, 2018, outside Lapwai, a small city in northwest Idaho that serves at the seat of government of the Nez Perce Indian Reservation, the Tribune reported. The shooting occurred as they were delivering papers in the early morning,…

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Radio Yandê founder Renata Machado. Rádio Yandê is one of the few outlets in Brazil to tell the stories of the country's indigenous people on their own terms. (Alfredo Boc Boc)

How Brazil’s ‘ethno-communicators’ are helping indigenous people find their voice

The people who run Radio Yandê, a Brazilian digital portal dedicated to indigenous issues, have many words to define what they do, but even though the site has stories, video and audio, none of those definitions include the word journalist.

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This photo of Hugo Bustíos Saavedra was taken minutes before he was killed. Daniel Urresti Elera has been on trial for his alleged role in the murder. (Caretas)

Peru mayoral candidate Daniel Urresti acquitted of Hugo Bustíos murder

Medellín, October 4, 2018–Peru’s National Criminal Chamber today acquitted former interior minister and current mayoral candidate Daniel Urresti of murder charges for the 1988 killing of war correspondent Hugo Bustíos, according to news reports. A lawyer for the Bustíos family said they would appeal, the reports said.

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