In Brazil, outdated defamation laws and costly court cases used to pressure critics
Brazilian journalist Erik Silva never imagined that printing information from a municipal government website would see him accused of defamation and lead to a drawn-out court case. But almost a year after writing about the size of salary earned by a municipal accountant in Corumbá, a city of just under 100,000 people on Brazil’s western…
Mexican newspaper editor shot and wounded in Veracruz
Mexico City, March 29, 2017–Mexican authorities should credibly and thoroughly investigate today’s shooting of veteran journalist Armando Arrieta Granados, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Arrieta, the editorial director of the daily Veracruz newspaper La Opinión, was shot and gravely wounded as he returned to his residence in the city of Poza Rica.
Colombian columnist threatened at gunpoint after reporting on corruption
On March 23, 2017, a man arrived at the home of Colombian columnist, anticorruption activist, and law student Daniel Silva Orrego, threatened him with a gun, and told him to stop his investigations into corruption, according to the journalist and news reports.
Police search Brazilian blogger’s devices in morning raid
São Paulo, March 24, 2017–A police search of Brazilian blogger Carlos Eduardo Cairo Guimarães’ residence and electronic devices to uncover the sources for a story he had published was an alarming violation of journalists’ right to protect their sources, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Mexican journalist Ricardo Monlui Cabrera murdered in Veracruz
Mexico City, March 20, 2017–Mexican authorities should undertake a credible and thorough investigation into the murder of journalist Ricardo Monlui Cabrera, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Monlui was shot to death yesterday morning in the municipality of Yanga, in the eastern state of Veracruz, as he left a restaurant where he had eaten…
Canadian reporter faces charges after covering protests
New York, March 17, 2017–Canadian authorities should immediately drop all charges against journalist Justin Brake, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Brake is scheduled to appear in court on April 11 to answer charges of criminal mischief and contempt of court in connection with his reporting on a protest in the eastern Canadian province…
Deciding who decides which news is fake
Authorities decry the proliferation of misinformation and propaganda on the internet, and technology companies are wrestling with various measures to combat fake news. But addressing the problem without infringing on the right to free expression and the free flow of information is extremely thorny.
Brazilian reporter’s car set on fire
Someone set veteran Brazilian political reporter Rodrigo Lima’s car on fire outside his office at the daily newspaper Diario da Região on March 3, 2017, according to the journalist, witnesses, and video of the incident. The reporter, who has worked at the newspaper for 17 years, told the Committee to Protect Journalists that he believed…