Ecuador reprimands journalist, TV station for investigative reports
New York, August 9, 2016 – The Ecuadoran communications regulator should rescind all measures against the broadcaster Teleamazonas and journalist Janet Hinostroza, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Regulators yesterday sanctioned the station and the journalist for “media lynching” in relation to investigative reports into the government’s purchase of medical supplies.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines draft law would allow prison for defamation online
New York, August 8, 2016–Lawmakers in St. Vincent and the Grenadines should amend or scrap a draft cybercrime law that would allow for prison sentences of up to two years for defamation, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Legislators are expected to consider the draft on Thursday, an opposition politician told CPJ.
Bolivian president’s criminal defamation suit threatens press freedom
New York, August 4, 2016 – Bolivian President Evo Morales should immediately drop a criminal defamation suit against a journalist that could have a chilling effect on press freedom in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Bolivian criminal court justice René Delgado announced yesterday that he would hear a case Morales filed…
IOC offers some protection but press at Rio Games should be wary of security risks
When the Rio Olympics open on Friday, the thousands of journalists covering it will have the added security of knowing a formal mechanism has been put in place to let them report any press freedom violations that take place during the Games. The creation of the reporting mechanism follows years of advocacy with the International…
Muckraking Brazilian journalist killed outside his home
São Paulo, July 26, 2016–Brazilian authorities should conduct a thorough and timely investigation into the murder of Brazilian journalist João Miranda do Carmo, establish the motive for his killing, and bring all those responsible to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Veracruz journalist under police protection shot dead
Mexico City, July 22, 2016–Mexican federal authorities must conduct a credible and thorough investigation into the July 20 killing of Pedro Tamayo Rosas, a Veracruz journalist who was shot while under the protection of state authorities, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Pentagon’s revised Law of War Manual recognizes role of independent journalists
Washington, July 22, 2016–The Pentagon no longer considers journalists operating independently of U.S. military forces as potential spies, terrorists, or saboteurs, according to U.S. military officials who have rewritten the military’s Law of War Manual.
In Oaxaca, reporters covering teachers’ union protests face violence, threats
The atmosphere in Nochixtlán, a small, rural community in Mexico’s southern state of Oaxaca, was tense on June 20. The day before, members of a dissident teachers’ union had clashed with federal and state police while protesting education reform. Shots were fired and, by the end of the day, nine people had died and dozens…
Be prepared: steps to staying safe while covering US political party conventions
The U.S. political party conventions in Cleveland and Philadelphia this summer carry the risk of civil unrest. While protests have long occurred both inside and outside of convention venues, security experts and political commentators have said this year’s gatherings have the potential for unrest not seen since in the U.S. since the Vietnam war-era clashes…