Americas

  

Mexican reporter killed in Veracruz

New York, May 17, 2016 – Mexican authorities should thoroughly investigate the killing of journalist Manuel Santiago Torres González, who was shot to death on Saturday in the city of Poza Rica, in the eastern coastal state of Veracruz, and bring all those responsible to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Mexican newspaper faces harassment

Mexico City, May 12, 2016 – The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the increasing harassment of the Mexican daily newspaper Vanguardia and its staff. In recent weeks, Vanguardia’s website was attacked, police raided its owner’s ranch, a former local official sued the newspaper, and unknown men followed one of its reporters home, according…

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CPJ alarmed by WhatsApp block in Brazil

New York, May 2, 2016–The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned by a judicial order to block WhatsApp in Brazil for 72 hours. A judge ordered telecommunications companies to block the messaging application as of 2 p.m. local time today for failing to turn over data in a criminal investigation, according to press reports.

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CPJ highlights challenges to female journalists, reporter released from prison, CPJ hosts book talk

CPJ Newsletter: May edition CPJ publishes annual edition of Attacks on the Press On April 27, CPJ launched its annual publication of Attacks on the Press. This edition, which focuses on gender and media freedom worldwide, highlights the challenges faced by female journalists who fight to report the news against all odds. The book–and the…

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Compassion, Strength, Hugs

I am a hugger. Maybe it’s my Texas heritage, but the value of wrapping people in a warm embrace at the right time has stayed with me, like a hint of twang, in the 40 years since I left the state. And hugs have been just the right thing many times during the decades that…

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Heroines for Press Freedom

Late on the evening of September 16, 2000, 31-year-old Ukrainian investigative journalist Georgy Gongadze left a colleague’s house in Kiev and headed home to where his wife and young daughters awaited him. He never made it.

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The Progression of Hate

Even today, the words scribbled across the pages in angry ALL CAPS are hard to look at. “HOW DO YOU GET A NIGGER OUT OF A TREE? CUT THE ROPE!!” “BEFORE THIS WORLD ENDS, THERE WILL BE A RACE WAR…” “ALL YOU PEOPLE DO IS CRY BITCH WINE [sic], BITCH.” “HAVE YOU PLAYED THE RACE…

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Why a Troll Trolls

“Yeah… I went too far,” he said, which by most accounts would be an understatement. Among the Twitter comments this Internet troll posted to or about a female writer and activist were: “Rape her nice ass.” “I will find you.” “The police will do nothing.” The man, who agreed to be interviewed only under a…

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The Sadness of May the 25th

To rewrite one’s story, when it is so painful, feels like a kind of suicide. Psychologists would say that is part of a grieving process, helping close nefarious chapters in life. We, the victims of sexual violence, are often told that. But I think it would be more helpful to the goal of moving forward…

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Violence has spiked in Guerrero state, where Francisco Pacheco Beltrán was killed. Pictured, relatives protest the disappearance of 43 students in the state in 2014. (AP/Marco Ugarte)

Mexican reporter shot to death in Guerrero state

Mexico City, April 25, 2016 – Mexican journalist Francisco Pacheco Beltrán was shot to death in front of his home in the city of Taxco, Guerrero state, on Monday, according to local press reports. Pacheco was a reporter for several regional newspapers and a regular contributor to a radio station.

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