Americas

  
Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes denies that his government has engaged in negotiations with gangs to lower the rate of homicides. (AP/Luis Romero)

El Salvador government pledges to protect El Faro

“El Salvador is committed to guaranteeing the safety of El Faro and its staff so they can continue their investigative work,” David Rivas, spokesman for President Mauricio Funes Cartagena, told CPJ in a recent phone conversation. The government’s pledge came after groundbreaking reporting by the digital newspaper about secret negotiations in which local gangs, known…

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Peruvian journalist’s defamation conviction overturned

New York, April 2, 2012–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes a recent decision by a Peruvian appeals court to overturn the criminal defamation conviction against a journalist who reported on local corruption.

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In Mexico, two media outlets attacked within a week

New York, March 27, 2012–Mexican authorities must investigate attacks on a newspaper and TV station in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas and ensure the offices and its staff members are protected, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Both attacks occurred within the space of one week.

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Venezuelan court ruling limits coverage of water quality

New York, March 26, 2012–The decision by a Venezuelan court to forbid the press from reporting on issues of water contamination without using a government-approved report is a clear attempt by authorities to censor critical information, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Defining who is a journalist, Mexican style

This month, the Mexican Senate approved an amendment to the country’s constitution that would make attacks on journalists a federal crime in Mexico.

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Ahmed Rashid on U.S. policy in South Asia

At Columbia University on Monday evening, CPJ board member Ahmed Rashid held forth to a full house in a conversation with Steve Coll about U.S. foreign policy in Afghanistan and Pakistan. If you’re reading this blog, there’s most likely no need to explain who Rashid is–or Coll, for that matter. The earliest reference I could…

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Salvadoran news website threatened for its reporting

New York, March 21, 2012–The editor of the Salvadoran news website El Faro says his staff members have been followed after the site reported on a criminal network involving politicians. In addition, he said a senior government official told the staff last week that gang members were angered by coverage of alleged ties between law enforcement…

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Colombian radio journalist killed by gunman

New York, March 16, 2012–A Colombian radio journalist was shot dead by an unidentified gunman on Thursday, according to news reports. 

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Bolivian journalist sentenced to prison for defamation

New York, March 15, 2012–A Bolivian journalist who wrote about government corruption was found guilty of defamation by a criminal court in La Paz on Wednesday and sentenced to 30 months in prison. 

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Days before the Senate approved the amendment, CPJ's Carlos Lauría met with Sen. José González Morfín, right, to speak about the risks that Mexican journalists face. (Ignacio González Anaya)

Mexican Senate backs federalizing anti-press crimes

New York, March 13, 2012–The Committee to Protect Journalists hails the Mexican Senate’s landmark approval today of a constitutional amendment that, if passed by a majority of states, would federalize anti-press crimes and transfer investigative powers to national authorities.

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