Police open criminal investigation into Indian journalist Vishweshwar Bhat
On May 26, 2019, Bengaluru police opened a criminal investigation into Vishweshwar Bhat, the editor-in-chief of privately owned Kannada-language newspaper Vishwavani, after a complaint was filed against him by a member of the state’s ruling Janata Dal (Secular) party, according to Indian news portal The News Minute.
Police raid Australian Broadcasting Corporation headquarters, seize documents over Afghanistan reports
New York, June 5, 2019 — The Committee to Protect Journalists strongly condemns the Australian Federal Police raid on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation headquarters in Sydney today and called on authorities to immediately return any documents or other property seized. In a statement, police said the raid was related to an investigation into the publication…
Australian police raid home of Sunday Telegraph journalist Annika Smethurst
New York, June 4, 2019–Australian Federal Police today raided the Canberra home of Annika Smethurst, a politics editor for the Sunday Telegraph, and searched her property, computer, and cellphone, according to news reports. In a statement, police said the search warrant was part of an investigation into the alleged leak of national security information. In…
Pakistani reporter Gohar Wazir detained in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after covering Pashtun demonstrations
Washington, D.C., May 28, 2019–Pakistani authorities should immediately and unconditionally release Gohar Wazir, a reporter with private satellite TV station Khyber News, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Nepal government proposes bills that endanger press freedom
May 23, 2019, New York — The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed concern about measures proposed by Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli’s government in the Federal Parliament of Nepal that threaten press freedom, and urged legislators and the government to amend the proposals in accordance with civil society and media recommendations.
Results of India’s election climate for journalist safety are in
Journalists across India are at risk of physical and digital attack in retaliation for their reporting. And during election campaigns, these dangers can increase. As the country went to the polls in recent weeks, CPJ’s India correspondent Kunal Majumder traveled to Guwahati, Imphal, Agartala, Raipur, Bijapur, and Hyderabad to present CPJ’s election safety kit to…
Q&A: Taiwan’s digital minister on combatting disinformation without censorship
Audrey Tang prefers precise language. During an interview, Taiwan’s minister without portfolio – Tang’s name card simply says “digital minister” – makes a swift correction when we mention the term “fake news.” The preferred term is “disinformation” because, Tang says, it has a legal definition in Taiwan: “That is to say, intentional, harmful untruth, and…
Rappler-CIA plot claim is attempt to cut funding, Philippine journalists say
First were the politically motivated state charges that funding provided to the news website Rappler by a U.S. philanthropic foundation represented a violation of constitutional provisions barring foreign control or ownership of Philippine media.