CPJ, others renew support for journalists in UK surveillance investigation
Berlin, February 28, 2024—As a court hearing opened on Wednesday into complaints that two British journalists were targeted by UK authorities with covert surveillance, the Committee to Protect Journalists, together with four other press freedom groups, renewed their support for the investigation. The investigation stems from complaints filed by investigative journalists Trevor Birney and Barry…
CPJ warns Assange extradition would be blow to press freedom
Washington, D.C., February 20, 2024—As the two-day hearing of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange’s appeal against extradition from Britain to the United States opened in London on Tuesday, the Committee to Protect Journalists warned that extraditing Assange would set a dangerous precedent for media freedom. “Assange’s lengthy legal battle could come to an end if the…
CPJ joins letter calling on British PM to protect journalists in the Israel-Gaza war
The Committee to Protect Journalists on Thursday joined eight other prominent press freedom organizations in sending a letter to British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak urging him to call for press freedom and journalists’ rights to be respected during the Israel-Gaza war. According to CPJ data, more journalists were killed in the first 10 weeks of…
‘Network abuse’: Attacks on 3 media sites involved services of US, UK firms
Cyberattackers used services of technology companies based in the U.S. and U.K. to target media sites from Somalia, Kosovo, and Turkmenistan, Qurium, a nonprofit hosting the sites, said Tuesday. Earlier this month, CPJ reported on how cyberattackers used a Nebraska company, RayoByte, in attempts to knock those same media sites offline, as well as at…
CPJ calls for transparency in UK investigation into journalist surveillance
New York, July 25, 2023 – British authorities should make public the findings of an investigation into allegations that Northern Ireland police surveilled journalists Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey in 2013 and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. “British authorities should ensure a thorough and transparent investigation into the…
UK police arrest journalist Rich Felgate while covering coronation protest
Berlin, May 12, 2023—British authorities should drop any criminal investigation into journalist Rich Felgate and ensure that members of the press can cover protests without fear of arrest, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On May 6, police arrested Felgate, a freelance journalist and documentary filmmaker, while he covered an environmental protest held during…
CPJ, press freedom groups express support for Guardian journalist Carole Cadwalladr following libel verdict
The Committee to Protect Journalists and 12 other international press freedom organizations reiterated their support on Wednesday for journalist Carole Cadwalladr after the U.K. Court of Appeal ruled in a libel lawsuit against her on February 28. Cadwalladr reports for the Guardian newspaper and its Sunday sister paper, the Observer. Millionaire businessman and political donor…
‘Don’t give up’: After fleeing overseas, Hong Kong journalists fight on
When Hong Kong journalist Matthew Leung covered a small protest in the northern English city of Manchester last October, little did he know it would become one of the biggest stories in his career—and unleash a diplomatic storm between China and Britain. His photographs, showing a group of men beating a Hong Kong pro-democracy protester…
How UK Online Safety Bill threatens encryption, secure communication, and reporting on migration
Does the image above, depicting the rescue of a child who attempted to reach the U.K. by sea, present the act of immigration in “a positive light”? It’s an absurd question, of course. It’s journalism – an effort to convey in visual terms the stark truth that tens of thousands of migrants and asylum-seekers try to get…
CPJ asks British authorities to strengthen protection for London-based Iran International staff
Washington, D.C., November 8, 2022—The Committee to Protect Journalists on Tuesday asked British authorities to strengthen their protection of threatened staff members of Iran International, a Persian-language news television channel based in London, and demanded that they hold Iranian authorities accountable for transnational crimes. “Time and again Iranian authorities have acted with impunity in attempting…