Frontline diary: A day in the life of a Ukraine war correspondent
Ruslan Smieshchuk, a reporter for privately owned Ukrainian TV channel Inter, had long dreamed of being a war correspondent when he covered his first conflict, the 2008 Russia-Georgia war, for local Odessa TV channel ATV. Now he hopes that the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war will be his last battlefield assignment. “War is a lot of pain and grief,” he told CPJ. The 38-year-old…
CPJ joins letter calling on Romanian authorities to hasten investigation into harassment of journalist Emilia Șercan
In a joint letter addressed to Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă and other government officials on Tuesday, June 28, the Committee to Protect Journalists and seven international press freedom organizations expressed their deep concerns over delays in the investigation into harassment of investigative journalist Emilia Șercan. Since January, Șercan has received threatening emails and social media messages, and…
‘Disastrous for press freedom’: What Russia’s goal of an isolated internet means for journalists
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine presents a danger not only for reporters operating in the war zone. The campaign could also pose a broader threat to press freedoms and other civil liberties if it brings the Kremlin closer to its dream of creating a domestically controlled internet. Russia’s internet regulator, Rozkomnadzor, has long been able to…
As Russia’s war in Ukraine drags on, Ukrainian journalists get help from Polish colleagues
On a recent April morning in Warsaw, Joanna Krawczyk was sitting inside a café in the city center, her phone pinging nonstop. The head of Wyborcza Foundation, a Polish media support initiative, Krawczyk was fielding messages from colleagues coordinating the passage of a truckload of reporting equipment from Poland to Ukraine. “It’s like a rotating menu…
Some Ukrainian journalists are leaving the media for the military in the name of patriotism
Russia’s war in Ukraine, now in its third month, has already claimed an alarming number of journalists’ lives: at least seven killed in crossfire while reporting and at least six more who died in circumstances that CPJ continues to investigate. There are at least 10 more names that do not appear on CPJ’s list of journalists killed…
CPJ joins call expressing concern over EU draft legislation that threatens encryption
On May 12, 2022, the Committee to Protect Journalists joined dozens of free expression groups, technology organizations, and individuals in a statement expressing concern over legislation proposed by the European Commission that could threaten digital encryption. The legislation, known as the Regulation on Child Sexual Abuse, which the commission proposed on May 11, would compel…
CPJ joins call to strengthen EU European Media Freedom Act
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 16 other press and free expression organizations in a letter to European commissioners on May 9, or Europe Day, calling on them to ensure that the proposed European Media Freedom Act defends press freedom and independence. The letter calls for the European Commission to expand the EMFA beyond basic…
Council of Europe publishes annual report on press freedom
On April 27, 2022, the Council of Europe Platform for the Protection of Journalism and the Safety of Journalists, a body comprising 15 international media and free expression groups including the Committee to Protect Journalists, published its annual report on the status of press freedom in Europe. The report, “Defending Press Freedom in Times of…
CPJ joins call for Greek authorities to investigate surveillance of journalist Thanasis Koukakis
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined six other international press freedom organizations in an open letter on April 22, 2022, calling on Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and other government officials to conduct a full and transparent investigation into the surveillance of journalist Thanasis Koukakis. From July to September 2021, Koukakis, a financial editor for…
CPJ joins call for Romanian authorities to investigate harassment of journalist Emilia Șercan
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined nine international press freedom organizations in an open letter on April 14, 2022, calling on Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă and other government officials to conduct a swift and independent investigation into the harassment of investigative journalist Emilia Șercan. Since January, Șercan has received threatening emails and social media…