In Colombia, disguises heighten press risk
A couple of weeks ago, the Colombian government admitted that during a daring hostage rescue mission–code-named Operation Check–one of its soldiers had disguised himself as a member of the Red Cross. Then last week, Juan Manuel Santos, Colombia’s defense minister, divulged that two of the soldiers had taken on the mantle of journalists. One posed…
News Wrap for 7/29/08
ESPN’s “Olympics Photo Wire” highlights China’s failure to meet basic press freedom standards with a shot of a foreign journalist working in Beijing. ESPN points out that despite promises to the contrary, many Internet sites will be censored or blocked, even for foreign reporters.The Guardian’s “Greenslade” blog takes a look at so-called tabloid journalism in…
Olympics-Chinese Media Watch: Silence on human rights, pollution reassurances
A report on human rights violations in China is being ignored in the government-controlled media. Human rights organization Amnesty International reported that China has failed to keep Olympic-related promises regarding the treatment of its citizens. The report highlights China’s high number of death penalty cases. Neither central nor provincial media cover the report today. But a handful of bloggers do.…
Chinese Media Watch begins today
We begin our Olympic coverage today with the first installment of CPJ’s Chinese Media Watch. CPJ consultant Kristin Jones will analyze news coverage in China each weekday until the Games conclude. Jones will assess the level to which the Chinese media are able to freely report the news, and the amount of government censorship being…
Olympics-Chinese Media Watch: Local journalists report bus explosion
Local Chinese journalists beat central government media to the scene of another bus explosion in the southwestern Chinese city of Kunming. Today’s explosion followed bus bomb blasts that killed two people in Kunming last week. Expect the official Xinhua News Agency to take over from here. Chinese officials have played down claims of responsibility for…
News Wrap for 7/28/08
The International Herald Tribune takes a looks at the recent murder of Cambodian journalist Khim Sambor, who worked for one of only two opposition papers operating in the Southeast Asian country. The article also examines the overall press freedom climate in Cambodia as the nation held presidential elections over the weekend. The burning of a…
At NABJ, questions arise about Senegalese president
Last week, the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) invited Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade to speak about global climate change at its annual Unity Convention in Chicago, dubbed “the world’s largest gathering of journalists of color.” NABJ’s description of Wade as “a leading spokesperson for democracy and development” hardly conceals his poor press freedom record…
Welcome to the CPJ Blog
We hope to keep you informed here about the latest news affecting journalists and press freedom. We’ll continue to issue our press releases, letters, and carefully researched reports, but this blog should be your first step for up-to-the-minute information. We’ll have firsthand accounts from our staff as they travel the world and brief reports from…