Syrian Facebook: Low-tech threats and high-tech scrutiny
Journalists and online news-gatherers have been struggling to collect and distribute high-quality information about recent events in Syria. Foreign journalists have been turned away at the border; local online reporters have been detained. The quality of Internet and mobile phone connectivity has been extremely variable, with reports of Net and phone connections being cut off…
Brazilian newspaper owner shot dead
New York, May 4, 2011–The Committee to Protect Journalists called today on local authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the killing of Brazilian newspaper owner and journalist Valério Nascimento, who was shot to death Tuesday outside his home in Rio Claro, Rio de Janeiro state.
CPJ Impact
News from the Committee to Protect Journalists, March 2011 Deadly and dangerous in the Middle East With more than 300 attacks on the media, ranging from detentions, obstruction of coverage, and threats to disappearances and killings, the wave of unrest sweeping across the Middle East has turned into an increasingly challenging story for local and…
At SXSW Interactive, theory and reality converge
I’ve just returned from a hectic week at SXSW Interactive, the annual gathering of digital technologists and creators in Austin, Texas. Conferences like this are often moments of isolation from the rest of the world, where attendees become consumed with the trivia of the event itself. But because many of those attending SXSWi are prolific…
Supreme Court tells Argentina to avoid bias in allocating ads
New York, March 4, 2011–The Committee to Protect Journalists hails a ruling by Argentina’s Supreme Court that calls for the omission of discriminatory criteria and “reasonable balance” in the allocation of state advertising. The ruling stems from a 2006 injunction filed by Editorial Perfil, the country’s largest magazine publisher, claiming arbitrary distribution of official advertising.
Sub-Saharan Africa censors Mideast protests
As news of Middle Eastern and North African protests swirl around the globe, satellite television and the Internet prove vital sources of information for Africans as governments fearful of an informed citizenry and a free press such as in Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, and Zimbabwe impose total news blackouts on the developments.
Is Taiwan’s media independence under threat?
As business relations develop between China and Taiwan, concerns are growing that Taiwan’s media freedom may be compromised. The culprits include some journalists themselves, promoting China to preserve their own business interests, and Taiwan’s Kuomintang (KMT) government, apparently attempting to exert control over the media through legislation.
CPJ skeptical of official line on Chinese reporter’s beating
New York, December 22, 2010–The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the vicious beating of reporter Sun Hongjie and doubts official reports that the attack occurred because of an online dispute with a social media acquaintance. Sun, a reporter for the Northern Xinjiang Morning Post (known locally at the Beijiang Morning Post) was attacked by a group…
Abuja Twitterers chronicle #Nigeriaat50 bomb explosions
A few minutes before deadly explosions ripped through Nigeria’s 50th Independence Day celebration in Abuja on Saturday, Twitter user Achonu Stanley wondered about darkening skies over the festivities: “Would the day be marred by rain? It has become cloudy and dark. Sorry for the thousands of people at Eagle Square.”