shutdowns independent media

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CPJ’s #FreeThePress campaign highlighted several jailed journalists. (Photos: Various)

Year in review: The state of press freedom in 2019

This year, journalists worldwide faced attacks, arrests, and censorship. In September, we released our annual 10 Most Censored list, highlighting the range of online and offline techniques used to censor journalism and restrict press freedom. Meanwhile, protests in over two dozen countries posed risks to members of the press. Journalists faced threats while covering civil…

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A group of Venezuelan SEBIN security forces are seen in Caracas on May 16, 2018. SEBIN agents recently shut down two news outlets in a money laundering investigation. (AP/Fernando Llano)

Venezuelan intelligence services raid, shutter news outlets Venepress and Telecaribe

Bogotá, December 20, 2019 — Venezuelan authorities must immediately allow local news outlets Telecaribe and Venepress to resume their work informing the public and cease their harassment of independent media, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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A June 5, 2019, photo shows a "media interview area" for reporters set up near the Idkah mosque on the morning of Eid al-Fitr, when Muslims around the world celebrate the end of Ramadan, in Kashgar, in China's northwestern Xinjiang region. China was the world’s leading jailer of journalists in 2019, with at least 48 in prison. (AFP/Greg Baker)

China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt are world’s worst jailers of journalists

For the fourth consecutive year, at least 250 journalists are imprisoned globally as authoritarians like Xi Jinping, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Mohammed bin Salman, and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi show no signs of letting up on the critical media. A CPJ special report by Elana Beiser

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Police officers are seen in Cairo, Egypt, on September 21, 2019. Police recently arrested several journalists covering protests in Cairo and other cities, and authorities blocked news websites and Facebook Messenger. (AFP/Mohamed el-Shahed)

Egypt authorities arrest 3 journalists, block websites amid anti-government protests

Washington, D.C., September 23, 2019 — Egyptian authorities must release any journalists arrested covering protests and stop restricting access to news and social media websites, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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10 Most Censored Countries

Repressive governments use sophisticated digital censorship and surveillance alongside more traditional methods to silence independent media. A special report by the Committee to Protect Journalists. Published September 10, 2019 Eritrea is the world’s most censored country, according to a list compiled by the Committee to Protect Journalists. The list is based on CPJ’s research into the…

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CPJ calls on SADC heads of state to prioritize press freedom and the safety of journalists

CPJ writes to the executive secretary and heads of state of the Southern African Development Community ahead of the 39th Ordinary Summit, urging them to prioritize press freedom and the safety of journalists in SADC.

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CPJ Insider: August 2019 edition

CPJ awardee Zaffar Abbas: The Pakistani government has decided ‘to kill journalism’ Pressure campaigns by press freedom groups are a vital line of defense against a rapidly deteriorating environment for independent media in Pakistan under Prime Minister Imran Khan, said Zaffar Abbas, the editor of Dawn and CPJ’s 2019 Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award winner,…

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CPJ Insider: July edition

CPJ summit spotlights journalist murders, press freedom climate in Mexico CPJ held a summit on press freedom in Mexico on June 18 with an array of local partners that engaged more than 400 journalists, activists, and government officials in frank conversations about how to tackle an epidemic of journalist murders and improve the media climate…

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Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama speaks to the media outside a polling station near Tirana on June 30. A press freedom mission raised several issues with Rama last month, including unresolved attacks on journalists and draconian laws. (Reuters/Florion Goga)

Albania’s journalists tread fine line when covering organized crime, politics

The intersection of organized crime, corruption and politics in Albania is impacting the country’s press. During a joint mission by a coalition of press freedom organizations to Tirana in June, CPJ Europe Correspondent Attila Mong spoke with journalists about challenges including threats, attacks, political interference, and legal harassment.

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Supporters of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido attend a rally in Caracas on May 1, 2019. (Reuters/Carlos Garcia Rawlins)

Venezuelan authorities restrict internet, block outlets amid unrest

Miami, May 1, 2019–The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Venezuelan authorities to refrain from restricting access to the internet, social media services, and news outlets in the country during widespread protests and political unrest.

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