shutdowns independent media

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Commuters in Mumbai use their mobile phones as they wait at a bus stop with a telecom advertisement on July 10. The majority of India's internet users connect via their mobile devices. India recently adopted a rule that allows the government to temporarily shut down internet and telecommunications services in the event of an emergency. (Reuters/Shailesh Andrade)

India issues sweeping rule on internet shut-offs

New Delhi, August 31, 2017–Indian authorities should stop arbitrarily blocking the internet, and refrain from issuing regulations that give legal backing to frequent internet shutdowns in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Right Is Might

We have the laws and institutions to fight attempts at information control By David Kaye Yevgeny Zamyatin’s strikingly original 1920s Russian novel We gets read far less than its canonical English-language descendants, Brave New World and 1984. Yet George Orwell knew of and clearly drew from Zamyatin’s book in creating 1984. The homage-paying is obvious:…

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From Fledgling to Failed

Even as the country collapses, South Sudan’s government will brook no criticism By Jacey Fortin JUBA, South Sudan – The shooting began around 5:15 on a Friday afternoon. Dozens of journalists had gathered in the pressroom at the Presidential Palace–a walled compound also known as “J1”–in the capital city. Following a few days of rising…

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A 2007 election poster for Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Independent journalists in the country say the press is coming under pressure from her government. (AFP/Jewel Samad)

Mission Journal: Bangladeshi press reined in as Hasina exerts authority

Matiur Rahman Chowdhury has been the host of “Frontline,” a popular Bangla-language news show, for five years. Aired live three times a week, the show gained notoriety for bringing politicians, members of civil society, and journalists together to discuss current affairs. Chowdhury distinguished himself from many of his counterparts with his soft-spoken but firm demeanor…

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Hassan Rouhani and the Hope for More Freedom in Iran

The new president may have limited power to enact change, but the practical needs for communications technology may work in favor of a freer press. By D. Parvaz In his early months in office, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, pictured in Tehran June 17, 2013, focused primarily on foreign affairs. (Reuters/Fars News/Majid Hagdost)

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Drawing Fire

By Ivan KarakashianA Yemeni editor’s decision to reprint cartoons of Muhammad sparks government reprisals. Other cases abound.

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Iran Briefing: May 2000

New York, May 5, 2000 —When Iran’s top cleric, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, launched a scathing tirade against the country’s pro-reform newspapers on April 20, journalists braced for the inevitable showdown. On previous occasions when the supreme leader had excoriated the press, the conservative-dominated judiciary responded with remarkable swiftness, shutting down newspapers and hauling journalists to…

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CPJ Update:Censorship in Yugoslavia

March 31, 1999 — A systematic campaign of state censorship implemented since the onset of the NATO bombings has nearly silenced Yugoslavia’s independent media, previously among the most vocal opponents of President Slobodan Milosevic. Because of the fear of reprisal, many of CPJ’s sources in the Yugoslav media have requested that neither their names nor…

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