Head of USAGM removes firewall regulation aimed to protect editorial independence
Washington, D.C., October 27, 2020—The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned a move by the head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media to eliminate a regulation designed to protect editorial independence for the agency’s networks, including Voice of America. USAGM CEO Michael Pack said in a statement late yesterday that the regulation would be…
Media luminaries join the Committee To Protect Journalists annual awards to celebrate press freedom amid global turmoil
Actor Meryl Streep to honor lawyer Amal Clooney with CPJ’s Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award Award ceremony to be broadcast online on NBC, CBS and ABC November 19 at 8 p.m. EST. New York, Oct 27, 2020— In celebration of the resiliency of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists will honor four journalists from…
Iraqi judge issues arrest warrant for journalist Suadad al-Salhy
New York, October 23, 2020 – Iraqi authorities should drop the arrest warrant issued for journalist Suadad al-Salhy and allow the press to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, a judge at the Al-Karrada Investigative Court in Baghdad issued an arrest warrant for al-Salhy, a reporter for the Middle East Eye…
Argentine court charges journalist Daniel Santoro with illicit association, espionage
New York, October 21, 2020 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Argentine authorities to drop criminal charges against journalist Daniel Santoro and ensure criminal investigations do not threaten journalists’ ability to work. In a decision released this morning, Judge Alejo Ramos Padilla of the Federal Court of Dolores, in Buenos Aires province,…
CPJ calls for journalists’ safety to be protected amid Nigeria protests
New York, October 21, 2020–Nigerian authorities should ensure that journalists are able to do their jobs freely and safely while covering protests against police brutality in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. In recent days, local media have reported violence against protesters and journalists during the demonstrations in Nigeria, which began as…
CPJ to release annual Global Impunity Index
New York, October 19, 2020–The Committee to Protect Journalists will publish its annual list of countries where journalists are murdered regularly and their killers go free on October 28, 2020. The launch of the report, “Getting Away with Murder: CPJ’s 2020 Global Impunity Index” will mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against…
Thailand issues emergency decree, nationwide restrictions on press
Bangkok, October 15, 2020 — The Thai government should immediately drop its emergency decree restricting the ability of the press to cover protests, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At 4 a.m. today, the Thai government issued a decree limiting public assembly and instituting a nationwide ban on publishing and broadcasting news that could…
CPJ condemns Montenegro High Court conviction of investigative journalist Jovo Martinović
New York, October 8, 2020–Montenegro’s High Court in the capital, Podgorica, today found investigative journalist Jovo Martinović guilty in a retrial and sentenced him to one year in prison for drug trafficking, according to news reports; the court acquitted him of charges of criminal organization. Martinović, an investigative freelance journalist who covers organized crime, already…
Knight Foundation, other leadership donors award grants to CPJ’s capital campaign
October 7, 2020—With threats to press freedom mounting in the U.S. and around the world, the Knight Foundation has awarded the Committee to Protect Journalists a grant of $4 million to secure the organization’s future as it wages a relentless fight to support the work of journalists and defend their rights. Half of the Knight…
Egypt detains freelance journalist Basma Mostafa on false news, other charges
New York, October 5, 2020 – On October 3, state security forces arrested freelance journalist Basma Mostafa upon her arrival at a bus stop in the southern city of Luxor, where she had traveled to cover the alleged killing of a man, Ewais al-Rawy, during a police raid for the al-Manassa newspaper, according to her lawyer and husband Karim…