Egypt tests new censorship law with handling of al-Mashhad website block
Magdy Shandi, editor-in-chief of the Cairo-based independent newspaper al-Mashhad, planned to send 30 journalists to report from polling stations while votes were being cast in Egypt’s constitutional referendum between April 20 and April 22. He ended up ordering them to stay away, he told CPJ in a telephone interview in May. The state’s media regulator…
CPJ Insider: May edition
CPJ celebrates World Press Freedom Day Thank you to all of you who donated to CPJ on World Press Freedom Day! We certainly couldn’t do it without you. Your support has helped CPJ win convictions in journalist murders and the release of hundreds of journalists worldwide, including, just today, the two Reuters journalists who have…
Supreme Court could limit FOIA, curtail investigative reporting
It’s been over eight years since Jonathan Ellis, an investigative reporter at the Argus Leader, filed what he thought was a routine Freedom of Information Act request. He wanted five years of reimbursement data from the Agriculture Department (USDA) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)–a program that helps people with low incomes buy food from grocery…
Romanian investigative journalist Emilia Șercan receives death threats
New York, April 18, 2019 — Romanian authorities should conduct a swift investigation into the death threats levied against investigative journalist Emilia Șercan and ensure her safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
At least four more journalists arrested in Saudi crackdown
New York, April 8, 2019 — Saudi Arabian authorities must immediately release journalists Thumar al-Marzouqi, Bader al-Ibrahim, Mohammed al-Sadiq, and Abdullah al-Duhailan and stop their brazen campaign against the media, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
In Egypt, ‘freedom’ ends daily at 6pm for Shawkan and Abdelfattah
Relief over the release of Egyptian journalists Mahmoud Abou Zeid, known as Shawkan, and Alaa Abdelfattah from prison last month has been clouded by the conditions of their freedom. “I am happy to see your joy over my release, but I am unfortunately not free,” Abdelfattah wrote to his large following on social media yesterday.…
Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of March 24, 2019
Court dismisses trial of Paradise Papers reporter Pelin Ünker The trial of Pelin Ünker, a former reporter for the opposition daily Cumhuriyet, who faced charges related to her coverage of the Paradise Papers, was closed on March 28 after the judge ruled that the statute of limitations had expired, Medyascope reported. Ünker was accused of…
Libyan photojournalist killed by shelling during Tripoli clashes
New York, January 23, 2019–The killing of freelancer Mohamed Ben Khalifa in Libya underscores the dangers for photojournalists working in conflict zones, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Ben Khalifa, a photographer who contributed to outlets including The Associated Press, was killed during clashes south of Tripoli on January 19, according to news reports,…
Journalists assaulted and news website raided in Lebanon in December
Lebanese soldiers assaulted at least four journalists covering a protest in Beirut on December 23, 2018, according to news reports, the journalists’ employers, videos and pictures shared on social media by journalists, and the regional press freedom group Skeyes Center for Media and Cultural Freedom.
Hong Kong denies visa renewal for Financial Times editor
Taipei, October 5, 2018–Hong Kong’s immigration authorities declined to renew the visa of Victor Mallet, Financial Times’ Asia news editor and the vice-president of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club, according to a statement today from the Financial Times and other media reports. The rejection came after Mallet chaired a talk by pro-independence activist Andy Chan Ho-tin…