201

Bangkok, May 7, 2014–Vietnamese police in Hanoi arrested the founder of a popular blog and his assistant on Monday on accusations of disseminating anti-state articles, according to news reports. In 2007, blogger Nguyen Huu Vinh started the Ba Sam news website and aggregator, which often posted materials critical of the government and its policies, reports…

Journalism is increasingly mediated by the same digital tools to which we entrust the rest of our lives. In keeping with CPJ’s mission to enable and protect journalists wherever they find themselves under threat, we are pleased to announce the hire of Tom Lowenthal, our first staff technologist.

Will justice prevail over censorship and violence? Brazil is home to vibrant media, but journalists are regularly murdered with impunity and critical journalists are subject to legal actions that drain resources and censor important stories. During the 2014 World Cup, this contradiction will be on vivid display. Does Dilma Rousseff’s administration have the will and…

Introduction By Joel Simon For a long time, Brazil has been fighting to overcome its contradictions. The country features a dynamic, modern, and diverse economy—and some of the worst poverty in the hemisphere. It has been led by two successive Socialist governments, and yet retains one of the most skewed income distributions in the world.

1. In the government’s hands By Carlos Lauría Since June 2013, Brazil has been the scene of sporadic but huge anti-government demonstrations that have brought millions to the streets to protest an array of grievances, from fare increases for public transport to corruption and the use of public funds to host the coming soccer World…

Sidebar: Freedom of the press is still a work in progress By Fernando Rodrigues The street protests in Brazil in June 2013 received extensive news coverage. However, for the first time in years, attacks against journalists and media organizations also became a frequent topic in the press.

2. The vicious cycle of impunity By Sara Rafsky When the World Cup kicks off in Brazil in June, the government of President Dilma Rousseff will be celebrating the country’s emergence as a global powerhouse. The event, to be staged at sites across the country, will put the nation’s vast and diverse territory on display,…

Appendix: Journalists killed in Brazil since January 1, 2011 CPJ research has determined that at least 12 journalists have been killed in direct relation to their work since Dilma Rousseff was inaugurated as president on January 1, 2011. Another five have been killed in unclear circumstances, and CPJ continues to investigate those cases.