First Draft’s Aimee Rinehart on fact-checking coronavirus misinformation
While digital communication enables the public to receive critical information about the COVID-19 pandemic in real time, the same tools are enabling an “infodemic” of misinformation that “can hamper an effective public health response and create confusion and distrust,” according to the United Nations.
CPJ, 192 partner organizations urge UN Secretary General to take action to secure release of jailed journalists amid COVID-19
The #FreeThePress campaign, made up of 193 press freedom and human rights organizations and the more than 11,337 concerned citizens who signed the petition, urges the UN secretary general to take immediate action to secure the release of journalists jailed around the world whose lives are risk due to the spread of COVID-19.
Philippines orders ABS-CBN news network off the air
Bangkok, May 5, 2020 — Philippine authorities should allow the ABS-CBN network to resume broadcasting and should not let political considerations affect administrative decisions regarding media outlets’ licenses, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Missing Bangladeshi journalist Shafiqul Islam Kajol arrested after being found near Indian border
Washington, D.C., May 3, 2020–Police in Jessore, Bangladesh, should immediately release journalist Shafiqul Islam Kajol from custody and drop all charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Álvaro Navarro on covering COVID-19 in Nicaragua, Central America’s center of virus denial
Over the last two years–since protests and a government crackdown began in April 2018—Nicaraguan journalist Álvaro Navarro and his outlet, news website Artículo 66, have been a vital source of information for people looking for alternatives to the government’s discourse. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he and his team have been on the frontlines, reporting on…
CPJ, 73 media and rights groups urge Asian heads of state to release jailed journalists
Given that a staggering number of imprisoned journalists are held in jails across the Asian continent, CPJ and other groups call on leaders of these countries to release them at this time of grave public health concern.
CPJ, partners call for release of Beninese journalist Ignace Sossou on appeal
New York, April 27, 2020—Today the group of undersigned organizations called on authorities in Benin to immediately release imprisoned journalist Ignace Sossou on appeal and ensure that he does not continue to face undue risk of coronavirus exposure in ongoing detention.
Mission Journal: Journalists in India’s Uttar Pradesh say threat of attack or prosecution looms large
Also available in हिंदी में On March 26, two days after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a national lockdown to control the spreading of COVID-19, Hindi-language daily Jansandesh Times reported that a tribe in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh state, didn’t have enough to eat due to the sudden announcement and that children were eating grass.…
