How CPJ is working to ensure journalists can protect themselves
Last week, the Committee to Protect Journalists’ Internet Advocacy team was in Valencia, Spain, for the first Circumvention Tech Festival: a mashup of journalists, activists, technologists, and human rights defenders united by a desire to fight censorship and surveillance. More than 500 registered participants from 40 countries shared their skills, strategies, and experiences in combating…
#FreeThePress
Press Uncuffed #FreeThePress Spotlight Please help spread the word Press Uncuffed is a campaign CPJ ran in partnership with students from the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism in 2015 and early 2016 to raise awareness of imprisoned journalists and to call for their release. The students, led by Knight chair in public…
#FreeThePress: Jason Rezaian
Press Uncuffed #FreeThePress Spotlight Medium: Print, Internet Charge: Anti-State Imprisoned: July 22, 2014 Jason Rezaian Iran RELEASED Jason Rezaian was released from prison on January 16, 2016 as part of a prisoner swap deal, according to a report in The Washington Post that said U.S. and Iranian officials had confirmed his release. Rezaian, correspondent for…
Photographer Serhiy Nikolayev killed by shelling in Ukraine
New York, March 2, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the Ukrainian government and pro-Russian separatists to ensure the safety of journalists covering the conflict in east Ukraine after photographer Serhiy Nikolayev was reported to have been killed by shelling on Saturday. The Ukrainian photographer, who worked for Kiev-based daily Segodnya, was covering fighting…
In fight against extremism, press freedom must not be compromised
In an effort to counter extremists and militant groups who use a mix of violence and social media to spread their message, a summit was held in Washington, D.C. this week to discuss how to counter violent extremism. While there is little denying that these groups must be tackled, an approach must be found that…
News from the Committee to Protect Journalists, January 2015
Putting Charlie Hebdo in context When masked gunmen raided the office of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on January 7, killing 12 people including eight journalists, the media turned to the Committee to Protect Journalists to put the attack in context and comment on the repercussions for press freedom worldwide. CPJ’s experts and directors gave…
After Charlie Hebdo attack, vigils, protests and publishing bans
Protests against the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo were held in Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Middle East and parts of Africa over the weekend, as crowds demonstrated against the magazine’s portrayal of the Prophet Muhammad, according to news reports.
Journalist flees Argentina after reporting on prosecutor’s death
New York, January 26, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned that Argentine journalist Damián Pachter fled the country early Saturday out of concern for his safety, according to news reports. Pachter broke the news on January 18 that Alberto Nisman, a prosecutor investigating the 1994 terrorist attack on Jewish cultural center AMIA, had been…
Classifying media and encryption as a threat is danger to press freedom
The U.K. prides itself on its commitment to free expression, but the latest revelations of surveillance of journalists and calls by Britain’s Prime Minister, David Cameron, to ban secure messaging belie the country’s drift toward a more restrictive environment for the press. The revelations further underscore the threat surveillance by Western democracies poses to journalism,…
CPJ welcomes Risen decision, calls on Holder to ensure journalists are not forced to reveal sources
New York, January 13, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the decision on Monday by the United States Department of Justice to withdraw its subpoena of New York Times reporter James Risen and calls on the Department of Justice to enact guarantees that journalists will not face similar legal action related to confidential sources in…