CPJ Insider: May 2022 edition
Today is World Press Freedom Day! For over two months now, the invasion of Ukraine has dominated the news, and much of CPJ’s work has been dedicated to supporting journalists covering the war. From disbursing safety information in Ukrainian, Russian, and English, working to coordinate the distribution of personal protective gear, or providing first aid…
UK court brings Julian Assange one step closer to extradition; CPJ calls on US Justice Department to drop charges
A London court on Wednesday ordered the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States. The decision brings Assange one step closer to facing espionage and hacking charges in the U.S., but the extradition still needs to be approved by a British cabinet minister, and Assange’s defense can appeal to her directly. CPJ…
Two Ukrainian journalists’ bodies found in Bucha and Yahidne after Russian withdrawal
After Russian withdrawal, Ukrainian journalists found killed: video technician Roman Nezhyborets’ body was found buried in the northern Ukrainian village of Yahidne, and freelance journalist Zoreslav Zamoysky’s body was found in Bucha, near the capital of Kyiv. Local Ukrainians found the bodies after Russian forces withdrew from those areas. More from CPJ’s coverage of the…
Indian authorities arrest journalist Nilesh Sharma, re-arrest Fahad Shah
New Delhi, March 9, 2022 – Authorities in Chhattisgarh state and the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir region must immediately release journalists Nilesh Sharma and Fahad Shah and drop all investigations launched based on their journalistic work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On March 2, police in Chhattisgarh’s capital Raipur arrested Sharma, editor of…
Reporting on, and living through, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Local and international journalists in Ukraine are risking their lives to report the news as Russia’s invasion continues. Russian forces have shelled a TV broadcast tower in Kyiv, in an attack that killed five people including journalist Yevhenii Sakun. Journalists are considered civilians, and the bombing may constitute a violation of international humanitarian law. Separately,…
Indian authorities arrest journalists Kishor Ram and Fahad Shah
New Delhi, March 1, 2022 – Authorities in Uttarakhand and Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir must release journalists Kishor Ram and Fahad Shah immediately and cease arresting members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On February 23, police in the northern state of Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh district arrested Ram, a reporter with the…
Ukrainian journalists prepping for possible war
As world leaders scramble to stave off a Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukraine’s press corps also prepare for possible war. Journalists in the country spoke to CPJ about the current dangers they face, including risk of arrests and kidnapping while covering Donbass and Crimea, and their fears of communication blackouts and internet shutdowns if tensions…
Women journalists in India feel more at risk after ‘auction’ apps worsen online abuse
Fatima Khan had just returned home from a reporting assignment when she discovered she’d become of more than 100 women listed as being “for sale” in the notorious app Bulli Bai. The site, named by combining a vulgar, derogatory slang for Muslim women (bulli) with the Hindi word for female servant (bai), operated by pulling…
CPJ Insider: February 2022 edition
CPJ on press freedom in the US: Behind the scenes with Katherine Jacobsen In January, CPJ published “‘Night and day’: The Biden administration and the press,” a special report written by former Washington Post executive editor Leonard Downie, Jr. The report, which featured interviews with media experts, journalists, and government leaders, found that while President…
Dozens of El Salvador journalists targeted with Pegasus spyware
In one of the most widespread known uses of Pegasus spyware to surveil journalists in the world, a forensic analysis of dozens of phones in El Salvador found that devices belonging to 35 people, mostly members of the press, were infected with between July 2020 and November 2021. “Suspecting you’ve been targeted isn’t the same…