New US Justice Department guidelines on source protection ‘an important step to protect press freedom’
On Wednesday, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the revision of the Justice Department’s regulations to restrict federal prosecutors’ ability to obtain journalists’ phone and email records in government leak investigations with narrow exceptions. The Department of Justice said this decision codifies Garland’s July 2021 policy change to extend the protections. “This is an important…
Zero-click surveillance and press freedom: When spyware turns phones into weapons
It’s The Torch’s fourth anniversary! Sign up here to get the newsletter in your inbox. CPJ released a new report Thursday, “Zero-click Spyware: Enemy of the press,” about how zero-click surveillance threatens reporters, sources, and global press freedom. The report explains the insidious nature of spyware, its existential threat to journalists, and how it has…
Special report: When spyware turns phones into weapons
How zero-click surveillance threatens reporters, sources, and global press freedom By Fred Guterl Published October 13, 2022 Aida Alami has always been wary of surveillance. As a journalist from Morocco, a state with a track record of intercepting phone calls and messages of political rivals, activists, and journalists, she habitually took precautions to protect her…
CPJ, Knight Institute file FOIA for U.S. intelligence report on murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi
Just a few days after the grim four year anniversary of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University and CPJ Thursday filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the CIA, and…
#MahsaAmini: Iranian security forces step up arrests of journalists as anti-state protests spread
In Iran, at least 11 journalists were taken into custody this week as clashes between security forces and protesters have left many dead, CPJ has learned from reliable sources inside Iran. Details of those arrested are sparse amid a near-total internet blackout and reports of major disruptions to phone networks and social media networks. The…
People’s Tribunal on the Murder of Journalists Convicts Mexico, Sri Lanka and Syria
The Hague, September 20, 2022 – The independent panel of judges of the People’s Tribunal pronounced its judgment yesterday in a trio of cases of murdered journalists. The unanimous verdict concluded that “throughout their acts and omissions including the lack of investigations, the lack of reparation to the victims, and full impunity, the states of…
People’s Tribunal on the Murder of Journalists pronounces judgment in The Hague
The Hague, September 13, 2022 – In an unprecedented effort to achieve justice for the killing of journalists, three leading press freedom groups launched a People’s Tribunal in November 2021 to hold governments accountable. After three case hearings in Mexico City and the Hague, the independent Panel of Judges will pronounce its judgment on 19…
CPJ Insider: September 2022 edition
Covering the Amazon: Q&A with Renata Neder, CPJ’s Brazil representative Environmental reporting can be dangerous and traumatic for journalists. Whether covering wildfires or flash floods or reporting from remote areas where there is environmental destruction or drug trafficking, journalists face numerous threats on the beat. We spoke with CPJ’s Brazil representative, Renata Neder, about the…
Deadliest country for journalists in Western Hemisphere: Killings continue unabated in Mexico amid a climate of impunity
At least 13 journalists were killed in Mexico in the first eight months of 2022, the highest number CPJ has ever documented in the country in a single year. In a country characterized by corruption and organized crime, it’s unclear how many were targeted directly because of their work. “That is a crisis of press freedom that…
In 2022, journalist killings continue unabated in Mexico amid a climate of impunity
At least 13 journalists have been killed in Mexico in the first eight months of 2022, the highest number the Committee to Protect Journalists has ever documented in the country in a single year. In a country characterized by corruption and organized crime, it’s unclear how many were targeted directly because of their work. CPJ…