Attacks on the Press 2009: Sri Lanka
Top Developments• Editor murdered, broadcaster bombed, reporters assaulted.• Columnist convicted of terrorism for his writing. Key Statistic 0: Number of convictions in 10 journalist murders since 1992. On May 19, the government formally declared a victory in its 26-year civil war with the secessionist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which had claimed territory for…
Attacks on the Press 2009: Thailand
Top Developments• Amid partisan conflict, media owner is target of failed assassination.• Heavily used lese majeste laws criminalize criticism of royal family. Key Statistic 2,000: Web sites blocked by government for violating lese majeste laws. Thai media were caught in the middle of a political conflict that entered its fourth year of destabilizing antigovernment street…
Attacks on the Press 2009: United States
Top Developments • Authorities hold Iraqi journalist without charge or due process. • Obama, Congress send encouraging messages on press freedom Key Statistic 10: Days that U.S. immigration officials detained a VOA reporter during a visa dispute. The administration made encouraging statements in support of press freedom—including remarks by President Barack Obama on World Press…
Attacks on the Press 2009: Vietnam
Top Developments• Bloggers face regular harassment and detention.• Government conducts extensive online censorship. Key Statistic 300: Number of cybercafés outfitted with software tracking visits to banned Web sites. While maintaining its tight grip on traditional news media, the government intensified its already significant controls over the Internet with new restrictions on content and heightened monitoring of…
Attacks on the Press 2009: Asia Developments
ATTACKS ON THE PRESS: 2009 • Main Index ASIA Regional Analysis: • As fighting surges,so does danger to press Maguindanao: • Makings of a Massacre Country Summaries • Afghanistan • Burma • China • Nepal • North Korea • Pakistan • Philippines • Sri Lanka • Thailand • Vietnam • Other developments BANGLADESH India’s Border…
Protective bylines, and why they’re necessary
I’ve been writing a lot recently about the urgent need to protect journalists in Afghanistan and Pakistan (a string of links is at the bottom of this entry). While neither country has become as dangerous as, say, Iraq at the height of the conflict, conditions are getting more dangerous for reporters. And very often, it…
An update on the Karachi double bombing
On February 5, I blogged about three vicious bomb blasts in Pakistan in the previous two days—“one in Lower Dir that wounded three reporters on Thursday, and Friday’s double attack in Karachi that we’re still investigating.” I argued that media companies in Pakistan must start taking responsibility for protecting their employees in the field. I had…
Rebecca MacKinnon, Ahmed Rashid, and María Teresa Ronderos join CPJ board
New York, December 21, 2009—The Committee to Protect Journalists announced the addition of three leading journalists to its board of directors today: Rebecca MacKinnon of Global Voices, Ahmed Rashid, journalist and scholar, and María Teresa Ronderos of Semana.com.