Al-Arabiya news team missing in the Philippines
CPJ is monitoring with concern the news coverage of Baker Abdulla Atyani, a Pakistan-based Jordanian Al-Arabiya TV journalist, and his two Philippine crew members, Rolando Letrero and Ramelito Vela, who have been unaccounted for since June 12. Atyani, Letrero, and Vela left their hotel in Jolo, in the southern Philippines, to interview a commander for…
Journalists in exile 2012
Crisis in East Africa Fifty-seven journalists fled their country in the past year, with Somalia sending the greatest number into exile. Journalists also fled Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Rwanda–mostly for Kenya and Uganda. Exiles in East Africa must grapple with poverty and fear. A CPJ special report by María Salazar-Ferro and Tom Rhodes
Brazil restates commitment to press freedom, UN plan
CPJ has received an encouraging letter from Ambassador Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, Brazil’s permanent representative to the United Nations, affirming the country’s support for the UNESCO-led U.N. Plan of Action for Security of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity.
One year later: Saleem Shahzad’s case is buried
On May 21 this year, a military court convicted three Pakistani naval officers of negligence and dereliction of duty for their actions during an attack on the main naval airbase in the heart of Karachi on May 22, 2011. After the incident had ended, the military said 10 security guards were killed, two aircraft were…
Cameron and Gilani should discuss journalist security
Dear Prime Minister Cameron: As you begin your meetings with Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to review the Pakistan-U.K. Enhanced Strategic Dialogue, we would like to draw your attention to concerns regarding the protection of journalists in Pakistan. CPJ data show that the country has been ranked the deadliest in the world for journalists for two consecutive years. This year, Pakistan also placed 10th on CPJ’s Impunity Index, which spotlights countries where journalists are regularly murdered and their killers go free.
CPJ Impact
News from the Committee to Protect Journalists, April 2012CPJ launches Journalist Security Guide CPJ launched the Journalist Security Guide recently, which provides reporters with concrete steps to minimize the dangers of digital and physical reporting. In the guide, Danny O’Brien, CPJ’s Internet advocacy coordinator, and Frank Smyth, CPJ’s senior security consultant, discuss the threats facing journalists…
Natural Disasters
Earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, tsunamis, cyclones, monsoons, volcanic eruptions, fires, avalanches, and landslides can all strike with little or no warning. Breakdowns in communication, transportation, and power should be expected. The ability to either report or disseminate information may also be impaired.
Health Epidemics and Mass Hazards
Outbreaks of the Ebola virus in Central Africa, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS coronavirus, in Asia, the H1N1 virus in tropical and other regions of the world, and cholera in Haiti are all examples of health epidemics that severely tested news media. Events involving bioterrorism as well as chemical and radiation emergencies pose…
Sustained Risks
Many of the risks described in this guide are specific to a particular assignment. But critical journalists working in repressive or hostile environments often face routine harassment and constant threat. Consider the groups most responsible for murdering journalists in recent decades worldwide. Anti-government groups, including terrorists, are responsible for nearly one-third of all journalist murders,…