Legacy of Rwanda genocide includes media restrictions, self-censorship
Twenty years after massacres, Rwanda stable but its media restricted The Rwandan government has taken great strides in bringing stability to the country since the 1994 genocide that claimed 800,000 lives, but moves to allow greater press freedom have been slow. While government control of the media has loosened, many journalists remain fearful that the…
Algerian journalist held for more than a year without charge
New York, November 14, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the imprisonment of Algerian journalist Abdelhai Abdessamia, who has been held since August 18, 2013. News of Abdessamia’s imprisonment was reported by his family in early November, according to news reports.
For journalists coming into US, policies border on the absurd
I was only supposed to be in Miami for the briefest of layovers. I was en route to San Francisco from São Paulo in Brazil, where I had participated in the NETMundial Conference on Internet governance along with hundreds of members of civil society, technology executives, journalists, and government officials. It was going to be…
Press freedom and the Olympic movement
The guiding document of the Olympic movement is the Olympic Charter, a 105-page compendium of rules and regulations, but also principles and ideals that go far beyond sports. For example, the Olympic Games are intended to foment “respect for universal fundamental ethical principles, non-discrimination, and the educational value of good example.” Under the Charter, host…
In Ebola-stricken countries, authorities and journalists should work together
The Ebola crisis in West Africa is unrelenting, and journalists on the frontline of reporting on the virus are caught between authorities wanting to control how the outbreak is reported, and falling victim to the disease themselves.
Eight days in Hong Kong: Laura Poitras on documenting Snowden for ‘Citizenfour’
The world premiere of Laura Poitras’s highly anticipated documentary “CITIZENFOUR” at the New York Film Festival occurred with the appropriate amount of intrigue for a film about last year’s dramatic revelations of the National Security Agency’s surveillance programs. The press and premiere screenings were clocked to begin simultaneously on Friday so no breaking news could…
Undercover in Vietnam: Room for debate frees up but bloggers remain imprisoned
In the final part of CPJ’s “Undercover in Vietnam” series on press freedom in Vietnam, Southeast Asia Representative Shawn Crispin reveals how prominent blogger Nguyen Van Hai remains behind bars for his critical writing despite the margin for debate opening. The series concludes with recommendations for the Vietnamese government and international bodies. Incarcerated for the…
Undercover in Vietnam: Reporters become martyrs for their paper’s cause
In the second of CPJ’s four-part “Undercover in Vietnam” series on press freedom in Vietnam, CPJ Southeast Asia Representative Shawn Crispin reveals the persecution faced by Redemptorist News journalists, who have been jailed, harassed, and had their passports revoked for reporting on human rights. In part three, due to be published Monday, Crispin interviews a…
Undercover in Vietnam: Bloggers play risky game of cat-and-mouse to report
In the first of a four-part “Undercover in Vietnam” series on press freedom in Vietnam, CPJ Southeast Asia Representative Shawn Crispin explores the risks bloggers take so they can cover news events and protests. Under near-constant surveillance and with the threat of arbitrary detention hanging over them, the desire for an independent press drives Vietnam’s…
Journalists investigating deaths of Russian soldiers are threatened and attacked
Journalists investigating the deaths of Russian soldiers that news reports claimed were killed during Russia’s alleged involvement in Ukraine’s conflict have been targeted in a series of attacks since late August, according to a press freedom group. Russia has denied that its soldiers were involved in the conflict, but journalists who spoke to the Committee…