CPJ Insider: July 2022 edition
CPJ opens the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Press Freedom Center in New York In early June, CPJ held its grand opening of The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Press Freedom Center, the site of our global headquarters in New York. The new space will serve as a convening hub for…
Human remains found in search for missing journalist Dom Phillips and Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira in Brazil
CPJ is deeply saddened by reports indicating that British journalist Dom Phillips and Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira were killed while working in the Amazon and urges Brazilian authorities to ensure a timely forensic analysis and, if their deaths are confirmed, bring all those responsible to justice. “Their loved ones, colleagues, and the public deserve to…
Ukrainian journalist Mykola Pastukh seriously injured by shelling in eastern Ukraine
Paris, June 2, 2022 — Russian and Ukrainian authorities must ensure the safety of journalists reporting on the war in Ukraine and investigate the shelling that seriously injured Ukrainian fixer and documentarian Mykola Pastukh, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On May 28, Russian forces shelled the eastern city of Lysychansk, in the Luhansk…
Ethiopia cracks down on journalists and media workers
On May 20, Indian journalist Subhash Kumar Mahto was shot dead in Bihar state. Mahto was a reporter with a local cable station City News, and frequently used Public App, a hyperlocal smartphone-based video application, to post his reports. Saurabh Kumar, general secretary of Begusarai District Journalists Association, told CPJ that the attack could be…
#NotATarget: Ahead of World Press Freedom Day, CPJ renews call for protection of journalists in Ukraine
On Wednesday, CPJ welcomed the European Commission’s “decisive” move to pass an initiative addressing the abuse of SLAPPs (strategic lawsuits against public participation). CPJ has long advocated for the EU to address SLAPPs, which are abusive lawsuits filed by powerful officials, businesspeople, or corporations against individuals, including critical journalists or news outlets, to restrict or…
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…
Opinion: How the West can help the media victims of Putin’s war
Russia’s independent journalists are fleeing. That’s not only a tragedy for Russians but also for the rest of us who need to know what the increasingly isolated leader of a nuclear superpower is doing. Since sending tanks into Ukraine on February 24, President Vladimir Putin has threatened to jail anyone who dares question the invasion…
Opinion: The dilemma facing journalists covering the Beijing Olympics
I don’t envy journalists from around the world who are entering China to cover the Beijing Olympics, held February 4 to 20. Perhaps never in history have the rules of the road for covering the games been so murky and the potential dangers so great for journalists who step over an as-yet-undefined red line that…
China finds new ways to intimidate foreign press, FCCC survey finds
On January 31, 2022, the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China (FCCC) released findings from its annual member survey about press conditions in the country. The report, “Locked Down or Kicked Out,” found that 99% of foreign correspondents said China’s reporting conditions did not meet what they considered “international standards.” The survey also documented ways Chinese…