Data journalists describe challenges of reporting on the true toll of COVID-19
How many people worldwide have been infected by the coronavirus, and how many have died as a result? Finding reliable information on the virus’s toll has proven such a challenging task that it is nearly impossible to answer these basic questions, five data journalists from around the world told CPJ in May and June. In…
CPJ Insider: Attacks on the press in U.S. Protests, COVID-19 continues, and more
CPJ Insider: Summer 2020 Edition Over recent weeks, as journalists across the United States were attacked and assaulted while reporting on the George Floyd protests, you stood with us and supported press freedom. Thank you. CPJ board, partners demand end to attacks on journalists at U.S. protests During the protests that spread quickly across the…
Russian journalists attacked while covering vote that would keep Putin in power
Since June 21, Russian authorities have attacked, arrested, or harassed at least five journalists in the lead-up to Wednesday’s plebiscite on amendments to the country’s constitution. If the referendum passes, President Vladimir Putin would be able to stay in power through 2036. Early voting on the measure began on June 25. Separately, in neighboring Belarus,…
U.S. continues tit-for-tat media visa war with China
Following the U.S. State Department’s decision to classify four more Chinese media organizations as “foreign missions” on Monday, CPJ called on the two countries to resolve their differences in negotiations. The organizations join five other Chinese state-funded news agencies that were reclassified as “foreign missions” by the U.S. government in February, a designation typically used…
CNN team arrested while covering Minneapolis protests
This morning, Minnesota police officers arrested a CNN crew covering protests in Minneapolis while they were live on air, as seen in a video from the broadcaster. The crew was released about an hour later. CPJ issued a statement condemning the arrests. As protests continue in Minneapolis over the death of George Floyd, CPJ is concerned about the police department’s use of rubber bullets and…
Kyrgyz supreme court refuses to #FreeAzimjon; U.S.-China tit-for-tat media visa war continues
The Kyrgyz Supreme Court upheld journalist and human rights defender Azimjon Askarov’s life sentence, denying his final appeal. Askarov’s health has been steadily deteriorating since being imprisoned in 2010, his family told CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Gulnoza Said when she travelled to meet with them and visit Azimjon in prison. The threat…
CPJ, 192 partner organizations urge UN Secretary General to take action to secure release of jailed journalists amid COVID-19
The #FreeThePress campaign, made up of 193 press freedom and human rights organizations and the more than 11,337 concerned citizens who signed the petition, urges the UN secretary general to take immediate action to secure the release of journalists jailed around the world whose lives are risk due to the spread of COVID-19.
Q&A: U.S. photographers navigate a new reality under COVID-19
As newsrooms across the United States gradually shut their doors in March and sent many journalists into the safety of their homes, others have no choice but to remain outside. Photojournalists throughout the U.S. and around the world are continuing to visually document how the world is adjusting to this historic moment amid the COVID-19…
CPJ, 73 media and rights groups urge Asian heads of state to release jailed journalists
Given that a staggering number of imprisoned journalists are held in jails across the Asian continent, CPJ and other groups call on leaders of these countries to release them at this time of grave public health concern.