Guinea Bissau president swears at journalist as media freedom declines
Amid political tension in Guinea-Bissau following President Umaro Sissoco Embaló’s dissolution of parliament in December, it was only natural for radio journalist Ussumane Mané to ask the West African leader a question that was on everyone’s lips: will there be a presidential election this year? Embaló, a former army general who came to power on…
CPJ, 44 groups urge UK judge to quit after upholding Jimmy Lai’s conviction
British judge David Neuberger, who was part of a Hong Kong court panel that denied an appeal from media publisher Jimmy Lai and six pro-democracy campaigners, should “do the right thing and reconsider” his position in the Chinese-ruled city, the Committee to Protect Journalists and 44 groups said in a Monday letter. The letter said…
U.S. Election: How journalists can report safely
The U.S. election is less than 100 days away, with the Democratic National Convention next week marking a key news moment. As journalists are frequently at risk of being attacked, harassed, and detained while covering political events, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has engaged in a comprehensive effort to ensure that independent journalists and…
Cyberattackers use easily available tools to target media sites, threaten press freedom
When exiled Russian news website Meduza was hit with a flood of internet traffic in mid-April, it set off alarm bells among the staff as the deluge blocked publishing for more than four hours and briefly rendered the site inaccessible for some readers. It was the largest distributed denial of service attack (DDoS) attack in…
IDF assaulted, detained Al-Jazeera journalist in hospital raid
On Monday night, Al-Jazeera reporter Ismail Al-Ghoul was released by Israeli forces after being held for nearly 12 hours. In an interview with Al-Jazeera, Al-Ghoul recounted how he and several other journalists were assaulted by IDF soldiers, whom he said destroyed the journalists’ tent and damaged their equipment and press vehicles. Al-Ghoul said the journalists…
CPJ welcomes newsroom and human rights leaders to board of directors
New York, March 12, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) announced on Thursday the addition of three pioneering leaders to its board of directors: Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, barrister at Doughty Street Chambers, Graciela Mochkofsky, dean at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, and Julie Owono, executive director of Internet Sans Frontières. “I am proud…
CPJ, Amnesty International report finds systemic flaws in Mexico’s journalist protections
Yesterday, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Amnesty International published the findings of a joint investigation into Mexico’s Mechanism for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists. The report, “‘No one guarantees my safety’: The urgent need to strengthen Mexico’s federal policies for the protection of journalists,” revealed that the Mechanism failed to…
Internet shutdowns during elections threaten press freedom
Only one month into a record election year, CPJ has already begun recording election-related attacks against the press—attempts by governments to stifle critical voices and restrict the free flow of information that is essential for voters. Just this week authorities in Senegal suspended mobile internet access, revoked the broadcasting license of Walf TV, and detained…
Israel among top jailers of journalists worldwide, as imprisonments globally continue unabated, CPJ finds
New York, January 18, 2024—Amidst a months-long war, Israel emerged for the first time as one of the world’s leading jailers of journalists, with 17 recorded behind bars as of December 1, 2023, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists’ (CPJ) annual prison census. This is the highest number of Palestinian journalists in detention since…
2023 prison census: Jailed journalist numbers near record high; Israel imprisonments spike
By Arlene Getz/CPJ Editorial Director Worst Jailers | New Developments | Regional Repression | Census Methodology Israel emerged as one of the world’s leading jailers of journalists following the October 7 start of the Israel-Gaza war, the Committee to Protect Journalists’ 2023 prison census has found. Israel ranked sixth – tied with Iran – behind…