Australian journalist attacked by assailants in Benghazi
New York, August 22, 2011–Tracey Shelton, a freelance Australian journalist, was brutally attacked in her hotel room in Benghazi, Libya, on August 11, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Two armed men wearing military fatigues broke into Shelton’s room at the Africa Hotel, tied her up, beat her, and attempted to kidnap her. The…
Pakistan news crew attacked at midday in central Peshawar
New York, August 22, 2011–A midday attack on three Khyber TV personnel in central Peshawar underscores the vulnerability of Pakistan journalists as the country’s security situation grows more precarious, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Easy targets, journalists under direct fire in the UK
The safety advisories sent out by the International News Safety Institute on Tuesday said it all: “Bring a mobile phone with emergency numbers pre-set for speed dialling; bring eye protection such as swimming goggles; carry first-aid kits and know how to use them; wear loose, natural-fabric clothing as it will not burn as readily as…
Request to NATO for clarification on Libya TV attack
On July 30, NATO warplanes attacked three transmission towers in Libya. The goal apparently was to knock Libyan state television off the air because, NATO alleged, “it was being used as an integral component of the regime apparatus designed to systematically oppress and threaten civilians and to incite attacks against them.”
Malawi cracks down on media covering protests
New York, July 21, 2011–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns sweeping arrests and attacks on journalists, as well as censorship by the administration of Malawi President Bingu Wa Muthiraka against media outlets reporting on nationwide antigovernment protests that erupted on Wednesday.
A ray of hope for the embattled press in Belarus?
In a rare development, the Belarusian general prosecutor, Grigory Vasilevich, stepped up for journalists and defended their right to report on ongoing political protests. According to a statement issued by his press office on Friday, Vasilevich sent a letter to Interior Minister Anatoly Kuleshov in which he reminded his colleague of journalists’ rights under the…
CPJ calls on Jordan to prevent attacks on journalists
New York, July 18, 2011–The Committee to Protect Journalists called on the government of Jordan to do more to prevent attacks on journalists who cover demonstrations and other forms of civil unrest. On Friday, security forces beat 16 journalists in identifying orange vests during a demonstration and planned sit-in that rapidly devolved into clashes between security…
Hong Kong’s accelerating media freedom decline
As a former resident of the Special Administrative Region, the classification given Hong Kong when it reverted to China’s control in 1997, I’ve always watched the media there with the appreciative eye of a news consumer. The concept of “One Country, Two Systems,” put forward to explain how the former British colony’s capitalist economy and…