Iranian journalist detained over coronavirus coverage
On April 2, 2020, security agents in the western Iranian city of Kermanshah arrested and detained Kurdish Iranian journalist Gholamreza Noori Ala for several hours and then released him, according to a report posted to Telegram by the Tehran Journalists Association, a local trade group, and an employee of the association, who spoke to CPJ…
Bolivia enacts decree criminalizing ‘disinformation’ on COVID-19 outbreak
Bogotá, April 9, 2020 — Bolivian authorities should reform the country’s lockdown decree to ensure that journalists cannot face jail time for reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Journalists assaulted while covering COVID-19 measures in Haiti
Miami, April 9, 2020 — Haitian authorities should conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into the assault on a group of journalists at the National Identification Office in Port-au-Prince, the capital, and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
CPJ joins partners in nationwide campaign to show gratitude for journalists during COVID-19
Washington, D.C. – Today, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), along with CPJ and a core coalition of over 40 local and national media and nonprofit partners, announced the launch of a joint bilingual campaign to recognize the #PRESSential workers, and #ThankAJourno for their efforts on the frontlines of COVID-19. The coalition is asking…
New Puerto Rico law threatens jail time for spreading ‘false information’ about COVID-19
Washington, D.C., April 8, 2020 — Puerto Rican authorities should guarantee that journalists can cover the COVID-19 pandemic without fear of government retaliation, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Indian journalist Vidya Krishnan on navigating harassment and government obstruction while covering COVID-19
Vidya Krishnan, a freelance reporter who has covered healthcare in India for 17 years, says she has never seen the kind of harassment and threats that health reporters have received while covering COVID-19.
Speed, Clarity, Context: The New York Times’ Billie Sweeney on editing ‘Coronavirus Live Update’
In early February, only eight weeks ago but in a parallel universe that no longer exists, I invited Billie Sweeney, a senior staff editor at The New York Times, to tour the new CPJ office and visit with old friends. For nine years, from 2004 to 2013, Billie worked as CPJ’s editorial director, overseeing all…