Coronavirus

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An Iranian woman wearing a protective face mask chooses traditional items ahead of Nowruz, the national New Year celebration, at the Tajrish Bazaar in the capital Tehran on March 19, 2020, despite the heavy death toll due the novel coronavirus in the country. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the government has covered up crucial information and threatened journalists. (AFP/Stringer)

Amid coronavirus pandemic, Iran covers up crucial information and threatens journalists

In recent months, the stability of the Iranian government has been threatened by widespread protests in late 2019 and the shooting down of a Ukrainian civilian aircraft in January 2020 amid heightened tensions with the U.S. The latest threat is the coronavirus pandemic, which has hit Iran harder than any country except China or Italy.…

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A man wearing a surgical mask and gloves to protect himself from the coronavirus, walks on a street in Soweto, South Africa, Thursday, March 19, 2020. For most people the virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For others it can cause more severe illness, especially in older adults and people with existing health problems. (AP/Themba Hadebe)

South Africa enacts regulations criminalizing ‘disinformation’ on coronavirus outbreak

New York, March 19, 2020 – The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed concern over newly passed regulations in South Africa that criminalize disinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic and could potentially prompt other countries to adopt more repressive rules and censorship against the press.

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Soldiers wearing face masks are seen in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, on March 17, 2020. The Honduran government recently declared a state of emergency over the COVID-19 outbreak, and suspended the right to free expression. (Reuters/Jorge Cabrera)

Honduran government declares state of emergency, suspends right to free expression

New York, March 18, 2020 — Honduran authorities must immediately lift newly imposed restrictions on free expression and let members of the press cover the news freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Members of the Bolivarian National Guard wearing face masks are seen in Caracas, Venezuela, on March 17, 2020. Journalists have recently been harassed and detained over their reporting on the virus. (AFP/Cristian Hernandez)

Venezuelan authorities arrest, threaten journalists reporting on COVID-19

On March 13, 2020, police in the Venezuelan city of Los Teques arrested Jesús Enrique Torres and Jesús Manuel Castillo, hosts of a news program on local privately owned radio broadcaster La Cima, after they posted a video to Facebook, where they sometimes publish their reporting, about alleged coronavirus cases at a local hospital, according…

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A screen shows a CCTV state media broadcast of Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Wuhan at a shopping centre in Beijing on March 10, 2020. Researchers at Citizen Lab have documented Chinese platforms censoring keywords related to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. (Reuters/Thomas Peter)

Q&A: Citizen Lab documents Chinese censorship of coronavirus keywords

Li Wenliang, a doctor in Wuhan who was reprimanded for warning colleagues of a new coronavirus earlier this year, used the messaging app WeChat to share his concerns on December 30, 2019, according to The Wall Street Journal.

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A woman wears a face mask as she casts her vote during parliamentary elections at a polling station in Tehran, Iran February 21, 2020. Iranian authorities detained journalist Mohammad Mosaed the next day for his social media posts. (Nazanin Tabatabaee/West Asia News Agency via Reuters)

Iranian authorities detain journalist Mohammad Mosaed again for social media posts

On February 22, 2020, intelligence agents of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) arrested and interrogated freelance economic reporter Mohammad Mosaed for several hours over recent social media posts critical of the government and suspended his social media accounts, according to a brief interview he had with the BBC Persian Service a few hours after…

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Mexican journalists, wearing personal protective equipment amid the COVID-19 pandemic, cover a protest by administrative workers at the General Balbuena Hospital in Mexico City on April 16, 2020. (AFP/Pedro Pardo)

CPJ Safety Advisory: Covering the coronavirus pandemic

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) outbreak a pandemic on March 11, 2020.

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Workers wearing protective equipment are seen in Wuhan, China, on February 1, 2020. Journalist Chen Qiushi was reporting in Wuhan and has not been seen since February 6. (AP/Arek Rataj)

Chinese video journalist Chen Qiushi, who covered coronavirus, missing in Wuhan

Taipei, February 10, 2020 — Chinese authorities must immediately account for the whereabouts of journalist Chen Qiushi, and ensure that the media can cover the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan without fear of retribution, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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