Media wars create information vacuum in Ukraine
More than a year after the December 2013 mass attack against journalists at Kiev’s Maidan Square, which coincided with the Ukrainian police’s violent dispersal of protesters rallying against the policies of then-President Viktor Yanukovych, the press in the beleaguered nation continue the battle for survival. The biggest problem remains impunity in attacks against journalists.
Journalists overcome obstacles through crowdfunding and determination
During South Africa’s Boer War, at the turn of the 20th century, a determined news organization relocated reporters, copy editors, and printing presses to the front line to ensure accurate reporting. In the Warsaw Ghetto, during World War II, a literal underground press, established to counter Nazi propaganda, required the nightly movement of cumbersome printing…
Libyan journalist shot dead in Benghazi TV office
New York April 23, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the murder of a Libyan television journalist in the eastern city of Benghazi on Wednesday. Muftah al-Qatrani, 33, was shot dead in his office at Al-Anwar, the privately owned television production company he was director of, according to news reports. He had been covering the…
CPJ condemns murder of Congolese journalist in Equateur province
New York, April 23, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the murder of Soleil Balanga, a journalist in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and calls on Congolese authorities to ensure that they conduct a thorough investigation and that the perpetrator is brought to justice.
Mastermind convicted in 2009 murder of Nepali journalist Uma Singh
Kathmandu, April 23, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the conviction and sentencing on Wednesday of the mastermind in the 2009 murder of journalist Uma Singh. A court in the district of Dhanusha convicted Umesh Yadav of ordering Singh’s murder and sentenced him to life in prison, according to local news reports.
Journalist, media workers killed in air strike in Yemen
New York, April 21, 2015–A TV journalist and three staff members of the satellite TV station Yemen Today were killed in an air strike in Sana’a on Monday, while at least 10 staff members were injured, according to news reports and the station. The air strike was one of many launched by a Saudi-led coalition…
Pro-Russia journalist shot dead in Ukraine
New York, April 16, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Ukrainian authorities to identify the motive in the murder of Oles Buzina, former editor of the independent news website Segodnya, in Kiev early today. Buzina was gunned down outside of his home by two masked men who fled the scene, according to news reports.…
Somali journalist shot by gunmen in Mogadishu
Nairobi, April 14, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the shooting attack on a Somali photographer in Mogadishu and calls on authorities to thoroughly investigate the case and ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice. Farhan Suleiman Dahir works for the state-run Radio Mogadishu, whose journalists have been targeted several times in recent years.
In Iraq, Islamic State exacts heavy toll on journalists and their families
The militant group Islamic State swept through Iraq last summer, taking over city after city and leaving a wave of destruction of a scale only just being discovered. Even now it is difficult to understand how much damage was inflicted, including on the Iraqi journalist community, where rumors of missing or killed journalists are swirling…