On Wednesday, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the revision of the Justice Department’s regulations to restrict federal prosecutors’ ability to obtain journalists’ phone and email records in government leak investigations with narrow exceptions. The Department of Justice said this decision codifies Garland’s July 2021 policy change to extend the protections.
“This is an important step to protect press freedom in the United States. These significant restraints to the Justice Department’s ability to subpoena journalists’ source material send a powerful message about the importance of reporters’ ability to protect their sources,” said CPJ U.S. and Canada Program Coordinator Katherine Jacobsen. CPJ and other press freedom organizations have long been advocating for this decision.
In a new feature published today, CPJ’s Europe Representative Attila Mong explores how the conditions to enable critical reporting in Greece have deteriorated in recent years.
During a fact-finding mission to Greece last month, Mong spoke with journalists on the ground about the unsolved journalist killings in the country, how the threat of violence has chilled reporting, journalist concerns about surveillance, and how the new government under Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is especially sensitive to critical reporting. Read the article here.
- Haitian journalist Roberson Alphonse survives shooting attack in Port-au-Prince, missing radio host found dead in Les Cayes
- Honduran journalist Edwin Josué Andino shot, killed in Comayagüela
- Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif shot dead in Kenya
- Radio Cefod journalist Orédjé Narcisse shot dead in Chad
- At least 11 journalists in custody after police raids in Turkey. Separately in the country, pro-government Turkish daily Sabah publishes locations of exiled journalists: “an unethical and irresponsible act that could lead to serious harm”
- CPJ welcomes final sentencing over Charlie Hebdo terrorist attack
- CPJ condemns harassment, bomb threat against Iranian American journalist Negar Mortazavi
- Vietnamese journalist Le Manh Ha harshly sentenced to 8 years in prison
- Belarus court sentences journalist Siarhei Satsuk to 8 years in prison
- Jailed Tajik journalist Abdusattor Pirmuhammadzoda describes severe physical abuse, forced confession in letter
- Proposed amendments to Georgia’s broadcasting law raise censorship fears
- Guinea-Bissau journalist goes into hiding after armed men seek to arrest him
- Brazilian state assembly investigates journalists, outlets reporting on abortion case
- CPJ condemns Myanmar military junta’s harassment of The Irrawaddy
Spotlight
A court in Hong Kong on Tuesday convicted CPJ’s 2021 Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Awardee Jimmy Lai, the founder of the Next Digital Limited media company and the shuttered pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, of fraud for allegedly violating the terms of the lease of Next Digital’s headquarters.
Jimmy Lai’s conviction “on trumped-up fraud charges shows that Hong Kong will stop at nothing to silence one of its fiercest media critics,” said CPJ President Jodie Ginsberg. “Lai is clearly being targeted for his journalism, and the persecution must stop. Hong Kong authorities should let Lai go free and drop all charges against him.”
Lai has been behind bars since December 2020, serving a 20-month prison term for two other charges relating to his alleged involvement with unauthorized demonstrations. He is awaiting trial on national security charges, for which he faces life imprisonment; proceedings are expected to begin on December 1.
CPJ’s European Union Representative and Advocacy Manager Tom Gibson on Wednesday participated in a panel discussion concerning journalist safety organized by the European Parliament and World Press Photo in Brussels.
On November 28 and 29, Gibson will participate in the second edition of the U.K. Anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) Conference, hosted by the Foreign Policy Centre, Justice for Journalists Foundation, and the International Bar Association.
The conference will feature talks by investigative journalists who have been SLAPPed and explore how stronger regulatory action, direct support for those subject to SLAPPs, and wider cultural shifts could help make SLAPPs an unattractive choice for those seeking to avoid public scrutiny. Register for the conference here.
What we are reading (and watching)
- ‘This time is different because Iranian women are willing to sacrifice everything’ — Nojan Aminosharei, Harper’s Bazaar
- Over 30 journalists globally have been killed in 2022 – Jonathan Rozen — Arise News
- Showdown as Saudi crown prince aims to dodge lawsuit over Khashoggi murder — Stephanie Kirchgaessner, The Guardian
- ‘Turkey has long been hell for journalists’: Reporters slam country’s new ‘fake news’ law — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC
- Russia still using Israeli tech to hack detainees’ cellphones — Oded Yaron, Haaretz
- New poll: Most Americans see media as bigger threat to democracy than Electoral College, Supreme Court, Biden or even Trump — Caleb Howe, Mediaite
- Human rights violation worsens in Africa as governments use ‘kill-switch’, enforce internet censorship — Sikiru Obarayese, Daily Post Nigeria
- How journalists can defend press freedom, democracy in West Africa – ECOWAS, CSOs — Ade Adesomoju, Premium Times
- Election coverage met with violence in Zimbabwe — Kate Bartlett, Voice of America
A closer look | CPJ’s most-read features in October
- SOTA, one of the last independent news outlets in Russia, doubles down on coverage — Anna Brakha, Europe and Central Asia researcher
- The legal battle to protect slain reporter Jeff German’s electronic devices–and why it’s so concerning for press freedom — Katherine Jacobsen, U.S. and Canada program coordinator
- In India’s hardest-hit newsroom, surveilled reporters fear for their families and future journalists — Kunal Majumder, India representative
- For Mexican journalists, President López Obrador’s pledge to curb spyware rings hollow —Jan-Albert Hootsen, Mexico representative
- In Morocco, journalists – and their families – still struggle to cope with spyware fears — CPJ Middle East and North Africa staff
- Hungarian journalists targeted by spyware have little hope EU can help — Attila Mong, Europe representative
- ‘To persecute any critical voice’: Jailed Guatemalan journalist Zamora’s son on his father’s arrest — Dánae Vílchez, Central America correspondent