After Fox attack in Georgia, CPJ renews call for protection of journalists
We issued the following statement today in response to the attack on a Fox News crew in Gori, Georgia: “We are troubled that despite the ceasefire, journalists and cameramen have come under fire once again. This is unacceptable and we call on all the parties in the conflict zone to ensure reporters’ safety,” CPJ Executive…
Israeli army decision endangers journalists in Gaza
In the Gaza Strip, anyone with a camera is fair game. That’s the inescapable conclusion from the Israeli army’s investigation into why one of its tank crews fired at least two shells at a Reuters television journalist openly filming them from a mile away. The cameraman, Fadel Shana, 24, filmed the muzzle flash of the…
Finding light in a dark prison
On July 21, CPJ welcomed the release of Tunisian Internet journalist Slim Boukhdhir from prison. A contributor to Tunisian and Arab news Web sites, Boukhdhir was serving a one-year term in Sfax Prison because he had written articles critical of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and the country’s first family. CPJ sent a mission…
Olympics-China Media Watch: Does Xinhua know gymnast’s real age?
NBC coverage of the women’s gymnastics team competition made incessant mention of the controversy over the Chinese athletes’ ages. Are they really 16, or are they underage? And what does that say about the awful and efficient “machine” that pumps out China’s Olympians? NBC announcers made sure that American viewers pondered the matter as the gold medal went to…
News Wrap for 8/14/08
BBC News has coverage this morning about the media’s reaction to Israel’s decision to clear the soldiers involved in the death of Reuters cameraman Fadel Shana. The “Editors’ Blog” on British site Journalism talks about Reuters’ “dissatisfaction” at the verdict and the Middle East Online Web site has a report that cites our alert on…
Olympics: A 21-point plan for uniformity
Kristin Jones has been doing a great job monitoring the Chinese media and the more unofficial online world. One of the realities she has pointed out is the similarity of coverage across China’s media when sensitive issues crop up. There is a reason for that. An interesting piece, “Screws tighten on mainland journalists,” ran in…
News Wrap for 8/12/08
The Russian-Georgian conflict continues to be the focus of many news outlets this morning. The Associated Press outlines vital statistics from the conflict, which includes our reporting on journalist casualties. McClatchy News Service also cites CPJ in its reporting on the situation. The International News Safety Institute, meanwhile, has an important posting that explains the…
Olympics-China Media Watch: Look at picture, don’t say a word
Bloggers in China know that certain words are easily picked out by censors’ keyword searches. So they don’t use them, and their posts stay up longer. But images are harder to detect, particularly if they aren’t labeled.Today, somebody calling himself Qian Tiexian started a thread at the blog aggregator Bullog with the title “Two children.”…
Military clears troops in death of Reuters cameraman
New York, August 13, 2008–The Israeli government should carry out an independent investigation into the killing of Reuters cameraman Fadel Shana, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. CPJ also called on the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to work with journalists and media groups to ensure that journalists operating in the Gaza Strip are able to…
ITN journalist, covering demonstrators in Beijing, is roughed up
Hong Kong, August 14, 2008–John Ray, a reporter for British television ITN, was detained and roughed up by police while covering a pro-Tibet student demonstration in Beijing on Wednesday. Ray said he was dragged into a nearby restaurant and forcibly held down by police, ITN reported.