Authorities block local news websites amid Belarus protests
Vilnius, Lithuania, September 14, 2020 – Authorities threatened last week to censor another major domestic news website in Belarus, where dozens remain blocked amid nationwide protests, local journalists told CPJ. On September 9, the Ministry of Information warned Tut.by, one of the most popular independent news websites in the country, that its reporting on a…
In an era of global protest, France and Israel stand out for use of dangerous ammunition
With the world gripped in a historic wave of unrest, journalists in no fewer than 65 countries – about a third of the world – have been attacked covering protests since 2015, according to a report I authored for a U.N. agency that was published today. One thing that stood out during my research for the report Safety…
Egyptian journalist Islam al-Kalhy detained, charged with spreading false news
New York, September 14, 2020 – Egyptian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Islam al-Kalhy and stop arresting members of the press covering protests, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On September 9, Egyptian security forces arrested al-Kalhy, a reporter for the local independent news website Darb, while he was covering protests in…
Physical Safety: Covering wildfires
Wildfires are becoming more frequent across the world and increasing in both severity and extent, according to Science Brief, a website that reviews peer-reviewed scientific studies on various topics, including climate change. Media workers covering any wildfire should be aware of the dynamic nature of such a disaster, and how a rapidly evolving situation on…
Chinese authorities detain, assault Los Angeles Times bureau chief, force her out of region
In early September 2020, police in Hohhot city, in China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, detained Los Angeles Times Beijing Bureau Chief Alice Su for more than four hours and released her without charge, according to an account in her newspaper and an Associated Press report. Su wrote the account in the Los Angeles Times without…
Mexican reporter Julio Valdivia found beheaded in Veracruz state
Mexico City, September 10, 2020 – Mexican authorities must immediately undertake a thorough and credible investigation into the killing of journalist Julio Valdivia and bring the perpetrators to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The body of Valdivia, a reporter for the local El Mundo newspaper, was found yesterday afternoon in the municipality…
When police patrol protests in military gear, journalists face a hostile reporting environment
When St. Louis Post-Dispatch photographer David Carson was covering protests against police violence in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014, he said other reporters often asked him what it was like to get teargassed night after night. These days, he told CPJ, he rarely gets asked that question: “Now all of my journalist friends have been teargassed.” Tear gassings, rubber…
Turkey convicts 5 journalists under national security law
Istanbul, September 10, 2020 – Turkish authorities must not contest recently convicted journalists’ appeals on national security cases, and cease jailing members of the press for covering sensitive topics, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, the 34th Istanbul Court of Serious Crimes convicted Odatv chief editor Barış Pehlivan, and reporter Hülya Kılınç, Yeniçağ…
Ethiopian authorities re-arrest journalists and media worker released on bail
Nairobi, September 10, 2020 – Ethiopian authorities must stop abusing judicial processes to hold journalists and media workers in prolonged pre-trial detention without charge, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On September 8, seven plainclothes security personnel in Addis Ababa, the capital, arrested reporter Belay Menaye, news anchor Mulugeta Anberbir, and camera operator Misganaw…