Guide to legal rights in the U.S.
The following advice and recommendations are intended to give the reader a high-level understanding of the rights of a journalist when confronted by law enforcement officers while covering a protest or other political event. Given that these incidents often quickly escalate and that some – both protestors and police – do not always conform to legal…
InSight Crime’s Héctor Silva Avalos subject of alleged investigation, presidential tweets
Managua, September 4, 2020 – Salvadoran authorities should make public any details about an alleged criminal investigation into InSight Crime journalist Héctor Silva Ávalos and stop using official social media channels to criticize and harass independent journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On September 1, Salvadoran news website La Página published an article…
CPJ, NLA launch initiative to boost reporting on press freedom in the U.S.
U.S. Press Freedom Accountability Project to award grants for coverage of attacks on journalists during Black Lives Matter protests New York, September 3, 2020– In light of recent unprecedented attacks on journalists around the United States, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), in collaboration with the News Leaders Association (NLA), today launched the U.S. Press…
Report: Rio de Janeiro mayor’s office paid employees to harass journalists covering pandemic
New York, September 1, 2020 – Brazilian national TV channel Globo yesterday aired an investigative report that found that the office of Rio de Janeiro Mayor Marcelo Crivella used public funds to pay groups of municipal employees to monitor and obstruct journalists at local hospitals and block news crews from covering the COVID-19 pandemic. “It…
CPJ welcomes sentence in Miroslava Breach murder case, urges further investigation
Mexico City, August 24, 2020 – A federal court in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua sentenced Juan Carlos Moreno to 50 years in prison on August 21 for his participation in the murder of journalist Miroslava Breach Velducea on March 23, 2017, according to a statement by Propuesta Cívica, a legal nonprofit organization that…
Outlawing TikTok may not impede journalists, but U.S. and India bans could set a risky precedent
“Allison, can Trump ban TikTok?” Dave Jorgenson, The Washington Post’s self-described “TikTok Guy” asks in an August 3 video on the app. His colleague Allison Michaels responds: “The answer is yes, but how he can do it is kind of complicated…” It would be a typical exchange between journalists, but for the surreal setup: Jorgenson is standing over a birdbath, asking…
Nicaraguan journalist David Quintana faces criminal slander suit
Managua, August 19, 2020 — Authorities in Nicaragua should drop the criminal slander proceedings against journalist David Quintana, and the country should reform its speech laws, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On July 10, Managua residents Nelson Vázquez Oporta and Junieth Dávila Cruz filed a criminal slander suit against Quintana, director of the…
‘We’re scared shitless out here’: Four reporters on covering the federal response to Portland protests
“This was civic combat, but without live fire.” That’s how freelance photographer John Rudoff described the situation in Portland, Oregon, the Pacific Northwest city where demonstrations in support of Black Lives Matter and against police brutality are now in their 13th week. Portland’s protests received global attention when they took a violent turn in July as…
Colombian journalist José Abelardo Liz killed during military attack on Indigenous group
Bogotá, Colombia, August 18, 2020 — Colombian authorities must swiftly and transparently investigate the killing of Indigenous radio journalist José Abelardo Liz, determine if members of the military were responsible, and bring his killers to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 13, Liz was shot and killed during a two-day military…
Charges remain against journalists arrested during George Floyd protests
Washington, D.C., August 17, 2020 – Nearly three months after the height of national Black Lives Matter protests, at least six journalists are still facing charges stemming from their coverage, according to research by the Committee to Protect Journalists and its partner site, the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. CPJ today called on state and municipal…