CPJ condemns targeting of journalists covering protests across the U.S.
New York, May 30, 2020 — In response to reports of attacks against journalists in recent days by police and protesters while covering demonstrations across the U.S., the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “Targeted attacks on journalists, media crews, and news organizations covering the demonstrations show a complete disregard for their critical…
Mexican reporter’s car firebombed in Sonora state
Mexico City, May 29, 2020 — Mexican authorities should immediately provide journalist Marco Antonio Duarte Vargas with protective measures and credibly investigate threats against his life, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On May 27, at about 11:30 p.m., unknown assailants set fire to Duarte’s car at his home in Ciudad Obregón, in the…
CNN team arrested while covering Minneapolis protests
Washington, D.C., May 29, 2020 — Minnesota police officers today arrested a CNN crew covering protests in Minneapolis while they were live on air, according to video from the broadcaster. In the footage, correspondent Omar Jimenez can be seen holding his press badge and crew members are heard identifying themselves as journalists and offering to…
In Colombia, a shipping container on wheels brings a roving reporting workshop to news deserts
Can the key to ending news blackouts in isolated areas of Colombia come from inside a shipping container? The Bogotá-based Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP) thinks so. In an experiment to turn community activists into reporters in regions that lack local news outlets, FLIP has converted a shipping container into a roving journalism classroom. For…
Gunmen attack daughter of murdered Mexican reporter Maria Elena Ferral in Veracruz
Mexico City, May 26, 2020 – Mexican authorities must immediately investigate an attack by gunmen on journalist Fernanda de Luna Ferral, bring those responsible to justice, and re-evaluate protective measures provided to her by the government, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
UN Secretary General responds to #FreeThePress campaign call to action
In a letter this week to the partners of the 2020 #FreeThePress campaign, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres emphasized that freedom of the press and the safety of journalists remains a key priority for him, stressing that, “No democracy can function without press freedom, which is the cornerstone of trust between people and their institutions,…
NY Times reporter Davey Alba on covering COVID-19 conspiracy theories, facing online harassment
Over the course of Davey Alba’s career as a tech reporter, her beat has transformed from covering the latest gadgets and phones to investigating the creeping influence and massive power wielded by tech companies over peoples’ everyday lives. As the coronavirus pandemic has spread across the globe, Alba, who covers tech and disinformation at The…
Puerto Rico authorities subpoena Facebook for information from student media outlets
On September 27, 2019, Denis Márquez, a member of Puerto Rico’s House of Representatives, told the staff of Pulso Estudiantil, a student-run newspaper based at the University of Puerto Rico, that the island’s Justice Department had acquired information from the paper’s Facebook account, as well as from Diálogo UPR and the Center for Student Communication,…
Mexican newspaper owner Jorge Armenta shot and killed in Sonora
Mexico City, May 19, 2020 — Mexican authorities should conduct a swift and credible investigation into the killing of journalist Jorge Miguel Armenta Ávalos and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Brazilian journalist Leonardo Pinheiro shot and killed in Araruama
Rio de Janeiro, May 19, 2020 — Brazilian authorities must promptly and thoroughly investigate the killing of journalist Leonardo Pinheiro, determine if it was related to his reporting, and bring those responsible to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.