Americas

  
A woman walks in downtown Port au Prince, Haiti, on March 26, 2020. Eight journalists were recently attacked while covering the coronavirus pandemic in Port au Prince. (AFP/Pierre Michel Jean)

Journalists assaulted while covering COVID-19 measures in Haiti

Miami, April 9, 2020 — Haitian authorities should conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into the assault on a group of journalists at the National Identification Office in Port-au-Prince, the capital, and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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A COVID-19 testing site is seen in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on March 25, 2020. Puerto Rican authorities recently passed a law threatening jail time for spreading 'false information' about the pandemic. (AFP/Ricardo Arduengo)

New Puerto Rico law threatens jail time for spreading ‘false information’ about COVID-19

Washington, D.C., April 8, 2020 — Puerto Rican authorities should guarantee that journalists can cover the COVID-19 pandemic without fear of government retaliation, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Medical staff are seen in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on March 27, 2020. CPJ recently spoke with Haitian journalist Robenson Sanon about covering the COVID-19 pandemic. (Reuters/Jeanty Junior Augustin)

Haitian journalist Robenson Sanon says covering COVID-19 feels like being ‘soldiers in the battlefield’

Reuters correspondent Robenson Sanon has been covering life in his home country of Haiti for over 10 years.

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A journalist records a press briefing following the arrival of the USNS Comfort, a naval hospital ship with a 1,000 bed-capacity at Pier 90 in New York, on March 30, 2020. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)

Speed, Clarity, Context: The New York Times’ Billie Sweeney on editing ‘Coronavirus Live Update’

In early February, only eight weeks ago but in a parallel universe that no longer exists, I invited Billie Sweeney, a senior staff editor at The New York Times, to tour the new CPJ office and visit with old friends. For nine years, from 2004 to 2013, Billie worked as CPJ’s editorial director, overseeing all…

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The New York City Housing Authority's John Haynes Holmes Towers are seen on April 4, 2019. CPJ recently spoke with housing reporter Sadef Ali Kully about reporting during the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP/Mark Lennihan)

Covering COVID-19 as a housing reporter in New York City

For Sadef Ali Kully, a housing and land use reporter for the nonprofit news outlet City Limits, meeting with sources in-person was an integral part of covering her beat in New York City. However, with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kully has needed to rethink how to perform the basics of her job.

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Journalists demonstrate against the killing of their colleague Maria Helena Ferral at Lerdo square in Xalapa, Veracruz state, Mexico on April 1, 2020. (AFP/Hector Quintanar)

Mexican reporter Maria Elena Ferral shot and killed in Veracruz

Mexico City, April 3, 2020 — Mexican authorities should conduct a swift and credible investigation into the killing of reporter Maria Elena Ferral, determine whether the attack was related to her work, and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Police are seen in Bogota, Colombia, on March 25, 2020. Authorities recently suspended meetings of the country's journalist protection program amid fears of the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP/Fernando Vergara)

Colombian protection unit suspends risk assessments ‘indefinitely’ due to coronavirus

New York, April 2, 2020 — In response to the Colombian National Protection Unit’s announcement that it would be suspending the country’s Risk Assessment and Protection Measures Recommendation Committee, which grants protective measures to journalists, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement:

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Video journalist Jon Gerberg is seen on assignment in Brazil. Gerberg told CPJ about the challenges of reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic. (Gustavo Canzian)

U.S. video journalist shares tips for covering COVID-19: ‘We have to get creative’

In early March, Jon Gerberg was in Detroit, Michigan, covering the Democratic primaries as a video journalist with The Washington Post. But as the COVID-19 virus has spread in the United States and around the world, Gerberg’s coverage has changed to focus on the pandemic.

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Governor Wanda Vazquez and National Guard general Jose Reyes tour screening stations established to detect the new coronavirus on arriving passengers at the Luis Muñoz Marin Airport in Carolina, Puerto Rico, on March 16, 2020. Reporter Bárbara Figueroa Rosa described the challenges of covering Puerto Rico’s coronavirus outbreak. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti)

Reporter Bárbara Figueroa Rosa on covering Puerto Rico’s coronavirus outbreak

In the three years since Hurricane Maria hit the island, Puerto Rico has experienced a financial, political, and public health crisis, but reporter Bárbara Figueroa Rosa told CPJ that these events “have no comparison” to the impact the coronavirus pandemic could have on the U.S. territory.

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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is seen in The Villages, Florida, on March 23, 2020. Authorities at the Florida State Capitol recently barred journalist Mary Ellen Klas from attending a news briefing by DeSantis. (AP/John Raoux)

Reporter denied access to Florida governor’s briefing on COVID-19

Washington, D.C., March 30, 2020 — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis should allow reporters to safely cover his news briefings, and not penalize journalists who seek to follow public health guidance on social distancing, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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