CPJ condemns Biden administration decision that Saudi crown prince has immunity in U.S. Khashoggi lawsuit
New York, November 18, 2022 – In response to news reports that the Biden administration told a U.S. court late Thursday that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman should be immune in a civil lawsuit over the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, CPJ issued the following statement condemning the decision: “The Biden administration’s submission that…
CPJ calls on North Carolina prosecutors to drop charges against Asheville Blade reporters
New York, November 18, 2022 – Prosecutors in Buncombe County, North Carolina, should immediately drop all charges against Asheville Blade reporters Veronica Coit and Matilda Bliss, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Friday. Coit and Bliss were arrested while covering a homeless camp eviction in Asheville, North Carolina, on December 25, 2021, and charged…
US FBI-led investigation of Shireen Abu Akleh’s killing a welcome first step
New York, November 15, 2022—The Committee to Protect Journalists on Tuesday welcomed reports that the FBI plans to investigate the May 11 killing of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh as an important first step toward potentially achieving justice in her case. The U.S. Department of Justice notified the Israeli Ministry of Justice of the…
CPJ alarmed by wiretapping charges against Ohio newspaper editor
Washington, D.C., November 8, 2022 — Authorities in Pike County, Ohio, should immediately drop all charges against journalist Derek Myers and return equipment seized from Myers and his newsroom, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. The Pike County Sheriff charged Myers, editor-in-chief of local news website the Scioto Valley Guardian, with wiretapping on October…
CPJ welcomes new US Justice Department guidelines protecting journalists’ sources
Washington, D.C., October 26, 2022—In response to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland’s decision Wednesday revising Justice Department regulations to restrict federal prosecutors’ ability to obtain journalists’ phone and email records in government leak investigations with narrow exceptions, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “This is an important step to protect press freedom in the…
CPJ condemns harassment, bomb threat against Iranian American journalist Negar Mortazavi
New York, October 20, 2022 — In response to news reports that the University of Chicago received an anonymous bomb threat on Tuesday for hosting an event featuring Iranian American journalist Negar Mortazavi, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “The bomb threat against journalist Negar Mortazavi was a crude attempt at censorship….
The legal battle to protect slain reporter Jeff German’s electronic devices–and why it’s so concerning for press freedom
A district judge last week barred police from accessing electronic devices used by Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German before his fatal stabbing in September – but only for a while. The measure was a preliminary injunction against searching German’s cellphone, hard drive, and computers, but a further ruling expected this week could authorize a…
Special report: When spyware turns phones into weapons
How zero-click surveillance threatens reporters, sources, and global press freedom By Fred Guterl Published October 13, 2022 Aida Alami has always been wary of surveillance. As a journalist from Morocco, a state with a track record of intercepting phone calls and messages of political rivals, activists, and journalists, she habitually took precautions to protect her…
U.S. midterm election 2022: Journalist safety kit
The U.S. midterm elections will be held on Tuesday, November 8, 2022, in an increasingly polarized political climate. During this midterm election year, all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate will be contested. Online abuse and digital threats to journalists have been steadily increasing, as…
CPJ supports Las Vegas Review-Journal’s efforts to protect slain reporter’s unpublished source material
Washington, D.C., September 27, 2022 — The Las Vegas Review-Journal on Monday filed a motion to prevent law enforcement from accessing electronic devices and unreported source material obtained when they searched the home of slain reporter Jeff German as part of their murder investigation. “A murder investigation should not be used as a pretext to…