USA / Americas

For data on press freedom violations in the U.S., visit the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, a partnership between CPJ and Freedom of the Press Foundation.

Read CPJ’s report On Edge: What the US election could mean for journalists and global press freedom.

  
CPJ
(Reuters)

Meeting Sami al-Haj

In conjunction with the International Freedom of Expression Exchange general meeting, the Norwegian government hosted a Global Forum on Freedom of Expression featuring three days of discussions, seminars, and lectures from leading experts. For me, a highlight was finally meeting Sami al-Haj, at left, the Al-Jazeera correspondent who was held for six years at Guantanamo…

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An Iraqi journalist in America: California pilgrimage

I couldn’t say anything. I didn’t want to blink and waste a single moment of looking at the beach and the Pacific. I had never seen an ocean. If I could set up a tent on the sand, I thought, I could stay there forever. I have loved the seas, rivers, and oceans since I studied…

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CPJ, IFEX members seek support in Lee, Ling case

Forty members of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) have signed on to a letter calling on the international community to press for the release of journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling

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As Cairo speech nears, concerns for Obama

Dear Mr. President: The Committee to Protect Journalists is writing ahead of your scheduled speech in Cairo on June 4 to bring to your attention important matters that are crucial to the long-term success of your stated goal of engaging the people–and not just the regimes–of the Arab and Muslim worlds.

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CPJ urges talks to free journalists held in North Korea

We released a statement today after the families of two U.S. journalists being held in North Korea spoke publicly for the first time. The families of Current TV journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee appeared on NBC’s “Today” show this morning. Our statement follows:

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An Iraqi journalist in America: Fastening my seatbelt

It’s been almost a month since I arrived in the United States. Oddly, I haven’t felt homesick or strange here even though this is my first time ever outside Iraq. I was born in Baghdad in 1986. I never lived anywhere else. Baghdad is where my father and mother were born, fell in love, and…

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New York legislator faces charges in attack on photographer

New York, May 12, 2009–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the prosecution of an elected New York state official for his alleged attack on a photographer who was trying to take his picture. 

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An Iraqi journalist in America: Applications, airports, arrival

I’m finally in America. I lived all of my 23 years in Baghdad, never even traveling outside Iraq, but now I am in Tucson, Arizona, to begin a new life. I’m still trying to understand my feelings–missing the streets of Baghdad and the comfort of my family, but enjoying the sense that I can go about…

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U.S. reporter found guilty of obstruction, faces 4 years in jail

New York, May 6, 2009–The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned about the prosecution of American reporter Diane Bukowski, who was found guilty on May 1 of two felony counts of resisting, obstructing, opposing, and endangering two Michigan state troopers while covering a crime scene. Bukowski, 60, will face sentencing, which may include a fine…

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Schiff, Pence speak out for press freedom

“Information is power, which is precisely why many governments attempt to control the press to suppress opposition and preempt dissent,” said U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, the California Democrat who three years ago founded the Congressional Caucus for Freedom of the Press. “Far too often, the reporters and editors who demand reform, accountability, and transparency find…

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