Forensic tools open new front for using phone data to prosecute journalists
On April 13, police in Russia’s Khakassiya republic arrested Mikhail Afanasyev and seized his digital devices. Afanasyev, chief editor of the online magazine Novy Fokus, was detained based on an article about riot police in southern Siberia refusing to serve in Ukraine. He faces a possible 10-year prison sentence for spreading “false” information. It’s not surprising for…
Australia’s Northern Territory denies news website NT Independent access to government events
New York, October 8, 2020 — The Australian Northern Territory government should immediately grant the NT Independent news website equal access to government events and conferences, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The Northern Territory government has refused to allow the NT Independent, which covers politics and local news in the territory, access to…
Physical Safety: Covering wildfires
Wildfires are becoming more frequent across the world and increasing in both severity and extent, according to Science Brief, a website that reviews peer-reviewed scientific studies on various topics, including climate change. Media workers covering any wildfire should be aware of the dynamic nature of such a disaster, and how a rapidly evolving situation on…
Australia’s journalist union on Facebook, Google, and who should pay for news
Facebook threatened to prevent Australian users and publishers from posting news on its platform last week, raising questions about who benefits when people share journalism on social media—and who has the power to stop them. The company was responding to drafts of a news media bargaining code and related legislation published on July 31 by…
In wake of Christchurch, tech regulation in EU and Australia risks restricting journalism
Terrorism has gone viral. The livestreaming on Facebook of the March attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand that news reports said left more than 50 people dead was the latest in a string of terrorist attacks designed for the digital age. More than a dozen world leaders met in Paris last month to…
Police raid Australian Broadcasting Corporation headquarters, seize documents over Afghanistan reports
New York, June 5, 2019 — The Committee to Protect Journalists strongly condemns the Australian Federal Police raid on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation headquarters in Sydney today and called on authorities to immediately return any documents or other property seized. In a statement, police said the raid was related to an investigation into the publication…
Australian police raid home of Sunday Telegraph journalist Annika Smethurst
New York, June 4, 2019–Australian Federal Police today raided the Canberra home of Annika Smethurst, a politics editor for the Sunday Telegraph, and searched her property, computer, and cellphone, according to news reports. In a statement, police said the search warrant was part of an investigation into the alleged leak of national security information. In…
Australian journalists could be jailed for allegedly violating court’s gag order
Washington, D.C., April 11, 2019 — The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned about summons issued by the Victoria state supreme court in Australia to 23 journalists and 13 news organizations to appear on April 15 and face possible prison sentences or fines. The journalists and outlets allegedly breached a court order to suppress…
Australian reporter hit by bullet in Philippine city siege
An Australian reporter was hit in the neck by a bullet on June 15, 2017, while covering fighting between Philippine security forces militants in the city of Marawi on the southern island of Mindanao, according to news reports and the journalist’s posts to Twitter.
CPJ welcomes release of Al-Jazeera journalist Peter Greste
February 1, 2015–Al-Jazeera journalist Peter Greste, who was serving a seven-year prison sentence in Egypt for “conspiring with the Muslim Brotherhood,” was deported today, according to Egypt’s state-run news agency. Greste, who is Australian, was arrested in December 2013 with his colleagues Mohamed Fadel Fahmy and Baher Mohamed.