Ahead of elections, Tanzania’s regulator is used as a cudgel against the media
On August 27, the second day of mainland Tanzania’s official campaign period leading up to October 28 elections, authorities ordered privately owned broadcasters Clouds TV and Clouds FM to replace their regular programming with an hours-long apology until midnight and then halt programming altogether for a week. The over-the-top display of repentance was dictated by the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA), on the…
CPJ joins statement demanding justice for Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia
The Committee to Protect Journalists today joined 18 other international press freedom and human rights organizations in a statement calling on Maltese authorities to conduct a thorough and effective criminal investigation into the killing of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, and to ensure those responsible are held to account. The statement expressed concern that, on the…
Foreign reporters describe safety concerns covering US elections and protests
Covering elections as a foreign correspondent in the United States has traditionally meant press conferences, long days at political rallies, and road trips through rural America. This year, however, amid the spread of COVID-19, curtailed campaigns, civil unrest, visa issues, and an unpredictable political environment, the elections beat has been particularly challenging for foreign reporters….
CPJ joins letter calling on Guinea government not to disrupt internet access
The Committee to Protect Journalists today joined 35 other press freedom and human rights organizations in a letter calling on authorities in Guinea to maintain the stability and openness of all digital communication channels before, during, and after the presidential election scheduled for October 18. The letter emphasized the importance of the internet and other…
CPJ, partners warn of Turkey’s compromised institutions in press freedom mission
Turkey’s press freedom situation is continuing to deteriorate as judicial independence shrinks and the government’s grasp on the internet tightens, a delegation featuring the Committee to Protect Journalists and 10 other international press freedom and human rights organizations said in a statement and a press conference today. From October 6-9, 2020, the delegation met with…
“I’ve lost count of the number of fires I’ve covered this year”: How journalists stay safe covering U.S. wildfires
Photojournalist Kent Porter has covered wildfires in the western United States for more than 30 years. But this year, he says, the fires are different. The season’s first fire usually burns about one or two acres, Porter told CPJ in a phone interview. This year, however, the first fire he covered was 140 acres. “Usually…
Germany revisits influential internet law as amendment raises privacy implications
On October 1, a new law to regulate content posted on social media platforms took effect in Turkey, The Guardian reported. Turkish journalists already face censorship and arrest because of social media posts, CPJ has found, and the law offers just one more tool to censor news. Yet the legislation was not solely conceived in Ankara; it follows the example of one…
CPJ, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International express concern over Somalia’s amended media law
The Committee to Protect Journalists, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International today sent a joint letter to the president of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, expressing concern over a restrictive amended media law and asking the president to take concrete steps to safeguard press freedom and journalist safety during upcoming elections. The…
How do I cover COVID-19? Frequently asked questions for CPJ’s safety experts
The coronavirus has changed the way journalists report around the world. As COVID-19 morphed into a pandemic in early 2020, journalists quickly needed to know how to safely cover the world’s biggest news story. The uncertainty around the virus meant that even stepping outside was fraught with risk. Journalists soon got in touch with CPJ’s…
Mapping Venezuela’s shrinking radio landscape
Mapping Venezuela’s shrinking radio landscape Venezuelans navigate an information desert amid COVID-19, humanitarian & political crises By CPJ Central & South America staff and Coral Negrón, CPJ Patti Birch Fellow for Data Journalism As the COVID-19 pandemic spread rapidly around the world, few countries were already in such a state of humanitarian crisis as Venezuela….