fake news

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Supporters of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Tahrir square in April 2018 after the results of the country's recent presidential elections were announced. The country's authorities have continued to clampdown on the press using false news charges after the elections, according to reports. (Reuters/ Mohamed Abd El Ghany)

CPJ calls on Egyptian authorities to release journalists held on false news charges

Washington, D.C., July 10, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Egyptian authorities to drop the charges against a group of journalists held in pretrial detention for false news and release the journalists immediately.

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A rally calling for greater press freedom in Manila in January 2018. Philippine journalists say President Rodrigo Duterte is trying to intimidate the media. (AFP/Ted Aljibe)

Mission Journal: Duterte leads tri-pronged attack on press amid condemnation of controversial policies

Pia Randa is in Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte’s crosshairs. At presidential press conferences, Duterte has repeatedly singled out the reporter by name and referred to Rappler, the news site where she works, as “fake news” and her reporting as “corrupt” and “biased” against his administration.

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Guards attend a flag-raising ceremony at Taipei's Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in March 2018. Taiwan's parliament is considering a draft bill to penalize 'fake news.' (Reuters/Tyrone Siu)

Taiwanese lawmakers propose criminalizing spread of fake news

Taipei, June 13, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Taiwan’s parliament, known as the Legislative Yuan, to reject a proposed amendment that would make spreading fake news punishable by imprisonment or a fine.

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Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko gives a speech in Minsk on May 24, 2018. CPJ called on the Belarusian parliament to reject proposed laws that could further censor the media in the country. (AFP/Sergei Gapon)

Belarus moves to prosecute ‘fake news,’ control the Internet

Kiev, June 8, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on the Belarusian parliament to reject proposed laws that could further censor the media in the country. The Prosecutor General’s Office is drafting a bill on “fake news,” and the lower house of parliament separately is considering amendments to the media law.

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The Nile River in Cairo, Egypt on April 25, 2018. Egyptian authorities on May 23, 2018, detained prominent Egyptian blogger Wael Abbas, according to news reports. (Reuters/Mohamed Abd El Ghany)

Egyptian authorities detain blogger Wael Abbas

New York, May 23, 2018–Egyptian authorities should release immediately Wael Abbas, a blogger who has documented Egyptian police abuse, and end their senseless campaign against the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Police at dawn today detained Abbas at his Cairo home and took him to an undisclosed location, according to news reports,…

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A Kazakh soldier stands in front of the national flag at the presidential palace in Astana, in 2014. CPJ is joining calls for the country to revise its repressive press laws. (AFP/Alain Jocard)

CPJ joins calls for Kazakhstan to revise false news law and drop charges against critical media

The Committee to Protect Journalists today joined a coalition of 25 other international press freedom organizations to call on Kazakh authorities to drop criminal defamation cases against media outlets Forbes Kazakhstan and Ratel and revise the law on dissemination of “false information” often used to silence critical media outlets and journalists.

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A man fixes Gambia's flag on Feburary 16, 2017, during preparations for the swearing-in ceremony for Gambia's new president, Adama Barrow. Gambia's Supreme Court decided on May 9, 2018, to declare criminal defamation unconstitutional, but upheld segments of the country's criminal code on sedition and false news, according to reports. (Reuters/Thierry Gouegnon)

Gambia declares criminal defamation unconstitutional, keeps some laws on sedition, false news

Nairobi, May 10, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the Gambian Supreme Court’s decision yesterday to declare criminal defamation unconstitutional, but is dismayed that segments of the country’s criminal code on sedition and false news were upheld.

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Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta inspects an honor guard in Nairobi on May 2, 2018. CPJ calls on Kenyatta not to sign a cybercrime bill passed by Parliament. (Reuters/Thomas Mukoya)

Kenyan president should not sign cybercrime bill into law

Nairobi, May 10, 2018 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta not to sign into law a cybercrimes bill that was recently passed by the National Assembly because it will stifle press freedom.

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Supporters of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Tahrir Square after presidential election results in Cairo, Egypt on April 2, 2018. Since Egypt's presidential elections, authorities have stepped up their campaign against critical and independent journalists and have cracked down on those conducting man-on-the-street interviews, according to CPJ research. (Reuters/Mohamed Abd El Ghany)

CPJ alarmed by Egypt’s detention of video blogger Shadi Abu Zaid

New York, May 8, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed concern over the detention of Shadi Abu Zaid, a video blogger who produces and anchors his own satirical news show.

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Malaysia's landmark Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur in March 2015. A Malaysian court on April 30, 2018, handed down the nation's first conviction under its recently enacted

Malaysia issues first ‘fake news’ conviction

Bangkok, April 30, 2018–In a verdict with grave implications for press freedom, a Malaysian court today handed down the nation’s first conviction under its recently enacted “fake news” law, according to press reports.

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