The Torch

The U.S. Department of State said in a statement on Monday that it would limit the number of visas available for Chinese journalists working at five designated media organizations. The outlets — Xinhua, CGTN, China Radio, China Daily, and The People’s Daily — will be limited to 100 visas in total. The announcement follows China’s…

Demonstrators and police in India have attacked journalists covering protests across the country following the introduction of the Citizenship Amendment Act in December 2019. Some media workers have reported that they have been asked about their religious identity and others have been forced to delete pictures and videos from their phones. Journalists covering the protests…

Chinese authorities on Wednesday revoked the press credentials of Wall Street Journal journalists Josh Chin, Chao Deng, and Philip Wen in retaliation for a headline in the paper’s opinion section, and ordered them to leave the country within five days. China’s expulsion of the journalists “makes the country appear less like a confident rising power…

In New York City, police arrested photojournalist Amr Alfiky on Tuesday as he filmed an arrest underway on the street. Police held Alfiky in custody for about 3.5 hours and confiscated his press credentials. He was released after being charged with disorderly conduct. An NYPD spokesman told New York Daily News that Alfiky did not…

In Malaysia this week, the Kuala Lumpur Magistrate’s Court filed three charges against journalist Wan Noor Hayati Wan Alias relating to posts on her public Facebook account about the coronavirus health emergency. Hayati was charged under Section 505(b) of the country’s penal code, a criminal provision banning statements intended to cause “fear or alarm to…

On Wednesday, CPJ sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo calling on him to support press freedom following a January 24 incident in which Pompeo berated NPR reporter Mary Louise Kelley. Three days after the incident, the State Department barred another NPR reporter from traveling aboard Pompeo’s plane on a State Department…

On Thursday, CPJ joined U.N. human rights experts in calling for an investigation into the alleged Saudi hacking of Jeff Bezos, owner of The Washington Post and CEO of Amazon. Agnes Callamard, U.N. special rapporteur on summary executions and extrajudicial killings, and David Kaye, U.N. special rapporteur on freedom of expression, called the alleged hacking…

CPJ on Wednesday urged Senate authorities to reconsider proposed restrictions on journalists covering President Trump’s impeachment trial and to consider feedback from the Standing Committee of Correspondents. CPJ argued that increased restrictions would make it more difficult for journalists to cover a major news event and limit the public’s insight into the impeachment proceedings. In…

Following the U.S. airstrike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Mohandis on January 3, journalists reporting in Iraq face heightened risks. According to CPJ research, pro-Iran militias have previously targeted journalists for kidnapping. Journalists planning to cover events in Iraq can find safety advice in CPJ Emergencies’ latest advisory…

This year, journalists worldwide faced attacks, arrests, and censorship. In September, we released our annual 10 Most Censored list, highlighting the range of online and offline techniques used to censor journalism and restrict press freedom. Meanwhile, protests in over two dozen countries posed risks to members of the press. Journalists faced threats while covering civil…