CPJ urges heightened awareness for journalists traveling to US for FIFA World Cup
May 21, 2026, New York, NY — The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has advised journalists traveling throughout the United States for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup may face questioning or hostility from immigration officials at the border or around venues. The World Cup spans games across cities in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada…
CPJ, partners call on incoming Guatemalan attorney general to end persecution of journalists
In a joint letter led by the Committee to Protect Journalists, nine international press freedom and human rights organizations urged Guatemala’s incoming attorney general, Gabriel García Luna, to end the use of criminal prosecutions against journalists, drop politically motivated cases, and ensure safe conditions for exiled reporters to return. Over the past eight years, the…
CPJ calls for humane treatment, release of press detained aboard Gaza-bound flotilla
Beirut, May 21, 2026 — The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply alarmed by the video showing Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir taunting those detained aboard the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla at Ashdod Port in Israel, which included at least 14 international journalists, while they were handcuffed and held in stress positions on the…
CPJ, RSF warn Iran using 83-day blackout to hide press crackdown
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) are warning that the Iranian government is using an ongoing 83-day nationwide internet blackout to hide a severe crackdown on independent media. According to the monitor NetBlocks, the 12-week shutdown is the longest and most severe ever recorded in the country, effectively turning Iran…
Journalist Yelis Ayaz arrested in Turkey for ‘spreading disinformation’
Istanbul, May 20, 2026—Turkish authorities must release journalist Yelis Ayaz without delay and stop punishing journalists for doing their jobs, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. Ayaz, publisher and editor-in-chief for the local newspaper Aydınpost in the western province of Aydın, was arrested pending trial by a court on May 15 on suspicion of…
Mexican journalist, IPFA recipient Maria Teresa Montaño targeted in possible malware, surveillance attacks
Mexico City, May 19, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Mexican authorities to immediately and credibly investigate possible malware and digital surveillance attacks against Mexican journalist Maria Teresa Montaño Delgado and The ObserverMX, and take appropriate steps to guarantee her safety. Montaño, a 2023 recipient of CPJ’s International Press Freedom Award (IPFA), told CPJ on May…
CPJ, partners call on Gulf states to end crackdown on information
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 26 other organizations in calling on Gulf states to end their attacks on the free flow of information. The Iran war has sparked a sweeping new crackdown across the Gulf, as governments move to control what their populations can see, say, and share about the attacks unfolding in their…
CPJ calls on Israel to release press detained on Gaza-bound flotilla
Beirut, May 19, 2026 —The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Israeli authorities to immediately release all journalists and media workers detained after Israeli forces intercepted vessels from the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla, and to disclose the location and legal status of those being held. According to organizers, on May 18, Israeli forces began intercepting…
Russia adds CPJ to its list of ‘undesirable organizations’
New York, May 19, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists has been included on a Russian government list of “undesirable organizations” — a label used to suppress media outlets, NGOs, and other independent voices that the Kremlin deems a threat to its narrative control. CPJ, which was not notified of the decision or the reasons behind…
Press crackdowns in Gulf spike following Iran war, risk becoming permanent
Washington, D.C., May 6, 2026—Since the Iran war started late February, CPJ has documented a crackdown on the press across the Gulf and tracked unpublicized cases of arrests, intimidation, and legal and financial actions against journalists and their media outlets. The escalation represents a significant and underreported threat to press freedom in Gulf countries, where…