New York, July 23, 2020— Christiane Amanpour, CNN’s chief international anchor and a senior adviser to CPJ, today called on Congress to protect independent media and press freedom in the United States, saying, “Your democratic legitimacy depends on it.” In prepared remarks for a hearing of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, better […]
Committee to Protect Journalists
Posted inUS
Reported press freedom violations in Black Lives Matter protests near 500
New York, July 15, 2020—The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker is investigating nearly 500 reported press freedom incidents since May 26, representing the unprecedented nature of attacks on journalists during recent nationwide Black Lives Matter protests. The incidents include journalists arrested, assaulted, hit with rubber bullets, pepper sprayed, tear gassed and threatened with weapons. A vast […]
Posted inUS
Internal CDC memo forbids staff from speaking with Voice of America
Washington, D.C., June 15, 2020 — In response to a newly published internal email showing that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) prohibited its employees from accepting interviews with the U.S. Congress-funded broadcaster Voice of America, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “It is reprehensible that a government agency […]
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In rare letter, CPJ board calls on U.S. local authorities to halt arrests, assaults on journalists
New York, June 5, 2020 – The board of directors of the Committee to Protect Journalists today sent a rare letter demanding that U.S. governors, mayors, and police chiefs take immediate action to stop assaults on journalists covering protests across the country. The collective message from some of the world’s leading media figures called on authorities to […]
Posted inUS
Saudi crown prince’s alleged hacking of Bezos raises press freedom concerns
Washington, January 22, 2020—The Committee to Protect Journalists today joined U.N. human rights experts in calling for an investigation into the alleged hacking of The Washington Post ownerand Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The U.N. experts called the alleged hacking “an effort to influence, if not silence, The Washington Post’s reporting on Saudi Arabia.” Agnes Callamard, U.N. special rapporteur on summary executions […]
Posted inWorld
Burundi prosecutor seeks 15-year prison term for Iwacu journalists
Nairobi, January 3, 2020—Burundi’s public prosecutor on December 30 asked for a 15-year prison term for four journalists for privately owned online news outlet Iwacu and their driver who are charged with undermining state security, according to Iwacu and other news reports. The prosecutor is also seeking to have the five stripped of their right […]
Posted inWorld
Syria, Mexico deadliest countries for journalists in 2019
New York, December 17, 2019–The number of journalists killed in the line of duty fell in 2019 to the lowest level in 17 years, as dangerous regional conflicts stabilized and the number of journalists murdered in reprisal for their reporting was the lowest since the Committee to Protect Journalists began keeping track, according to its annual […]
Posted inWorld
Brazilian electoral law criminalizes sharing allegations against politicians
Rio de Janeiro, November 18, 2019 – The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned a law enacted by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro that criminalizes slander under the electoral code. On November 8, Bolsonaro enacted Law 13.834, which added “slanderous denunciation” as a criminal offense under Brazil’s electoral code, according to news reports. The law criminalizes knowingly accusing someone of […]
Posted inUS
CPJ, partners to mark anniversary of Khashoggi murder with vigil at D.C. Saudi embassy
Washington, D.C., September 16, 2019 – The Committee to Protect Journalists will join with other press freedom and human rights groups for a candlelight vigil in front of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, October 2, to mark the one-year anniversary of journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder. Saudi officials at the kingdom’s consulate […]
Posted inWorld
Hong Kong police hit journalists covering protests with tear gas and pepper spray
Taipei, September 9, 2019 – Hong Kong police must cease their unprovoked use of tear gas and pepper spray against journalists covering protests in the city, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On September 7, police pepper-sprayed a group of journalists who were filming the arrests of protesters in the Mong Kok area, according […]
Posted inUS
US Supreme Court imposes new limits on government records requests
New York, June 24, 2019 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed concern over a U.S. Supreme Court decision that restricts journalists’ access to government records. The case, Food Marketing Institute v. Argus Leader Media, arose out of a 2011 Freedom of Information Act request filed by the South Dakota newspaper Argus Leader, which […]
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US, UN must probe Saudi crown prince role in “extrajudicial killing” of Jamal Khashoggi, report says
Paris, June 19, 2019–The Committee to Protect Journalists today welcomed a United Nations report calling on both the head of the U.N. and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation to open criminal probes into the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The report by Agnes Callamard, the U.N. special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary […]
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CPJ: Assange indictment marks alarming new stage in U.S. war on leaks
Mexico City, May 24, 2019 — The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the U.S. Justice Department’s indictment yesterday of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The administration of President Donald Trump disclosed 17 charges against Assange under the Espionage Act, relating to his receipt and publication of classified military documents and diplomatic cables in 2010 […]
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US must be global leader in defending press freedom, CPJ tells Congress
Washington, D.C., May 16, 2019 – At a congressional hearing today on the dangers of reporting on human rights, Joel Simon, the executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, will highlight the risks for journalists globally who report on human rights abuses, and call on Congress to speak out against press freedom violations. In testimony scheduled […]
Posted inWorld
Committee to Protect Journalists: On World Press Freedom Day, We Demand Justice
May 2, 2019 – This World Press Freedom Day, CPJ remembers the at least 1,340 journalists who have been killed in relation to their work worldwide since 1992. We salute the bravery of those who continue to risk their lives to bring us the news. In 2018, CPJ recorded 54 journalists killed for their work […]
Posted inCalifornia
CPJ and others request meeting with Sacramento police over treatment of journalists at protest
Chief Daniel Hahn Sacramento Police Department 5770 Freeport Blvd., Suite 100 Sacramento, CA 95822 March 18, 2019 Via email: dhahn@pd.cityofsacramento.org Dear Chief Daniel Hahn, We at the Committee to Protect Journalists, an independent press freedom advocacy group, along with the organizations listed below, write to express our concern about police conduct toward journalists covering protests in […]
Posted inWorld
Committee to Protect Journalists Releases ‘The Last Column’ to Highlight the Human Cost of Journalism
New York, NY, March 13, 2019 — The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), an independent, nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom worldwide, today announced the launch of “The Last Column,” a book and digital campaign that highlight the human cost of reporting the news. Developed with support from News Corp, the Dow Jones Foundation, and HarperCollins […]
Posted inUS
CPJ concerned about journalists’ safety at Trump’s rallies
New York, February 12, 2019 – The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed concern about the safety of journalists covering President Donald Trump’s political rallies after a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) camera operator, Ron Skeans, was assaulted during a rally in El Paso, Texas, last night. “It’s outrageous that a journalist was attacked while covering […]
Posted inWorld
CPJ, international journalists express deep concern over deteriorating press freedom climate in Nicaragua
January 7, 2019 Sent via email: presidencia@presidencia.gob.ni To President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo: We are journalists and press freedom advocates from Latin America and around the world who view recent developments in your country with deep concern. We write to express alarm over the recent escalation of aggression against media outlets and journalists […]
Posted inUS
CPJ calls on White House to restore credentials of CNN correspondent, stop denigrating media
New York, November 8, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on the White House to restore the credentials of Jim Acosta, CNN’s chief White House correspondent. The White House last night suspended Acosta’s credentials after a heated exchange with President Donald Trump during a press conference earlier in the day. The incident comes amid an atmosphere of heightened […]