Journalism, press freedom, free speech, censorship: News & resources

1. A noble profession stained by claims of extortion (July 3, 2009)
   The arrest of journalists for extortion is a blot on the profession, writes The New Times in an editorial. This is not the first time this has happened. Previously, a journalist caught blackmailing somebdy with the threat of publication said: 'Its is how we survive.' The case highlights the urgent need for a self-regulatory mechanism for the media.
2. Media freedom must include access to information (July 1, 2009)
   Journalists can't do their work if they are prevented from accessing information, including attending public events involving important officials, writes Eugene Anagwa in The New Times. Government officials are too quick to censor the information by refusing to co-operate with journalists.
3. Nicaragua Special Report: Daniel Ortega's Media War (July 1, 2009)
   Driven by decades old hostilities, Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega has deined independent media as enemies and has moved aggressively to obstruct them. In a special report, Carlos Lauria and Joel Simon detail the government's tactics against independent media.
4. Special Report: Reporting, and Surviving, in Ciudad Juarez (June 24, 2009)
   In one of Mexico’s most dangerous cities, reporting the news requires extreme caution. Self-censorship and manipulation of the news are constants.
5. Citizen media takes the stage as protests continue in Iran (June 23, 2009)
   Wth foreign media expelled from Iran, and local journalists being targeted, citizen journalists are becoming vital in covering the situation on the ground. MENASSAT interviewed Magda Abu-Fadil, Director of the Journalism Training Program at the American University of Beirut (AUB), to discuss what this means for the future of journalism
6. Freelancing Abroad (June 23, 2009)
   Planning to freelance in another country? After reporting for more than three years in Africa and Asia, Karen Palmer has twelve easy steps for freelancers heading somewhere new.
7. Centre Powerless to Help Journalists (June 22, 2009)
   The Doha Centre’s chief purpose is to help journalists in danger, but for several weeks the Qatar authorities have not given it the resources to fulfil this role.
8. Police Posing as Journalists (June 20, 2009)
   When undercover police pretend to be journalists, they not only make reporters' jobs harder and more dangerous but make it harder for minority groups to be heard, speakers at a Canadian Journalists for Freedom of Expression panel discussion said.
9. Reporters Without Borders publishes a first Guide for exiled journalists (June 20, 2009)
   Reporters Without Borders marked World Refugee Day by publishing a guide for journalists driven into exile, to provide them with information about the procedures and potential obstacles in seeking asylum.
10. WAFA speaks Hebrew too (June 18, 2009)
    The official Palestine News and Information Center (WAFA) officially launched its Hebrew-language news Website to provide Hebrew speaking readers with what the agency described as accurate information from Palestine.
    President Mahmoud Abbas said that this page is meant to be a means of communication and direct dialogue with the Israelis.
    He said that the news Website would show credibility, objectivity and accuracy in order to reflect the legitimate Palestinian aspiration and eagerness to live in peace and liberty in their sovereign Palestinian state.
    He added that the Palestinian Authority believes in coexistence and peace between the two peoples. WAFA’s director-general Riyadh Al Hasan, stated that the Hebrew page of WAFA was overdue and should have been published a long time ago to reach Hebrew readers....
11. Israel sentences two to prison terms for censorship breach (June 17, 2009)
    The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns an Israeli court decision to sentence two television journalists on charges of breaching the military censorship law during the offensive in Gaza in December and January.
    
12. Special Report: Journalists in Exile 2009 (June 17, 2009)
    Sri Lankan journalists flee under severe pressure in the past year. Iraq and Somalia, two deadly countries for the press, also rank high in numbers of journalists forced into exile. Hundreds of journalists have been driven into exile this decade
13. New Freelance Contract Causing a Stir (June 15, 2009)
    Transcontinental Media has recently introduced a revised contract for freelance writers who work for one of its many publications.
14. Secret Documents (June 11, 2009)
    Recent stories about misplaced cabinet documents and secret memos reminded Cecil Rosner of a similar experience 25 years ago. It was one of those moments reporters seldom experience – and never forget.
15. Censorship is the Wrong Way to Combat the British National Party (June 8, 2009)
    The illiberal obsession with silencing Nick Griffin and the British National Party in the run up to elections has won the party undeserved publicity, says Claire Fox
16. Ethnic Media Reaching Record Numbers in U.S. (June 8, 2009)
    Nearly 60 million Americans now regularly get information from ethnically oriented TV, radio, newspapers, and Web sites, many of which are published or broadcast in languages other than English -- and that number is on the rise.
    As mainstream newspapers and cable news channels in the United States are losing more money, readers, and viewers each year, ethnic media appears to be "maybe the most vibrant part" of the media landscape...
    
17. Protecting Kosovo (June 4, 2009)
    Lushtaku may be tactically right not to want to appear in the “Jeta ne Kosova” debate, but strategically he has lost this battle. A politician who starts a war with a journalist will lose that war. His public lynching of Jeta, is being conducted under false pretexts.
18. World Press Freedom Day: Commission launches 2009 Lorenzo Natali Prize for committed journalists (June 3, 2009)
    On World Press Freedom Day the Commission is officially launching the Lorenzo Natali Prize for 2009. The prize is awarded to journalists who have demonstrated a commitment to human rights, democracy and development.
19. Journalists can Embrace Emotions AND Remain Neutral (June 2, 2009)
    Reporters' opinions always affect the story in some way. So why not embrace the emotion, join the conversation and address the community directly, Belgian newspaper publisher Roland Legrand asks – albeit a little tentatively.
20. Ethnic Insult Poses Dilemma for Anchorage TV Reporter (June 1, 2009)
    One reporter struggles with the problem of racist jokes in the media.
21. IFJ Launches Emergency Appeal for Pakistani Journalists (May 26, 2009)
    The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is launching an emergency appeal to provide emergency financial support to more than 100 journalists and their families who were forced to flee the intense conflict in northern Pakistan.
    
22. International Multimedia News Lab Launched in Prague (May 25, 2009)
    Representatives of World Association of Newspapers (WAN) and PPF Group have launched the International Multimedia News Lab in Prague. The training and educational centre, combined with the editorial house is called FUTUROOM - newsroom of the future.
23. Egypt: Security authorities confiscate book about corruption (May 20, 2009)
    The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) reports that the Egyptian security authorities have confiscated a book entitled "A Flood of Corruption and the Advance of bin Laden in Algeria" by the Algerian writer, Anwar Malek.
24. Iraq: News website latest target in government′s legal offensive against independent media (May 20, 2009)
    Reporters Without Borders condemns the Iraqi government′s continuing legal offensive against independent news media, which for the first time is also targeting Internet media.
25. Police in Tunisia's Gafsa mining region harass reporter for banned newspaper (May 20, 2009)
    Reporters Without Borders is concerned about the way the police in Tunisia have been harassing political activist Ammar Amroussia in recent days. Amroussia writes for El Badil (Alternative), a banned newspaper.
26. East Timor: Journalists Hold Out for Better Media Laws (May 19, 2009)
    Journalists in East Timor are anxiously waiting for a set of media laws to be revised after a negative reaction to a draft that was circulated in March.
27. Moroccan journalists face charges of defaming Qaddafi (May 19, 2009)
    The Committee to Protect Journalists is dismayed by the start of court proceedings today against five Moroccan journalists charged with publicly harming Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi and hurting his dignity.
28. Sri Lanka Army holding three doctors who gave information to press (May 19, 2009)
    Reporters Without Borders urges the Sri Lankan authorities to quickly release three Tamil doctors who have been arrested for providing the news media with information about the humanitarian situation in Vanni.
29. Mexico: Article 19 Calls for a Federal Policy to Prevent Aggressions against Journalists (May 18, 2009)
    Press release calling on the Government of Mexico and President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa to establish a committee to protect journalists and implement a comprehensive strategy to stop attacks on journalists and media workers.
30. South Caucasus (May 15, 2009)
    Press release on the continued violence against journalists symptomatic of ongoing repression in the region.
31. Authorities step up offensive against journalists and websites (May 14, 2009)
    Reporters Without Borders is concerned about freedom of expression in Bahrain. In the past couple of months, two journalists have been charged because of what they wrote and the information ministry has stepped up Internet filtering.
    
32. Dissident journalist facing jail term on 'disrespect' charge (May 14, 2009)
    Reporters Without Borders calls for the immediate release of independent journalist Alberto Santiago Du Bouchet, who was arrested after a verbal exchange with a policeman in Artemisa (in Havana province) on 18 April.
33. IFJ Backs Russian and Asian Unions in Campaign to Rebuild Trust in Media (May 14, 2009)
    The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is backing a regional campaign led by journalists' leaders from Russia, Turkey and Central Asia to strengthen quality journalism in the face of political pressure and a media crisis across the region.
34. IFJ Condemns New Attack on Journalists' Sources in UK (May 14, 2009)
    The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its European group, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today joined their affiliate, the National Union of Journalists in the UK and Ireland (NUJ), in condemning the secrecy.
35. IFJ Condemns Reckless Use of Violence against Media House in Yemen (May 14, 2009)
    The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has condemned the shocking disregard for safety of journalists and media staff who were caught in the crossfire of a battle between security forces and armed guards at a publishing house in Yemen.
    
36. IFJ Condemns Threats and Intimidation against Journalists in Somalia (May 14, 2009)
    The International Federation of Journalists has condemned today the threats and intimidations against journalists in Somalia after the head of an Islamic militia group in Somalia warned journalists against reports which are critical of the movement
37. Newspaper reporter arrested as she returns to Israel from Gaza Strip (May 14, 2009)
    Reporters Without Borders condemns Israeli newspaper reporter Amira Hass′s arrest at the Erez border crossing yesterday as she returned to Israel after spending four months in the Gaza Strip reporting for the Tel Aviv-based daily Haaretz.
38. IFJ Calls for Inquiry Into Lasantha's Murder (May 12, 2009)
    The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins the widow of Sri Lankan journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge in calling on Sri Lanka's power-holders to take immediate action to conduct a full, fair and independent investigation into the murder
39. Israeli authorities close Palestinian media centre in East Jerusalem (May 12, 2009)
    Reporters Without Borders condemns yesterday morning's decision by the Israeli internal security ministry to shut down the Palestinian media centre that had been set up in the East Jerusalem.
40. Roxana Saberi finally freed (May 12, 2009)
    Reporters Without Borders hails today′s release of Iranian-American journalist.
41. Reporters without Borders reinforces its safety provisions for journalists (April 30, 2009)
    Two years after UNESCO’s Medellin Declaration, which reaffirmed UN Security Council resolution 1738 on the obligation to protect journalists in war zones, violence against journalists continues to be one of the biggest threats to freedom of expression. A total of 60 journalists were murdered and 29 were kidnapped in 2008. More than 1,500 were arrested, threatened or physically attacked in connection with their work. The war in Iraq, which has caused the death of more than 200 journalists and media workers, is the most dramatic example.
    
    
42. 10 Worst Countries to be a Blogger (April 30, 2009)
    CPJ names the worst online oppressors. Booming online cultures in many Asian and Middle Eastern nations have led to aggressive government repression. Burma leads the dishonor roll.
43. ARTICLE 19 launches the Camden Principles on Freedom of Expression and Equality (April 26, 2009)
    ARTICLE 19 has launched The Camden Principles on Freedom of Expression and Equality, a ground-breaking document that will guide legislators, policy-makers and civil society in balancing the rights to freedom of expression and equality.
44. World Copyright Day: Stop Unfair Contracts for Journalists (April 26, 2009)
    The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) condemns the widespread use of unfair contracts by media employers that deprive journalists from their authors' rights.
45. Thailand: With Censorship, Thais Turn to Websites and Foreign Media (April 20, 2009)
    When the Thai government imposed an emergency law cracking down on rampaging red-shirted protesters on the streets of Bangkok, the military, in combat gear, was not its only weapon. The state’s censors were given liberty to silence critical media.
46. UNESCO World Press Freedom Prize 2009 to be awarded posthumously to Sri Lankan journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge (April 7, 2009)
    The late Sri Lankan journalist and editor of the Sunday Leader Lasantha Wickrematunge, who was assassinated on 8 January this year, has been named laureate of the 2009 UNESCO World Press Freedom Prize.
47. Getting Away with Murder 2009 (March 23, 2009)
    The already murderous conditions for the press in Sri Lanka and Pakistan deteriorated further in the past year, the Committee to Protect Journalists has found in its newly updated Impunity Index, a list of countries where journalists are killed regularly and governments fail to solve the crimes...
48. IFJ Launches Booklet to Engage Media Professionals in Fight Against Gender Discrimination (March 6, 2009)
    The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has today called on media professionals and unions activists to join the fight against gender discrimination by releasing a booklet on gender equality.
49. And Then They Came For Me (January 7, 2009)
    An editorial by Lasantha Wickrematunge shortly before he was murdered on January 8, 2009, and published three days after his death.