Press Releases
2016
Killing of journalists eases from record levels
Syria is most deadly country for the fifth consecutive year New York, December 19, 2016–The number of journalists killed in the line of duty is on track to decline in 2016 from recent record levels as fewer journalists were targeted for murder and war became the deadliest beat, the Committee to Protect Journalists found in…
A record number of journalists are in jail, CPJ census finds
Turkey holds at least 81 journalists, fueling global high of 259 New York, December 13, 2016–Turkey’s unprecedented crackdown on media brought the total number of jailed journalists worldwide to the highest number since the Committee to Protect Journalists began taking an annual census in 1990. As of December 1, 2016, there were 259 journalists in…
Journalists honored for courageous reporting
International Press Freedom Awards go to Indian freelance reporter, Egyptian photojournalist, Turkish editor, and El Salvadoran investigative reporter New York, November 23, 2016–Journalists from India, Egypt, Turkey, and El Salvador were honored Tuesday night at the Committee to Protect Journalists’ 26th annual International Press Freedom Awards for courageous work amid risks including imprisonment, threats, and…
Extremist groups get away with murders of journalists
Somalia, Iraq, Syria top CPJ’s 2016 Global Impunity Index New York, October 27, 2016–Some of the highest rates of impunity in the murders of journalists can be attributed to killings by Islamist militant groups, the Committee to Protect Journalists found in its latest annual Global Impunity Index, released today. At top of the list–which spotlights…
Cuba’s internet restrictions stifle independent media
New York, September 28 – Internet restrictions are curbing independent voices in Cuba and leaving Cubans disconnected from the rest of the world, the Committee to Protect Journalists found in a special report released today. Only a fraction of Cuba’s 11 million people have internet access, and it is expensive, slow, and heavily censored, CPJ…
Connecting Cuba: Slow steps toward press freedom
New York, September 28–Cuban journalists are finding more space to be critical but restrictive laws, the fear of persecution, and limited and expensive access to the internet is slowing the country’s press freedom progress, CPJ found in a report released today. The report finds that although President Raúl Castro’s call for reforms five years ago…
For India’s journalists corruption can be a deadly beat
New York, August 29, 2016–A culture of impunity in India is leaving the country’s press vulnerable to threats and attacks, CPJ found in a report released today. The report finds that regional investigations have failed to secure justice for journalists murdered for their work, and urges the national government to enact legislation that would provide…
The price of photography: Shawkan, 1000+ days behind bars
“My passion is photography, but I am paying the price for my passion with my life” — Mahmoud Abou Zeid “Shawkan” New York, August 23, 2016 – The Committee to Protect Journalists, in partnership with the Bronx Documentary Center, will showcase the work of Egyptian freelance photojournalist Mahmoud Abou Zeid, known as Shawkan, who has…
CPJ welcomes IOC’s press freedom complaints mechanism
New York, August 3, 2016 — The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the creation of a press freedom complaints mechanism by the International Olympic Committee that will enable journalists covering the organization and staging of the Olympic Games to report a violation of their press freedom. Thousands of journalists are converging on Rio de Janeiro…
UN committee grants CPJ accreditation
New York, July 25, 2016– The United Nations Economic Social Council (ECOSOC) today voted to grant consultative status to the Committee to Protect Journalists. The step will allow the independent nonprofit organization to access U.N. bodies and processes, such as the Human Rights Council in Geneva, where accredited NGOs can deliver a counter-narrative to states.