The International Press Institute (IPI) today condemned acts of violence towards journalists and media workers covering protests in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana last night and called for thorough police investigations to identify those responsible. On November 5, 2020, photojournalist Borut Živulovič, who works as a photographer for the agency Bobo and a freelancer for Reuters, was [...]
Zur deutschen Version At a time of a global health crisis, it is vital that citizens have access to reliable and timely reporting. Honest and transparent official communication directed towards a vibrant and free media ecosystem could result in a balanced flow of information that raises awareness, increases public trust in the measures aimed to [...]
Zur deutschen Version Just when it seemed that media outlets in the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania had stabilized their financial situation and were growing their revenues, the pandemic struck. The lockdown accelerated the digital transformation of larger media companies, while at the same time highlighting the vulnerabilities of smaller and regional media [...]
Zur deutschen Version In Romania, the right to access information is often an intricate affair for journalists and citizens alike. Testimonies written in the Bucharest and regional-based press depict arbitrary refusals from authorities to release the requested data, unjustified delays and convoluted bureaucratic procedures that often end up in court. The implications for fair and timely [...]
Read in English In Rumänien ist das Recht auf Zugriff auf Informationen oft eine komplizierte Angelegenheit für Journalisten und Bürger gleichermaßen. Zeugenaussagen in der Bukarester und der regionalen Presse beschreiben willkürliche Verweigerungen der Behörden, die angeforderten Daten freizugeben, ungerechtfertigte Verzögerungen und verworrene bürokratische Verfahren, die oft vor Gericht enden. Die Auswirkungen auf eine faire und [...]
By IPI Advocacy Officer Jamie Wiseman Few terms have become so engrained in global political discourse in the last half decade than that of so-called “fake news.” The widely used yet ill-defined phrase has become a messy shorthand enveloping everything from social media rumours, to online political disinformation, to state-sponsored internet propaganda. With vastly different [...]
Deutsch In mid-March, when the number of coronavirus cases started rising across Europe, Croatia reacted swiftly by imposing restrictive measures: the national state of emergency was declared on March 13, and all non-essential businesses closed on March 19. Journalists were among the essential workers who continued going to work every day, exposing themselves and their [...]
On July 30, as Zimbabweans prepared to launch a nation-wide demonstration against government corruption, armed police raided the house of investigative journalist Mduduzi Mathuthu in Bulawayo. As he was not there, police arrested his sister. The warrant issued for Mathuthu’s arrest said that he was wanted in connection with “organising and advocating for illegal demonstrations [...]
The International Press Institute (IPI), a global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists for press freedom, today condemned the arrest of Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin’ono. The prominent journalist, known for his coverage of corruption in the country, was arrested by state security on July 20. Chin’ono had recently published a report revealing Covid-19 [...]
Egyptian journalist Mohamed Mounir has died after contracting Covid-19 while in pre-trial detention in Cairo’s notorious Tora prison. Mounir’s death on July 13 comes after the International Press Institute (IPI) repeatedly called on Egypt to free all jailed journalists due to the serious health risks posed by the coronavirus pandemic. Mohamed Mounir died ten days [...]
The International Press Institute (IPI), a global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists for press freedom, expressed strong concern over controversial amendments in Tajikistan saying these measures will stifle press freedom in the country. On July 4th, President Emomali Rahmon signed amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses that make it illegal to [...]
Read this in English. Journalisten in Russland, die über den Umgang der Behörden mit der Covid-19-Pandemie berichten, sehen sich weiterhin mit Bußgeldern und Ermittlungen aufgrund neuer Gesetze zu „Fake-News" konfrontiert, was die ohnehin schon feindselige Landschaft für kritische und unabhängige Medien noch verschärft. Während der Coronavirus-Pandemie hat die Medienaufsichtsbehörde des Landes Dutzende Lösch- und Korrekturanordnungen [...]
Zur deutschen Version Journalists in Russia reporting on the authorities’ handling of the Covid-19 pandemic are facing continued fines and investigations stemming from new laws on “fake news”, intensifying an already hostile landscape for critical and independent media. During the coronavirus pandemic the country’s media regulator has issued dozens of take down and correction orders [...]
A coalition of press freedom and journalism organizations including the International Press Institute (IPI) is launching a new safety resource to help news organizations respond to the extraordinary challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on the safe commissioning of freelance journalists. Produced by the ACOS Alliance, the COVID-19 News Organizations Safety [...]
The International Press Institute (IPI), a global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists for press freedom, today vehemently criticized Egypt for the arrest of two journalists, describing it as part of a brutal campaign of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to silence critical journalists. Haisam Hasan Mahgoub, a correspondent of the independent daily Al [...]
The International Press Institute (IPI), a global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists for press freedom, today expressed grave concern over the misuse of the law by authorities in India to intimidate journalists and curtail press freedom. On May 11, Dhaval Patel, owner and editor of the Gujarati news portal “Face of Nation”, [...]
It’s been fascinating to watch as India’s The Wire has emerged over five years as one of the key new digital voices in South Asia. It’s developed a distinct voice and filled an important gap, particularly as the country has been confronted with the challenges of populism and religious conflict. Over that time, I’ve had [...]
The undersigned partners of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) today express their concern about the increasing number of attacks against journalists across Germany, particularly in the context of anti-vaccine demonstrations. We call for better safety measures and protection as well as thorough investigations of attacks against journalists covering such demonstrations. Moreover, preventative measures are [...]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, dozens of states around the world have implemented criminal measures aimed at combatting the spread of misinformation about the virus on the internet and social media. For many governments, these vaguely defined laws are part of an ill-judged reaction to tackling an increase of rumours and incorrect information online during the [...]
After six decades of Fidel Castro’s authoritarian rule, Cuban authorities are still persecuting independent journalists, maintaining a media monopoly and controlling information. While the country has opened to up to greater international engagement in recent years, critical journalists are still routinely subjected to intimidation, arbitrary detentions, travel restrictions, physical attacks, threats, and raids on their [...]
The International Press Institute (IPI), a global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists for press freedom, has urged Somalia President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed to take immediate steps to end the harassment of journalists and media outlets. In letters sent to the president last week, IPI expressed serious concern over the rapidly deteriorating state [...]
The IJ4EU fund today, May 5, opened two new calls for cross-border investigative journalism projects in the EU and EU candidate countries. IJ4EU’s Investigation Support scheme will provide grants of between €5,000 and €50,000 to new cross-border investigative projects, including those that have recently begun as well as new phases of existing projects. The deadline [...]
Kaya Heyse, Deputy Chief Editor, Medyascope, Turkey Medyascope's newsroom has been extensively following the coronavirus crisis since China reported its first case in late December 2019. The first few days of the outbreak were muddled with uncertainty. The virus didn't have a name yet - "a mysterious virus" was the name opted for by our editors. Soon it became [...]
Riyad Mathew, Chief associate editor, Malayala Manorama, India Can journalists work from home? This was the question weighing on our minds when the lockdown was announced in India. So, we opted for a ‘report from the field; write from home’ strategy. The challenges we face are manifold. What could be conveyed with a shout across the newsroom [...]
Karim Waheed, Editor, Digital, The Daily Star, Bangladesh Covering COVID-19, or news coverage on the whole as the pandemic rages on worldwide and in Bangladesh, has been a novel experience. Managing a remote newsroom, which became imperative during this time of crisis, without sacrificing standards and missing out on major, developing news required radically new ideas, [...]
The International Press Institute (IPI) joined ten other media freedom and journalist rights groups in a letter to Malta’s Attorney General calling for the formation of a Joint Investigation Team with Europol to assist in the investigation into the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, killed by a car bomb on October 16, 2017. Read the [...]
The authorities in Jammu and Kashmir should immediately withdraw cases registered against three journalists in the region and end all harassment of the press, the International Press Institute (IPI), a global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists for press freedom, said today. On April 20, the police in Jammu and Kashmir announced that [...]
With the rapid increase in the number of COVID-19 infections in Africa, governments across the continent quickly imposed lockdowns to prevent the disease’s further spread. In many countries, these measures included blanket bans on movement, while others imposed social distancing. The tough enforcement of these rules has posed serious challenges for journalists and media outlets [...]
The International Press Institute (IPI), a global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists for press freedom, welcomes the decision of Israel’s High Court of Justice ordering the government to provide exemptions for journalists from coronavirus-related mobile phone tracking. The decision was part of a broader ruling by the High Court on April 26 [...]
Press freedom in India faces a rapid downward spiral as journalists are being targeted by the government in a bid to control the narrative in the country on the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Press Institute warned in a statement today. The Indian government has resorted to various tactics to prevent independent media from reporting about [...]
Authorities in Azerbaijan should immediately release three journalists detained on spurious charges while reporting on COVID-19 and stop abusing quarantine rules to silence criticism, the International Press Institute (IPI) said today. Over the past two weeks, courts have jailed three different journalists and detained another as they were reporting on the implications of the government’s [...]
The International Press Institute (IPI) has joined six other press freedom organizations in calling on the European Commission to ensure the safety of Slovenian investigative journalist Blaž Zgaga. Over the past month, Zgaga, who is a member of the prestigious International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), has received death threats and smears after he submitted [...]
The International Press Institute (IPI), a global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists for press freedom, has joined together with 24 other civil society partners to send a list of recommendations to EU leaders on how a newly formed rule of law mechanism can help strengthen press freedom and media plurality. The joint [...]