When Jaroslav Rezník took over as general director of Radio Television Slovakia (RTVS) in August 2017 there was ample reason for concern. His turn-of-the-century experience leading Slovak Radio under semi-authoritarian strongman Vladimír Mečiar, and his more recent decision to forge an alliance with Russian propaganda outlet Sputnik while he led the state-owned TASR newswire, were […]

The Malaysian government is tightening its grip on the media ahead of general elections scheduled be held before June. A new law passed by country’s parliament last week penalizes the spreading of “fake news” with six years’ imprisonment and a fine of 500,000 ringgit (approx. 105,000 euros). A specialized committee consisting of government bodies, such […]

The International Press Institute (IPI) and International Media Support (IMS) are now accepting nominations for the 2018 IPI World Press Freedom Hero Award and the 2018 IPI-IMS Free Media Pioneer Award. The deadline for nominations is April 20, 2018. Nominations should be sent via email to cklint(at)ipi(dot)media. Both awards will be presented at a special […]

The recent police raid on pro-Kurdish newspaper Özgürlükçü Demokrasi raises questions about the future of independent media in Turkey and underlines the disproportionate pressure on Kurdish media in the country as well as irregularities in the legal system.