Stories about World Press Freedom Day 2022
Podcast: The state of press freedom
This week, we head to China, India, Colombia, Indonesia and Serbia to hear from journalists and researchers about what challenges the media faces in those countries.
‘The ambition of expressing myself freely': A conversation with Iranian artist Arghavan Khosravi
"One does not need to be Iranian to relate to the sense of uncertainty and repression woven into [Khosravi's] paintings."
Pakistan drops 12 points on World Press Freedom Index 2022
A report by Pakistani rights organization Freedom Network reveals that journalists in Pakistan were subjected to violence, legal cases, abductions, detentions and threats last year, mostly from the state actors.
Does Indonesia have a healthy free press? Not according to West Papua
This World Press Freedom Day, we review the human rights violations, free speech barriers, and media abuses in Papua, which has been annexed by Indonesia for almost 60 years.
Nothing new in the ‘New Kazakhstan’ as attacks on social media freedom continue
As the world marks World Free Press Day, the government of Kazakhstan enacts a law restricting social media freedom in a country where media are under control of state authorities.
In Azerbaijan, the state of media freedom is dismal, experts say
When at least four journalists remain behind bars, independent and opposition websites are blocked, and censorship prevails in Azerbaijan, there is little cause for celebration on this day.
For acclaimed journalists Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov, winning a Nobel Peace Prize offers no protection
For Filipino journalist Maria Ressa and Russian editor Dmitry Muratov, winning the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize has not provided protection from their attackers and state threats as they continue their investigations.
World Press Freedom Day in the Caribbean is a mixed bag
'The environment within which journalists in the Caribbean operate is becoming increasingly perilous.'
The Western Balkans will need unity and cooperation across society to overcome press freedom challenges
Independent media in the Western Balkans face disinformation campaigns, hate speech, physical attacks, threats, low income, poor economic status, divisions, self-censorship and job insecurity.
News that’s fit to print
On World Press Freedom Day 2022, the spotlight is on the media’s important role as defenders of information integrity, especially in times of crisis.
China: Weibo’s new location tag exposes the whereabouts of users, opinion leaders and tiny pinks
Despite privacy concerns, the location data has unexpectedly exposed the whereabouts of pro-government opinion leaders and patriotic trolls.
Andrey Zakharov, BBC News Russian: For eight years, propaganda has been preparing people to support the war in Ukraine
In his opinion, Russia has lost the information war abroad, even though many Russian citizens support the regime.
Malaysian writer faces blasphemy probe for Facebook post
"Uthaya Sankar SB’s arrest for his social media post highlights the limits of free expression in Malaysia on issues such as religion."
In Turkey a journalist is arrested for covering an alleged hacking of a government database
The arrest comes after Haskoloğlu reported on an alleged hacking of a government database.
Hong Kong’s Foreign Correspondents’ Club cancels Human Rights Awards for fear of legal risks
Launched in 1995, the Awards is one of the most important platforms to celebrate and honour human rights journalism from around Asia.
The censorship of Shanghai citizens in lockdown sparks an uproar on Chinese social media
A six-minute video on the lockdown in Shanghai had gone viral and sparked large-scale online protests after the Chinese censor handed down a comprehensive content removal order on April 22, 2022.
Despite what we think, the press does not live in a free paradise in Ecuador
It is necessary to question the notion that the media have full and free space to act, without threats, in Ecuador.
European Court of Human Rights vindicates Macedonian journalists convicted of defamation
In 2014 and 2015, Focus journalists had to pay more than EUR 9,000 as damages to the former director of the Administration for Security and Counterintelligence (ASC) Sašo Mijalkov for defamation and insult.
Twenty far-right activists convicted over July 5 attack on journalists
Tbilisi City Court has convicted 20 far-right activists for the attacks on at least 53 media workers and others during the aborted Pride March in Tbilisi on 5 July 2021.
Mexico in crisis with eight journalists murdered so far this year
So far in 2022, eight journalists have been murdered in Mexico, raising alarm among media workers as well as national and international organizations.
Azerbaijani journalist and queer activist murdered
Hafizli's sparked a public outcry on social media platforms, with many activists criticizing Azerbaijan's history of inaction when addressing hate crimes, specifically those targeting marginalized groups in the country.