Impact

CPJ releases Attacks on the Press

CPJ launched the 2017 edition of our annual publication Attacks on the Press at two events on April 25. The book, "The New Face of Censorship," explores the evolution of censorship tactics into sophisticated tools used to control the flow of information around the world.

Nearly 500 U.S. and international media outlets, including Newsweek, MediaFiled, The Boston Globe, the Press Gazette, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and the Somaliland Press, reported on the book's release. The book is available to read online or in a hard copy through Bloomberg Press, an imprint of Wiley. CPJ gratefully acknowledges the generous support from Bloomberg, which underwrites the annual publication of Attacks on the Press.

Standing in solidarity with the U.S. press

In recent months, CPJ has documented charges brought against at least 10 journalists who were covering protests over the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota and Lee County, Iowa. We have consistently called on authorities to drop the charges against the journalists, most recently in a letter sent to the Morton County State's Attorney office in early March. The letter was co-signed by a coalition of free press organizations and others, including representatives from the Native American Journalists Association, Reporters Without Borders, and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

Press freedom in the US--and what CPJ's doing about it

CPJ continues to advocate for journalists and press freedom in the United States. In a February 25 op-ed published in The New York Times titled "Trump is damaging press freedom in the U.S. and abroad," CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon argued that the U.S. administration's attacks on the media undermine "trust by sowing confusion and uncertainty about what is true" and do damage outside the United States, "where America's standing as a global beacon of press freedom is being drastically eroded."

Meryl Streep's nod to CPJ leads to record-breaking number of donations

Earlier this month, Meryl Streep ascended the stage at the Golden Globes ceremony to accept the Cecil B. DeMille Award and gave a resounding speech about the importance of a free press in the United States.

CPJ helps secure release of over 50 imprisoned journalists

On December 23, Okke Ornstein walked out of prison.

Today is #GivingTuesday!

Please include CPJ in your plans for #GivingTuesday. For more on how CPJ upholds press freedom around the world, visit our website at cpj.org.

Note to our readers: CPJ plans to intensify our documentation of press freedom violations in the United States, following the election on November 8, 2016, of Donald Trump as president. During his campaign, Trump verbally attacked journalists, restricted access, threatened lawsuits, and promised to make legal action against the media easier under his administration.

We will have more details in next month's edition.

October edition

Next stop for exhibit of Shawkan's work: Photoville

In mid-September, CPJ partnered with the Bronx Documentary Center to hold an exhibition of photographs taken by Mahmoud Abou Zeid, or Shawkan, a freelance journalist who has been imprisoned in Egypt since August 2013. Many of Shawkan's photos--from protests and celebrations in Tahrir Square to daily life in Cairo--were taken during the Egyptian revolution.

September edition

IOC creates mechanism for journalist complaints after CPJ consultation

In early August, we welcomed the creation of a press freedom complaints mechanism by the International Olympic Committee. The move followed years of advocacy with the IOC by CPJ and other rights groups to do more to hold governments that host the Olympic Games accountable for press freedom abuses.

August edition

Pentagon updates Law of War Manual to recognize journalists' role in covering conflict

Frank Smyth, CPJ's security consultant, was stunned when he read the newly released Law of War Manual from the U.S. Department of Defense in June 2015. The manual included language that allowed journalists to be categorized as "unprivileged belligerents," which would allow military commanders to detain journalists indefinitely outside the rules of war.

"I was shocked that the manual failed to recognize the role and importance of independent reporting, while placing journalists in the same potential category as terrorists, saboteurs and spies," Smyth said.