No Excuse: Mexico must break cycle of impunity in journalists' murders
May 2, 2017 5:00 PM ET
Mexico’s press is caught in a deadly cycle of violence and impunity, with journalists in Veracruz state at particular risk of kidnap and murder. Despite authorities appointing a special prosecutor to investigate crimes against freedom of expression and establishing a protection mechanism for journalists, a lack of political will to...
The Best Defense: Threats to journalists' safety demand fresh approach
February 21, 2017 9:00 AM ET
Much work remains to be done to improve the security of journalists in the face of unprecedented threats, including the spread of violent non-state actors, the shrinking rule of law, resurgent authoritarianism, and an industry shift toward reliance on freelancers. Journalists, news outlets, and press freedom groups must find approaches...
Journalist killings ease from record highs as murders down, combat deaths up
December 19, 2016 12:00 AM ET
Deadly violence against the media eased in 2016 from recent record levels as the number of journalists singled out for murder declined. A CPJ special report by Elana Beiser and Elisabeth Witchel...
Turkey's crackdown propels number of journalists in jail worldwide to record high
December 13, 2016 12:00 AM ET
At least 81 journalists are imprisoned in Turkey, all of them facing anti-state charges, in the wake of an unprecedented crackdown that has included the shuttering of more than 100 news outlets. The 259 journalists in jail worldwide is the highest number recorded since 1990. A CPJ special report by...
Getting Away With Murder
October 27, 2016 8:00 AM ET
CPJ’s 2016 Global Impunity Index spotlights countries where journalists are slain and the killers go free By Elisabeth Witchel, CPJ Impunity Campaign Consultant Published October 27, 2016. Some of the highest rates of impunity in the murders of journalists can be attributed to killings by Islamist militant groups, CPJ...
Connecting Cuba: More space for criticism but restrictions slow press freedom progress
September 28, 2016 9:00 AM ET
Cuba’s press, emboldened by President Raúl Castro’s call for reforms in 2010, are finding more space for critical comment, but harassment and intimidation from authorities, a legal limbo caused by outdated and restrictive press laws, and limited and expensive access to the internet is slowing the island nation’s progress toward...
Dangerous pursuit: In India, journalists who cover corruption may pay with their lives
August 29, 2016 12:00 AM ET
In the 27 cases of journalists murdered for their work in India since CPJ began keeping records in 1992, there have been no convictions. More than half of those killed reported regularly on corruption. The cases of Jagendra Singh, Umesh Rajput, and Akshay Singh, who died between 2011 and 2015,...
Critics Are Not Criminals: Comparative Study of Criminal Defamation Laws in the Americas
March 2, 2016 11:00 AM ET
Criminal defamation prosecutions are still widespread throughout the Americas. In a new special report, prepared by Debevoise & Plimpton LLP in collaboration with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, CPJ finds a total of 32 out of 33 countries in the hemisphere maintain criminal penalties for defamation....
Syria, France most deadly countries for the press
December 29, 2015 12:01 AM ET
Of 69 journalists killed for their work in 2015, 40 percent died at the hands of Islamic militant groups such as Al-Qaeda and Islamic State. More than two-thirds of the total killed were singled out for murder. A CPJ special report by Elana Beiser...
China, Egypt imprison record numbers of journalists
December 15, 2015 12:01 AM ET
Egypt is second only to China as the world’s worst jailer of journalists in 2015. Worldwide, the number of journalists behind bars for their work declined moderately during the year, but a handful of countries continue to use systematic imprisonment to silence criticism. A CPJ special report by Elana Beiser...