Governments Cannot Ignore Soft Censorship

2015-10-29. The release today of three new reports outlining the effects of soft censorship on the media in Hungary, Serbia and Mexico makes for alarming, but altogether unsurprising reading.

How you can help the fight for justice in crimes against journalists

Monday, November 2, in just over a fortnight’s time, is the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists. It offers an opportunity to help focus attention, through editorial coverage and other initiatives, on the fact that less than one in 10 crimes against journalists are ever successfully prosecuted.

Germany’s Bild removes all photos from web site and print edition

Bild, Germany’s biggest tabloid newspaper, removed all photographs from its print publication and website on Tuesday in protest against complaints about their decision to publish images of the Syrian boy Aylan Kurdi, who washed up on a Turkish beach last week.

World’s Press Calls on Turkey to Release Mohammed Ismael Rasool, Respect the Right to Freedom of Expression

The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) and the World Editors Forum welcome the release of VICE News reporters Jake Hanrahan and Philip Pendlebury, but calls on the authorities to ensure their Turkish colleague Mohammed Ismael Rasool is immediately released and the charges against him are dropped

Turkish Government Targets Critical Press, Jails Investigative Journalists

With charges of terrorism levelled at journalists, regular court cases and police raids against media houses, the Turkish state is stepping up its attacks and intimidation of the press as snap elections scheduled for November approach.

Trends in Newsrooms: Journalism after Charlie

Six months after the deadly attack on the Paris newsroom of Charlie Hebdo, editors, journalists and publishers face significant challenges around safety, the publishing of satirical cartoons and the reporting of religion. Alexandra Waldhorn and Julie Posetti consider the longer term ethical, editorial and managerial responses in this the fourth excerpt from the 2015 Trends in Newsrooms report.

Q&A: Alan Rusbridger on the challenges of investigative journalism and protecting confidential sources after Snowden

Alan Rusbridger has just stepped down as editor-in-chief of The Guardian after 20 years at the helm and a record of extraordinary editorial leadership that peaked with the seismic Snowden revelations. Earlier this year, as the search for his replacement was underway in earnest, I interviewed Rusbridger in London . We spoke about an issue critical to the survival of investigative journalism – and one closely tied to his professional legacy – the need to protect confidential sources in the digital age. During the interview, Rusbridger highlighted the mounting costs of secure reporting in the post-Snowden era.

A day of memorial, a day of renewing the commitment to freedom

Safety and the dangers facing journalists worldwide were the dominant themes on the opening day of the 67th World News Media Congress, currently underway in Washington D.C.

Marty Baron calls on news industry to petition for the release of Washington Post correspondent jailed in Iran

The Washington Post’s Tehran bureau chief Jason Rezaian has been jailed for more than 10 months Iran, where he is being tried on espionage charges before the country’s Revolutionary Courts. The Post’s Executive Editor Marty Baron used his appearance at the opening of the World News Media Congress in Washington DC to call on the industry to petition for Rezaian’s release, as Julie Posetti reports.

All journalists killed in the line of duty collectively awarded Golden Pen of Freedom in Washington DC

The Golden Pen of Freedom – an annual international award issued by WAN-IFRA since 1961 to recognise outstanding action on press freedom – has been issued collectively to the world’s fallen journalists during a ceremony in Washington DC.

According to UNESCO, 33 journalists have been assassinated so far in 2015. In issuing the award, WAN-IFRA is calling on the news industry to engage with the United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity to better protect the lives of journalists. It is also calling on the world’s governments to take urgent action to end impunity for the killers of journalists. Incoming chair of the World Editors Forum, former war correspondent and Brazilian editor Marcelo Rech, accepted the award during the Opening Ceremony of the World News Media Congress today. The words that follow are his.