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Sunday, September 20, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Press Freedom
Israel Censors News on Deadly Flotilla Raid
Attempts by media to interview some of the hundreds of Free Gaza (FG) members, who were being deported from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport, Wednesday, were thwarted by Israeli authorities.MEDIA-PAKISTAN: Netizens Argue for the Right to Decide
While there was no question that the visual depictions of the Prophet Mohammad on Facebook hit a raw nerve among devout Muslims all over the world, the debate here in Pakistan has been all about whether the government should be the one making choices for its Internet users.HONDURAS: Inter-American Human Rights Report Riles Government
On a fact-finding mission to Honduras this week, an Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) delegation took aim at the dismissal of several judges who expressed their opposition to the Jun. 28 ouster of president Manuel Zelaya.THAILAND: Government Cracks Down on Websites in Censorship Drive
In her newspaper-strewn office on the ground floor of a quiet apartment complex, Chiranuch Premchaiporn surveys the options before her in case the government’s censors come calling again.ASIA: In a Globalised World, Media Need Sharper Legal Weapons
Newspapers threatened with lawsuits across borders. Journalists feeling lost as they seek redress in cases where the state is less than impartial in investigating the killings of journalists. Media caught in attempts to use religion to curtail room for public debate.U.N. Chief Decries Killing of Journalists
Last year, at least 77 journalists were killed simply for doing their jobs. So far this year, the number is 17 - and rising - with three of them killed last Saturday.U.N. Press Corps Revolts Against Security Council Sanctions
The U.N. Correspondents' Association (UNCA), which represents the interests of over 200 full-time journalists covering the world body, has lashed out at the Security Council for proposing new restrictions on the press corps - presumably for "safety reasons".
New Software Could Outwit Tehran’s Censors
While the Iranian government has intensified its aggressive efforts to expand Internet filters, Austin Heap, a young programmer in the U.S., says he has developed software that would enable Iranians to evade their censors.
MEDIA: Press Freedom Day to Focus on Threats
"Please remember that we know where your child goes to school."U.N. Blasted for Sequestering NGOs and Media
A major structural renovation of the U.N. Secretariat is being used as a pretext to curb media access to delegates and Security Council members, and is also a veritable smokescreen to tighten restrictions on non-governmental organisations (NGOs) accredited to the world body, critics say.US-IRAQ: Leaked Video of Shooting Spurs Calls for New Probe
Journalist advocacy groups called for the reopening of an investigation into the 2007 killing of a Reuters photographer and his driver after the WikiLeaks website released classified video footage on Monday of a 2007 helicopter attack in Baghdad which killed 12 people.CUBA: Skilful Surfing by Digital Culture Project
Buoyant in the storm and sailing for new horizons, the Cuban cultural project Esquife (Skiff) has spent over a decade navigating the rough waters of thought-provoking digital journalism, stirring up opinions rather than wallowing in complacency.
Q&A: “They Knew I Was Not a Spy”
When world leaders meet in Washington later this month for a summit on nuclear security that is expected to include discussion of sanctions on Iran, they should also address the country's human rights situation, says Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi.MIDEAST: Israel Gags News on Extra-Judicial Killings
An Israeli journalist remains under house arrest and another lives abroad, after they broke news on Israeli undercover units carrying out assassinations or "targeted killings" of non-combatant Palestinian political opponents.HONDURAS: Deadliest Month Ever for Reporters
Reporters in Honduras have long complained about gag laws, threats, exile and attacks. But never before have so many journalists been killed in one month.
RIGHTS-SIERRA LEONE: Journalists Under Attack
Sierra Leone has become a place of torment for journalists practicing their profession.
RIGHTS-PERU: Alleged Letter-Bomb Killer Faces Justice
The arrest in Peru of a former Army Intelligence Service (SIE) agent, retired Captain Víctor Penas, may clear up the murder of journalist Melissa Alfaro, and the mutilation of human rights defender Augusto Zúñiga, both victims of letter-bombs in 1991.CHILE: A Newspaper Of and For ‘the Voiceless’
Diario Uno, a newspaper with an innovative business model put out by a group of journalists and academics, went on sale Sunday in Chile, promising to provide a voice for those who do not feel represented by the country's economic model nor by the mainstream media.HUMAN RIGHTS: UN Complains of Scant Progress by Mexico
Mexico has failed to make significant progress on human rights issues like violence against women, abuses by military troops involved in policing work, and attacks on journalists, the United Nations Human Rights Committee stated Friday.MEDIA: Journalists Increasingly at Risk Says UN Report
A record 77 journalists were killed last year, making 2009 one of the most dangerous years for media workers, according to a report published Thursday by UNESCO, the United Nations’ cultural agency.US-CHINA: Google Puts Ball in Beijing’s Court
Internet users in China are reporting varying degrees of censorship on Google search results after the company moved its Chinese operation out of mainland China.« Previous Page — Next Page »
Journalism is dangerous work. Dozens of reporters and other media workers are killed in the line of duty each year. Hundreds more face threats, intimidation, and harassment as they risk their lives to let us know what is going on in war zones and as they root out corruption. In the Information Age, the Internet provides us with new ways to disseminate the news even as it poses new threats to press freedoms.
IPS Director General Farhana Haque Rahman was invited by UNESCO as a panelist at the World Press Freedom Day 2017 gathering in Jakarta, in the Plenary Session: Quality journalism: a public good for just, peaceful and inclusive societies.
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