Press Freedom

Safeguarding the Future of Independent Media – & Our Democracies

By Khadija Patel
There’s a now familiar groan every time the lights go out in South Africa. Due to a critical shortage of electricity, the national power utility institutes a daily regimen of scheduled power cuts.

UN Plan of Action on Safety of Journalists

By Audrey Azoulay
Freedom of the press is the cornerstone of democratic society. Without a debate of ideas, without verified facts, without diversity of perspectives, democracy is a shadow of itself; and World Press Freedom Day was established to remind us of this.

A Proposal for a UN Freedom of Information Act Never Got Off the Ground

By Thalif Deen
The United Nations has consistently been a vociferous advocate of freedom of the press – and, most importantly, the right of journalists to report without fear of reprisals. But regrettably, the UN is also one of most opaque institutions where transparency is never the norm.

Media Freedom is Vital but have we Passed Peak Press?

By Farhana Haque Rahman
Peak oil was first up, followed by peak gas, gold and others, as if the world was draining natural resources like toilet roll panic buying in a lockdown supermarket. But should we now be worried about Peak Press?

Fiji: Deeper Democracy or Continuing Danger?

By Andrew Firmin
It’s been a time of significant change in Fiji following the country’s December 2022 election. A close vote was followed by the formation of a new coalition government. Frank Bainimarama was out as prime minister after 16 years, replaced by Sitiveni Rabuka.

“Defending Human Rights Is a Crime in Some Countries and a Deadly Activity in Others”

By Bibbi Abruzzini and Clarisse Sih, Forus
In today's world, human rights defenders face immense challenges, with threats, attacks, and repression being rampant in many countries. According to the latest report by Front Line Defenders, killings of rights defenders increased in 2022, with a total of 401 deaths across 26 different countries. Despite the adoption of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders 25 years ago, the threats faced by defenders persist globally.

Russia’s Press Freedom ‘Worst Since the Cold War’ – Analysts

By Ed Holt
The arrest of a US journalist in Russia has not only sent a chilling warning to foreign reporters in the country but is a sign of the Kremlin’s desire to ultimately stifle any dissent in the state, press freedom watchdogs have warned.

CIVICUS Report Exposes a Civil Society Under Attack

By Joyce Chimbi
As conflict and crises escalate to create human emergencies that have displaced over 100 million people worldwide, civil society’s vital role of advocating for victims and monitoring human rights cannot be over-emphasised.

Bahrain’s Botched Whitewashing Attempt

By Inés M. Pousadela
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), an organisation whose motto is ‘For democracy. For everyone’, just held its global assembly in a country with a mock parliament and not the slightest semblance of democracy. For Bahrain’s authoritarian leaders, the hosting of the IPU assembly was yet another reputation-laundering opportunity: a week before, they’d hosted Formula One’s opening race.

Press Freedom on Trial in Zimbabwe Ahead of Elections

By Ignatius Banda
With only a few months to go before national elections in Zimbabwe, press freedom advocates are raising concerns about stringent reporting conditions set by the government.

Georgia: Danger Averted, for Now

By Andrew Firmin
Georgian civil society can breathe a sigh of relief. A proposed repressive law that would have severely worsened the space for activism has been shelved – for now. But the need for vigilance remains.

Press Freedom Is an Illusion in Today’s Afghanistan

By Gie Goris
Every year, Afghan journalists celebrate their national day on 18 March. This year, there is little reason to party, because of general restrictions, increasing intimidation and a recent attack on journalists. However, at a unique gathering in Brussels, Afghan journalists showed resilience.

Belarus: A Prison State in Europe

By Andrew Firmin
Last October, Ales Bialiatski was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He was one of three winners, alongside two human rights organisations: Memorial, in Russia, and the Center for Civil Liberties in Ukraine. The Nobel Committee recognised the three’s ‘outstanding effort to document war crimes, human rights abuses and the abuse of power’.

Venezuela Drafts Legal Stranglehold on NGOs

By Humberto Márquez
The Venezuelan parliament, in the hands of the ruling party, is moving towards passing a law to control non-governmental organizations (NGOs) so that, in practice, they could not exist independently.

Russia and Ukraine: Civil Society Repression and Response

By Andrew Firmin
Over the year since the start of Russia’s war on Ukraine, on one side of the border civil society has shown itself to be a vital part of the effort to save lives and protect rights – but on the other, it’s been repressed more ruthlessly than ever.

Interview with Nobel Laureate Maria Ressa at the UNESCO Global Conference “Internet for Trust”


 
Interview with Maria Ressa, Nobel Peace Prize winner and UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize laureate, at the UNESCO Global Conference #InternetForTrust. Learn more about the Conference: https://lnkd.in/dEaNBe7e

Who are Humanitarian Journalists?

By Martin Scott, Kate Wright and Mel Bunce
In a new book, entitled Humanitarian Journalists: Covering Crises from a Boundary Zone, we document the unique reporting practices of a small but influential group of journalists who defy conventional approaches to covering humanitarian crises.

No More Impunity for Journalists’ Murders — CPJ

By Joyce Chimbi
The new year brought bad news for press freedom on the African continent with the brutal murder of one journalist and the suspicious death of another.

Malaysia’s TVET Ecosystem in Need of All-of-Society Engagement

By Nadya Subramaniam and Fauwaz Abdul Aziz
Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Malaysia originated from the colonial and early post-colonial governments’ need for trained and skilled manpower to run state agencies and projects.

The Journalist Stranded in Europe’s “Guantánamo”

By Karlos Zurutuza
It's 23 hours a day in a cell without natural light and just one to walk around in a 7x4-metre courtyard. For Pablo González, an independent Spanish-Russian journalist, it's been almost a year spent in solitary confinement in Poland.

In Venezuela, Radio Stations are Shut Down and Information Is Just Another Migrant

By Humberto Márquez
More than 100 radio stations were shut down by the Venezuelan government this year, accentuating the collapse of the media and further undermining the already meager capacity of citizens to stay informed.
« Previous Page — Next Page »
*#*