News

August 29, 2025 - USA -  A powerful and intimate new documentary titled Armed Only With a Camera, directed by Craig Renaud and produced by photojournalist Juan Arredondo, pays tribute to the life and tragic death of award‑winning American journalist Brent Renaud. Brent was the first U.S. journalist killed during the Russia‑Ukraine war, gunned down on 13 March 2022 by Russian soldiers while filming an independent documentary in Irpin, Ukraine. Arredondo was seriously wounded in the ambush but survived. The film premiered at the HollyShorts Film Festival in Los Angeles, receiving widespread acclaim before later...

August 29, 2025 - India -  A district court in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, has delivered a landmark verdict, sentencing five lawyers for their violent attack on senior journalist Ghanshyam Patel inside the Ujjain court in February 2009. The incident, deeply troubling given its location, has been condemned for breaching the sanctity of the judicial system. On August 28, 2025, Additional Sessions Judge Shrikrishna Dagliya sentenced Dharmendra Sharma, Shailendra Sharma, Bhavendra Sharma, and Purushottam Rai to seven years of rigorous imprisonment, while Surendra Sharma, nearly 90 years old, received a three‑year simple imprisonment term in view...

August 28, 2025 - Palestine - An incendiary editorial published by Middle East Monitor, titled “Yes, we kill journalists and the world can go to hell,” calls out what it describes as a systematic Israeli strategy of eliminating media workers in Gaza while dismissing global outcry. The piece highlights an emerging pattern: journalists are increasingly vilified as militants, following their deaths in strikes, rather than recognised as civilians protected under international law. The editorial cites the strike on Gaza’s Nasser Hospital on August 25, where multiple media professionals were killed in what appears to have...

August 28, 2025 - Belgium/Palestine -  approximately 400 journalists and citizens gathered at Mont des Arts in Brussels to voice their support for Palestinian media workers who have been killed while reporting from Gaza. Organized collaboratively by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate (PJS), the Belgian AJP‑VVJ, and the UK‑Ireland NUJ, the demonstration aimed to honour the memory of the 219 journalists who have died since the Gaza conflict began on 7 October 2023. The event featured 44 journalists reading aloud the names of their...

August 28, 2025 – Australia/China - The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has confirmed the return of its China bureau after nearly five years, appointing Allyson Horn as its new Beijing correspondent. Horn will begin her posting in the coming weeks, marking a crucial expansion of the ABC’s international presence. Horn brings extensive experience to the role; her first foreign assignment was in 2022 as the ABC’s Middle East correspondent, based in Jerusalem. She is described by ABC News Director Justin Stevens as "a formidable journalist" whose reporting is "brave and authoritative" and steadfast in giving...

August 28, 2025 – United Nations/Palestine - In a deeply emotional address to the UN Security Council, Algeria’s ambassador Amar Bendjama broke into tears while reading a heartfelt farewell letter penned by Palestinian journalist Mariam Abu Daqqa, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza’s Nasser Hospital earlier this week. Abu Daqqa, an Associated Press visual journalist, had written the letter to her 13-year-old son, Gaith, just days before her death. Bendjama described her words as carrying “more truth than any official statement.” The letter’s poignant message—"When I die, pray for me, not to...

August 28, 2025 – United Kingdom - Dozens of journalists gathered outside 10 Downing Street in central London on August 27, holding a vigil and reading aloud the names of more than 200 journalists killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023. The demonstration, organized by the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), followed a particularly deadly airstrike in southern Gaza’s Khan Yunis—which claimed the lives of at least 20 Palestinians, including five journalists working for Al Jazeera, Reuters, and AP. The NUJ presented a letter demanding accountability and stronger action from Prime Minister Keir Starmer and...

August 28, 2025 – Australia - Veteran MP Bob Katter, founder of Katter’s Australian Party, incited controversy during a press conference in Brisbane when he shook his fist at Channel 9 reporter Josh Bavas after being questioned about his Lebanese heritage. The outburst, broadcast live, sparked immediate condemnation and raised concerns about media-hostility from public officials. Katter, who was addressing his support for an upcoming anti-immigration rally, interrupted Bavas’s question by shouting, “I’ve punched blokes in the mouth for saying that,” while accusing the reporter of being “a racist.” He emphasized his long Australian lineage,...

August 28, 2025 - Palestine/UK -  A disturbing development has emerged from the UK: Andrew Fox, a research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society (HJS) and retired British Army major, publicly suggested that Israel should target more journalists, particularly those associated with Al Jazeera. In a social media post following the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Anas al‑Sharif, Fox provocatively asked: “When does a journalist become a legitimate military target? Maybe not often enough.” Fox went further, asserting that “information warriors” could be seen as participants in hostilities—a broad interpretation that risks dissolving one of the core...

August 28, 2025 - France/Algeria -  In a development that has reverberated across media and diplomatic circles, French freelance sports journalist Christophe Gleizes—a specialist in African football and contributor to So Foot and Society magazines—was sentenced in June 2025 to seven years in prison by a court in Tizi Ouzou, Algeria. His conviction includes charges of “glorifying terrorism” and “possessing publications harmful to national interest,” accusations his family and rights groups have vigorously condemned as “totally absurd.” Gleizes, who had been under a judicial control order since his arrest in May 2024, appealed immediately and...

August 28, 2025 - Somalia -  The Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) reported that a woman journalist based in Mogadishu was arrested and physically assaulted after she exposed an armed robbery committed by uniformed personnel. According to SJS, when the journalist challenged the authorities about the basis of her detention, she was grabbed by the neck and physically threatened by two armed officers. The assault underscores a deeply disturbing pattern in Somalia, where media professionals are increasingly targeted for reporting on abuses by those in positions of power. SJS strongly condemned the incident, calling it an...

August 28, 2025 - Ukraine/Russia -  The International Press Institute (IPI) warmly welcomed the release of two Ukrainian journalists — Dmytro Khilyuk and Mark Kaliush — who were recently freed from Russian detention. The announcement on August 27, 2025, marked a hopeful moment in a long-standing humanitarian plight. IPI celebrated the exchange as a positive but limited step toward restoring press freedom. While acknowledging the relief of seeing Khilyuk and Kaliush return home, IPI also renewed its urgent call for the immediate and unconditional release of nearly thirty additional journalists still held in Russia—many detained...

August 28, 2025 – Palestine – Israel’s military has come under scrutiny for reportedly establishing a covert intelligence unit—dubbed the “Legitimization Cell”—tasked with manufacturing narratives to justify the deaths of journalists in Gaza. Over 200 journalists have reportedly died during Israel’s military operations, prompting alarm over claims that Palestinian reporters are being deliberately targeted. According to independent Israeli Palestinian outlet +972 Magazine, the unit was created in the aftermath of the 7 October attacks to salvage Israel’s international image. Its key function: discredit journalists by asserting—even tenuously—that they have links to Hamas. Political scientist Ahron...

August 28, 2025 - Palestine -  The latest Haaretz column highlights a deeply unsettling reality: Western media is failing Gaza—treating local journalists not as valued colleagues, but as disposable headlines. Khoudary, the author, accuses foreign outlets of rapidly discarding their commitment to Gaza-based reporters once tragedy strikes, abandoning them instead of standing by a shared humanity. This collapse of trust carries grave consequences. As Gaza has become the deadliest place for journalists in the 21st century, with over 170 to 220 local reporters and media workers killed since late 2023, Palestinian journalists have borne the...

August 28, 2025 - USA -  The United States Department of Homeland Security has announced a new proposal that would significantly change the way foreign students, exchange visitors, and journalists are granted permission to remain in the country. Under the current system, these visas operate on a “duration of status” model, meaning holders can stay in the U.S. as long as they maintain their programs or assignments. The proposed rule seeks to impose fixed time limits, marking a major policy shift that would bring stricter oversight and greater restrictions. For students and exchange visitors, the...

August 28, 2025 - Palestine -  In the ongoing Gaza conflict, where the death toll among journalists continues to climb, Reuters has made a critical shift in its security protocol. After witnessing a surge in fatalities among media professionals, the news agency has ceased sharing the real-time locations of its reporting teams operating in Gaza with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). This decision underscores how dire the situation has become for journalists on the ground. NBC News first reported this change following multiple high-profile incidents in which journalists were killed by Israeli strikes. Among the...

August 28, 2025 - Palestine -  On August 25, 2025, the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis—the only fully functioning hospital in southern Gaza—was struck twice in quick succession by Israeli forces in what is known as a “double‑tap” strike. The first attack hit the hospital’s upper floor, and just minutes later, a second shell struck the same area while rescue workers and journalists rushed in, resulting in the deaths of at least 20 civilians, including five journalists. Among those killed were: Hussam al‑Masri, a Reuters cameraman. Mariam Abu Dagga, a 33-year-old freelance journalist for the...

August 27, 2025 – Maldives - At least five journalists were detained during protests against the proposed Maldives Media and Broadcasting Regulation Bill, which critics say grants the government disproportionate control over the media. The detentions occurred as demonstrators, journalists among them, gathered outside the People’s Majlis and later the Presidential Office to oppose the bill’s passage. Among those detained were Muzayyin Nazim of Dhauru News, Mohamed Shahuzaan and Ahmed Aaidh of Adhadhu, and veteran journalist and former Media Council member Moosa Rasheed of Citizen News. They were released after receiving legal warnings, although police...

August 27, 2025 - Indonesia -  A wave of protests in Jakarta over lawmakers’ controversial housing allowances escalated into violent clashes that left one journalist injured and hundreds of demonstrators detained. According to the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta), police arrested approximately 370 people, including nearly 200 minors, during the unrest that broke out on August 25. Demonstrators, largely students and activists, accused parliament members of corruption and condemned what they see as widening inequality in Indonesia. The protests centred on the revelation that lawmakers receive monthly housing allowances of around 50 million rupiah...

August 27, 2025 – Palestine/United States - Investigative reporting by Middle East Eye reveals that U.S. security contractors operating an aid distribution center in Gaza interrogated a source of Middle East Eye journalist Mohamed Salama, seeking information about his identity and whereabouts, just days before Salama was killed in an Israeli airstrike. Salama, who reported for both MEE and Al Jazeera, had relied on anonymity for his own safety while investigating sensitive issues. A person he interviewed, who subsequently became a source, revealed they were briefly detained and questioned by American contractors about Salama’s identity....

August 27, 2025 – United Kingdom/Palestine - David Hearst, editor-in-chief of Middle East Eye (MEE), has issued a blistering letter to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer following the deaths of two MEE journalists killed in Gaza. In the open letter, Hearst posed a series of pointed questions, demanding an international investigation into Israel’s repeated targeting of journalists. He also sought clarity on whether the UK's Ministry of Defence holds surveillance flight data from early August, which has not been disclosed. The move came amid mounting concern over the unprecedented loss of media lives: since October...

August 27, 2025 – Indonesia - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has denounced the violent assault on eight journalists who were covering an inspection of a lead smelting plant in Serang, Banten, an operation investigating alleged violations in hazardous and toxic waste management. The journalists represented a broad media spectrum, including Radar Banten, Tribun Banten, Bantennews.co.id, SCTV, Tempo, Antara, Banten TV, Jawa Pos TV, and Detik. RSF emphasized that the attack not only endangers media professionals but severely undermines environmental accountability and public awareness. On August 21, 2025, as ministry officials departed the site, security personnel...

August 27, 2025 – Bangladesh -  A Dhaka Cyber Tribunal has cleared journalist Elias Hossain of all charges under the Digital Security Act (DSA), ending a high-profile legal ordeal that began nearly three years ago. Judge Nure Alam delivered the acquittal on August 27, citing that the prosecution failed to present sufficient evidence to substantiate the charges against him. Court official Mohammad Jewel Miah confirmed that no witnesses appeared to testify on the scheduled date, prompting the court to close the testimony phase and deliver a clean verdict for Elias. The original case was initiated...

August 27, 2025 – Paraguay - Journalist Jéssica Martínez was violently struck in the chest by a security guard of Justice Minister Rodrigo Nicora while attempting to report outside the Emboscada Antigua Penitentiary. The attack occurred unexpectedly during her routine coverage and was captured on video, sparking immediate outrage among media professionals and observers.  In response to mounting pressure from her colleagues, who demanded at a minimum an institutional apology, the Ministry of Justice issued a statement via WhatsApp. In it, Minister Nicora expressed regret for the "inappropriate action of his guard." The incident prompted...

August 27, 2025 – Argentina - Photojournalist Pablo Grillo, who suffered life-threatening head trauma after being struck by a tear gas canister fired by military police during a pensioners’ protest against President Javier Milei’s government in Argentina in March, has undergone his eighth surgery amid a plateau in neurological recovery. Despite hopes raised by an August 13 procedure implanting skull prosthetics, his family announced on August 27 that Grillo was "not recovering as expected" and urgently required another surgical intervention to address critically low cerebrospinal fluid levels. Following the operation earlier this week, Pablo’s father,...