News

November 22, 2025 - Russia/Ukraine -  Elena Kostyuchenko reflects on a career forged amid repression and the war in Ukraine, articulating a fearless stance: “If I weren’t afraid of Vladimir Putin, I wouldn’t be afraid of Donald Trump.” Kostyuchenko, born in Yaroslavl and long a reporter for Novaya Gazeta, fled Russia in 2022 after receiving threats that her life was in danger. In Germany, she was later poisoned with an unidentified substance, an attack that still affects her health. Now based in exile and teaching at Duke University, she has published a book titled I...

November 22, 2025 - Malaysia -  At the 14th Global Investigative Journalism Conference (GIJC 2025) in Kuala Lumpur from 20 to 24 November, journalism professionals from across the globe united in a powerful show of solidarity to demand protection for media workers and justice for those under threat. On 21 November, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) led a prominently staged action at the conference’s opening session. Over 1,500 participants representing more than 100 countries joined the event, holding a banner proclaiming “Journalism is not a crime” and calling for the release of over 320...

November 21, 2025 - Palestine -  Local media in the occupied West Bank report that Israeli forces detained Palestinian journalist Hisham Abu Shaqra and his wife, Sundus Shakani, while they were passing through the town of Huwara, south of Nablus, on the afternoon of 21 November 2025. The couple was stopped at a checkpoint, detained for more than two hours, after which Abu Shaqra was held while his wife was released without explanation. The authorities offered no details on the grounds for his continued detention. The incident has raised concerns among press-freedom advocates, who view...

November 21, 2025 - Tunisia -  In Tunis on 20 November 2025, dozens of journalists and media workers held a protest outside government offices, decrying what they described as an unprecedented crackdown on press freedom since the 2011 uprising. Carrying press badges and banners reading “Journalism is not a crime” and “Freedom for Tunisian media”, the protesters called for the release of jailed colleagues and demanded an end to mounting restrictions on their work. A key focus was the suspension of prominent independent outlets such as Nawaat, along with refusals to issue press credentials for 2025...

November 21, 2025 - Tanzania - In the aftermath of the disputed October 29, 2025, general election in Tanzania, the International Press Institute (IPI) has voiced strong condemnation of the wave of attacks targeting journalists during a sweeping crackdown on post-election protests. According to IPI, at least two journalists were killed, one was severely injured, and many others were arbitrarily detained as security forces moved against protesters. The violence follows a surge of unrest triggered by alleged electoral irregularities and the exclusion of key opposition figures, deepening concerns over both political repression and shrinking civic...

November 21, 2025 - Palestine -  In Israel’s occupied West Bank, Palestinian journalist Farah Abu Ayyash has quietly endured more than 100 days of detention without formal charges by Israeli authorities. According to a letter delivered through her lawyer, Hassan Abbadi, her conditions behind bars have been deeply disturbing. She reports enduring prolonged isolation, sleep deprivation, physical abuse, and relentless humiliation at the hands of Israeli soldiers. Abu Ayyash’s ordeal underscores what press-freedom advocates say is a wider deterioration of rights for journalists operating in the Gaza war’s shadow and the occupied territories. Media workers...

November 20, 2025 - General -  TJC Project, led by the Global Brand Division, has won two Gold awards at the Anthem Awards, a global institution that honors the most impactful mission-driven work. As part of The Webby Awards family, the Anthem Awards recognize excellence in social impact with the same international credibility and judging standards that define the Webby legacy. TJC Project has also won a Bronze Honor at the Shorty Awards. On November 18, 2025, TJC Project received Gold in the Human and Civil Rights categories for Global Awareness Campaign and Special Projects...

November 21, 2025 - India -  In India, prominent investigative journalist and Washington Post columnist Rana Ayyub and her father are the target of explicit death threats, prompting international press-freedom organisations to call for urgent state protection. According to Ayyub’s formal complaint filed with the Navi Mumbai Police (Koparkhairane station), the threats began on 2 November 2025 when she received a series of text messages, voice notes, and video calls from an individual presenting themselves as a Canadian resident. The caller disclosed her residential address in Navi Mumbai and her father’s location in Uttar Pradesh—information...

November 20, 2025 - General -  In Israel, a sharp rise in harassment and threats against journalists has prompted concern among media organisations — but one senior government figure has openly challenged their grievances. On 20 November 2025, Amichay Eliyahu, serving as Heritage Minister in the right-wing government, rejected calls to condemn the escalating incitement and instead accused reporters of “whining”. Eliyahu’s comments came after two specific incidents drew widespread attention: spray-painted threatening graffiti outside the Tel Aviv offices of Channel 13, and footage showing right-wing activists harassing Guy Peleg from Channel 12. The graffiti...

November 19, 2025 - El Salvador/Nicaragua/Venezuela - A recent video feature published by LatAm Journalism Review highlights the experiences of journalists forced into exile from their home countries — notably El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Venezuela — as they confront entrenched authoritarianism while continuing to cover issues of repression and abuse. The piece underscores three compelling narratives: one journalist who endured a sustained smear campaign, another who was reportedly subject to an arrest warrant, and a third whose newsroom was twice raided and forced to shut down. These stories illustrate how independent media outlets in the...

November 19, 2025 - Palestine - Fadi Yassin, a cameraman working for Al Jazeera, was shot and wounded by Israeli forces while covering a protest in the occupied West Bank, deepening concerns about the safety of journalists in the region. The incident occurred during a demonstration at the Nur Shams Refugee Camp, located on the outskirts of Tulkarem, where displaced families were protesting their planned evacuation from the camp. The journalist, identified as Fadi Yassin, was struck in the leg by live fire, according to both Al Jazeera and eyewitness reports. Eyewitnesses from the news...

November 18, 2025 - Venezuela -  Venezuelan journalist and activist Carlos Julio Rojas, who has been held in the custody of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN) at the infamous “El Helicoide” prison complex, received his first family visitation after more than four months of in-isolation confinement. His relatives reached him on 18 November 2025 and reported that his condition was stable, following a period of incommunicado detention. Rojas was detained in April 2024 under a sweeping case in which authorities accused him of association, terrorism, conspiracy, and attempted assassination of President Nicolás Maduro. From...

November 18, 2025 - Palestine -  An Israeli broadcaster is facing mounting threats and harassment following his investigative coverage of the alleged sexual abuse of a Palestinian detainee in 2024. The case underscores growing tensions between independent media and far-right actors in Israel. Guy Peleg of Channel 12 came under attack after airing leaked footage of an incident at the Sde Teiman Detention Centre in August 2024. The material, obtained via the Military Advocate General’s Corps, showed the detainee being led away while covered by riot shields, then allegedly assaulted, including what the report described...

November 18, 2025 - USA -  In a recent series of exchanges, Donald Trump aggressively targeted journalists following probing questions about major public-interest issues, highlighting concerns about press freedom and the safeguarding of reporters’ roles in accountability. On November 14, 2025, aboard Air Force One, Bloomberg correspondent Catherine Lucey asked Trump why he was resisting the release of files relating to Jeffrey Epstein, given assertions of no incriminating material. Trump responded with the directive “Quiet. Quiet, piggy,” as captured in video footage. The White House later defended the remark by citing purported unprofessional conduct by...

November 17, 2025 - Mexico -  Independent media professionals covering the nationwide “Generation Z Mexico” protests in Mexico have reported serious attacks and detentions, highlighting the perilous environment for journalists amid large-scale civil unrest. According to the Latin America Journalism Review, at least six journalists were injured during the demonstrations, with the worst incidents occurring in the state capital of Michoacán, Morelia. The protest movement emerged in response to the assassination of the mayor of Uruapan, which triggered months of indignation over rising violence and government inaction. As rallies spread across Mexico—including in Mexico City,...

November 17, 2025 - Belarus -  Belarus has intensified its campaign against independent journalism with the sentencing of four reporters from the regional outlet BAR24, formerly known as Intex-Press, to prolonged periods of house arrest on charges rights groups widely condemn as politically motivated. The August 19, 2025, ruling marks another escalation in the government’s use of “extremism” laws to dismantle remaining pockets of independent reporting. Journalists Natallia Semianovich, Mikita Piatrouski, Ruslan Raviaka, and Ludmila Zeliankova were convicted of “promoting extremist activity,” a charge that has become a routine instrument in Belarusian courts to criminalise...

November 17, 2025 - Ukraine/Russia -  In a haunting reaffirmation of the cost of bearing truth in wartime, the family and colleagues of Ukrainian freelance journalist Viktoria Roshchyna are pressing for justice after she died in Russian captivity under torture-laden circumstances. Roshchyna, 27, vanished in August 2023 while reporting from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine. Her father, Volodymyr Roshchyn, said he lost contact after 15 August and filed a missing-person report shortly thereafter. Eight months later, a letter from the Russian defence ministry confirmed she was in detention, and in April 2024, he briefly...

November 16, 2025 - Philippines -  At the annual Rappler Social Good Summit in Manila, prominent human-rights lawyer Amal Clooney announced the launch of a new initiative focused on expanding legal assistance to women journalists and media professionals in Southeast Asia. During her keynote address, she stressed that access to justice is essential for protecting press freedom and ensuring that critical reporting by women can continue in the face of increasing threats and harassment. Clooney outlined that the project will partner with local media organisations and legal aid groups to establish a regional support network...

November 16, 2025 - India -  At the Press Council of India (PCI)’s National Press Day event in New Delhi, Chairperson Ranjana Prakash Desai issued a firm call for journalists to prioritise accuracy over haste and truth over trends. In her address, Justice Desai expressed deep concern about the erosion of press credibility, citing the rampant spread of unverified information and the misuse of technology in mass communication. She urged media professionals to recognise their role not simply as reporters of events, but as verifiers, interpreters, and ethical narrators of fact. ∙ “Accuracy should be...

November 16, 2025 - Kuwait -  The 4th GCC Women Journalists Forum opened on Sunday under the patronage of Abdulrahman Al‑Mutairi, Kuwait’s Information and Culture Minister, emphasizing a unified media message and the vital role of women in Gulf journalism. Held under the theme “The Gulf Narrative of Women in Media,” the forum is being led by the Gulf Journalists Union in cooperation with the Kuwait Journalists Association and brings together female media professionals from across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. Minister Al-Mutairi remarked that the event reflects Kuwait’s ongoing cultural and media momentum,...

November 15, 2025 - Palestine -  A new documentary titled Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk portrays the life of Palestinian photojournalist and poet Fatma Hassona, documenting her work in Gaza through her own lens and remote conversations. The film was crafted by Iranian-French filmmaker Sepideh Farsi after she was unable to enter Gaza and instead connected with Hassona via regular video calls from April 2024 to April 2025. The structure of the documentary stems from their hour-long video chats, often conducted under disrupted internet connectivity and amid bombardment. Hassona, then around 24-25...

November 15, 2025 - Saudi Arabia -  Renowned Saudi business correspondent Jamal Banoon has released his new book, The Truth Behind the Numbers, designed to equip emerging economic journalists in the Kingdom with practical skills and tools for high-quality reporting. The publication was officially accredited by the International Union for Press and Media’s Higher Economic Council as part of a formal training curriculum. With more than four decades of experience covering business and economic affairs in Saudi Arabia, Banoon expresses that the book responds to a growing need for journalists to move beyond surface-level reporting...

November 15, 2025 - Ukraine - In central Kyiv, a powerful installation of vacant chairs was placed at Sophia Square in a visual protest organised by PEN Ukraine together with the Center for Civil Liberties. The symbolic arrangement commemorated Ukrainian journalists, writers, artists, and human-rights defenders who are missing, unlawfully detained, or still held captive as a result of the war unleashed by Russia. The empty chairs bore the names of cultural figures whose absence reflects the human cost of the conflict. As one organising statement explained, the chairs represent those who “cannot be with...

November 14, 2025 - UK/USA -  British political commentator Sami Hamdi has returned to the United Kingdom after being held in U.S. immigration detention for over two weeks, and described his experience as a direct challenge to freedom of speech. Hamdi was detained on 26 October at San Francisco International Airport while on a speaking tour in the United States. U.S. authorities revoked his visa without prior notice, citing immigration violations, and transferred him into custody under the authority of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). His family later confirmed that the U.S. government agreed...

November 14, 2025 - China -  A Beijing high court has officially rejected the appeal of veteran journalist Dong Yuyu, upholding his seven-year prison term on espionage charges, his family and press-freedom groups say. Dong, aged 63, was arrested in February 2022 while lunching with a Japanese diplomat in Beijing, and has been held in custody ever since. Dong is a long-time editor and columnist at the official newspaper Guangming Daily, affiliated with the ruling Chinese Communist Party, and has also been a visiting scholar in Japan and a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University. He...