News

November 09, 2025 - France/Russia -  The death of French photojournalist Antoni Lallican, killed on October 3 2025 by a Russian FPV drone in Ukraine’s Donbas region, has prompted serious questions about the response from the French government. Lallican, aged 37, was embedded near the front line with Ukraine’s 4th Armoured Brigade and wearing press identification when the strike occurred alongside his Ukrainian colleague, Georgiy Ivanchenko, who was seriously injured. France’s National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor opened a “war crimes” investigation into the killing on October 5 via the Central Office for the Fight Against Crimes Against Humanity...

November 09, 2025 - Ukraine/Russia -  On November 8, 2025, a Russian FPV drone struck a humanitarian evacuation vehicle belonging to the aid organization Proliska in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. The attack occurred near Kostiantynivka as the team, which included volunteers and two foreign journalists—an Austrian reporter from ORF and a Spanish correspondent—was returning from delivering aid in the front-line area. The vehicle, a white armored SUV marked with Proliska’s emblem and a clear humanitarian sign, was hit at the entrance to the town of Novoselivka. According to eyewitness accounts from Proliska’s regional head, Yevhen Tkachov,...

November 08, 2025 - Afghanistan - Afghan journalist Salma Niazi, founder and editor-in-chief of The Afghan Times, has been honoured with two prestigious global awards for her unwavering commitment to press freedom and courageous reporting under oppressive conditions. She is the recipient of the 2025 One Young World Journalist of the Year Award, which recognises outstanding journalists under 35 who drive meaningful change in their communities through storytelling. In addition, she has been awarded the Lyra McKee Award for Bravery, a tribute to journalists who demonstrate extraordinary courage in the pursuit of truth. Following the...

November 09, 2025 - General -  The Al Jazeera Media Institute offers a dedicated Fellowship programme designed to foster high-calibre research and professional development within journalism. Hosted under the umbrella of Al Jazeera Media Network (AJMN), the initiative aims to equip mid-career journalists and scholars with hands-on experience in newsroom practices while delivering original academic work on media and journalism themes. The Fellowship is structured in two phases: a remote preparation phase where fellows submit a research plan and introduction, followed by an on-site phase based at AJMN headquarters, culminating in a 7,000-word research paper....

November 09, 2025 - Palestine -  The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate has released a stark report documenting the killing of 44 Palestinian journalists inside displacement tents in the Gaza Strip during the ongoing Israeli offensive that began in October 2023 and continued through October 2025. The deaths are reported as part of a broader toll of 254 media workers killed within the same period, according to the syndicate’s Freedoms Committee. The report details how journalists, already among displaced populations, were forced into tents near hospitals and schools following bombing of homes and infrastructure. These tents, intended as...

November 09, 2025 - Palestine -  The Israel Katz‐led Ministry of Defence in Israel has instituted a new directive restricting senior army officers from briefing journalists without first obtaining the minister’s explicit consent. According to Israeli media reports, Katz ordered the prohibition in response to recent unsanctioned interactions between military commanders and the press. The rule applies to all officers above a specified rank, mandating that any proposed meeting with a journalist or media outlet must be communicated in advance to Katz’s office. Details required include the name of the officer, the interviewer or media...

November 08, 2025 - Azerbaijan - Journalist Nargiz Absalamova, currently serving an eight-year prison sentence in Azerbaijan, has been honoured with the 2025 Free Media Awards in recognition of her fearless work with Abzas Media. The award ceremony took place on 6 November in Hamburg and was accepted on Absalamova’s behalf by Abzas Media director Gunel Safarova. Fritt Ord, in collaboration with Germany’s ZEIT Stiftung Bucerius, presents the Free Media Awards to journalists who uphold freedom of expression amid intense political pressure. In her acceptance message from prison, Absalamova reflected on how incarceration transformed her...

November 08, 2025 - Palestine -  On Saturday in the occupied West Bank near the village of Beita, south of Nablus, Palestinian farmers, foreign activists, and journalists came under assault by dozens of masked Israeli settlers during the annual olive-harvest period that began in October. The crowd had gathered for the harvest and documentation of the season when the out-post-based group launched a coordinated attack, throwing large rocks and beating participants with sticks and clubs. Among the victims were two employees of the international news agency Reuters—journalist Raneen Sawafta and security adviser Grant Bowden—both marked...

November 08, 2025 - Venezuela/USA -  A Venezuelan journalist residing in Florida was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for nearly two weeks after being stopped by the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) during a routine traffic operation in mid-October. The journalist, identified as Gustavo Giménez Sánchez, who is seeking asylum in the United States, was initially detained after the trooper alertly questioned his immigration status following the stop. Following his arrest, Giménez Sánchez was transferred into ICE custody and held at a detention centre outside Miami, where he reportedly experienced harsh conditions and...

November 08, 2025 - Niger -  In a staggering escalation of press suppression, three journalists in Niger remain behind bars after being charged under the country’s sweeping cybercrime law for allegedly sharing an invitation to a government media briefing. On October 30, the Kyimen Capital Police arrested veteran broadcast manager Ibro Chaïbou of RTS, publishing director Youssouf Sériba of Les Échos du Niger, and editor-founder Oumarou Abou Kané of the satirical magazine Le Hérisson after they forwarded a WhatsApp invitation to a press conference hosted by the Solidarity Fund for the Safeguarding of the Homeland...

November 07, 2025 - Chile -  The Chilean Journalists Association has strongly denounced a move by prosecutor Paulina Díaz of the Western High-Complexity Prosecutor’s Office to access the telephone records of eleven journalists in connection with the Hermosilla case. The request included access to call logs, geolocation data, and mobile data traffic from reporters affiliated with outlets such as Centro de Investigación Periodística (CIPER), La Tercera, La Bot, and Reportea. Although the 4th Guarantee Court of Santiago and the Court of Appeals rejected the application, the Association warned that the attempt itself poses a grave...

November 07, 2025 - Afghanistan -  Today marks the fifth anniversary of the assassination of Afghan TV anchor and journalist Yama Siawash, who was killed after explosives planted in his vehicle detonated near his home in Kabul’s Macroryan neighbourhood in November 2020. Siawash was a well-known face on the network TOLO News, where he hosted the current-affairs programme Farakhabar between 2010 and 2015, earning widespread respect for his bold, insightful interviews with political and religious figures who often avoided public scrutiny. Born in 1984 in Kohistan district of Kapisa province, Siawash combined intellect and eloquence, holding...

November 07, 2025 - Turkey -  Over the past two weeks, Turkish authorities detained a total of 178 individuals in nationwide operations targeting affiliates of the Fethullah Gülen-linked group, known in Türkiye as the Fethullahist Terror Organisation (FETÖ). According to a statement issued by Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, out of the 178 detainees, Turkish courts have formally ordered the arrest of 67 suspects. The operations form part of a continuing crackdown launched by the government, which has for years held the FETÖ responsible for the failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016. Security forces reported...

November 06, 2025 - USA -  The arrest of photographer Ya’akub Ira Vijandre—a DACA-protected journalist who has documented human-rights abuses—by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has provoked outcry from media-freedom advocates, who say his detention marks a disturbing escalation in threats against the press. According to reports, Vijandre was taken into custody earlier this week, not for an immigration-status violation, but apparently as part of a broader crackdown on his reporting activities. Vijandre, 38, a Filipino-American photojournalist based in Southern California, has worked extensively covering exploitation and immigrant-worker vulnerabilities. His supporters say he was...

November 06, 2025 - USA -  A senior communications aide at the White House has sparked criticism after posting a coarse and insulting message aimed at a journalist from the press corps. Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson responded publicly to a tweet by Hugh Dougherty, editor of the outlet The Daily Beast, which shared a story critiquing the administration’s treatment of that media organisation. Jackson’s reply included a meme depicting a penguin dunking a basketball with a lude caption followed by a message stating: “The liberal activists who work at the Daily Beast are not...

November 06, 2025 - Ukraine/Russia -  Oleksandr Kolychev, a special correspondent for the Ukrainian international broadcaster Freedom TV, has survived five major surgeries after being critically wounded in a drone strike in eastern Ukraine. On 23 October 2025, while reporting alongside colleagues near a gas station in Kramatorsk in Donetsk Oblast, their vehicle was struck by a Russian “Lancet” drone. Two of their crew, journalist Aliona Hramova and cameraman Yevhen Karmazin, were killed immediately, and Kolychev was severely injured. Following the strike, Kolychev was rushed to the hospital in Dnipro, where he was placed on...

November 06, 2025 - Turkey -  Six prominent Turkish journalists have been summoned by police in Istanbul under an investigation tied to the jailed opposition-led mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu. Prosecutors allege that the reporters publicly “disseminated false information” and aided what they describe as the “İmamoğlu criminal organisation for profit.” The journalists named by the Istanbul Prosecutor’s Office are Soner Yalçın, Şaban Sevinç, Aslı Aydıntaşbaş, Ruşen Çakır, Yavuz Oğhan, and Batuhan Çolak. According to the Turkish Minute, some of the journalists were taken from their homes early in the morning and brought to the...

November 06, 2025 - Argentina -  The Foro de Periodismo Argentino (FOPEA) has condemned a controversial court decision in the province of Tucumán that imposes a six-month gag order on journalists and staff of the local television network CCC (Closed Circuit Television Company). The ruling, issued by acting judge Lucas Alfredo Taboada, follows a criminal complaint filed by Attorney General Edmundo “Pirincho” Jiménez, who accused CCC’s director and team of crimes such as obstruction of justice, institutional coercion, and public incitement against the judiciary. The order bans journalists, producers, and presenters associated with CCC from...

November 06, 2025 - Turkey -  Two recent reports from Turkish press-rights groups show the growing threats facing journalists across the country. The Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG) published its October 2025 findings outlining a sharp surge in violations against reporters, while the Mesopotamia Women Journalists Association (MKG) focused on the distinct attacks targeting women in media. The DFG report revealed that during October, at least one journalist was killed, five were assaulted, seven were detained, and two were arrested. Additionally, access to 628 social media posts was blocked, and a trusteeship was imposed on...

November 05, 2025 - Afghanistan -  Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has denounced a troubling new pattern emerging in Afghanistan under the rule of the Taliban: the public broadcasting of coerced confessions by detained journalists. One such case involves journalist Mahdi Ansary of the Afghan News Agency, who was arrested in October 2024 and later appeared in a video posted by a Taliban-linked Facebook page, confessing to alleged collaboration with exiled media and “anti-Taliban propaganda”. RSF describes these staged admissions as part of a broader intelligence-driven tactic aimed at humiliating reporters, blurring the line between criminal...

November 05, 2025 - Mexico -  Veteran investigative journalist Adela Navarro Bello has publicly accused prominent businessman Manuel Cisneros Romero of orchestrating a campaign of intimidation directed at her newsroom, including the presence of armed bodyguards within the office premises. The allegations, published by LatAm Journalism Review, claim that Cisneros Romero, father of political figure Omar Cisneros Salcedo, sent security personnel linked to his private company to the building housing the magazine Zeta in Baja California following coverage of alleged corruption involving his family’s financial interests. Navarro, who heads Zeta—a publication known for fearless investigations...

November 05, 2025 - Bolivia -  Six journalists from Bolivia suffered a brutal abduction and beatings on October 28, 2021, while covering a land-rights dispute in the department of Santa Cruz. The group included reporter Percy Suárez and five colleagues, travelling to the Las Londras ranch when they were ambushed by masked gunmen—truck tyres were shot out, cameras seized, and the journalists forced to lie face down under threat of death.Despite the extreme violence captured on video by Suárez himself, prosecutions have faltered. Four years on, the case remains stalled in the courts: hearing after...

November 05, 2025 - Albania -  A recent investigation by Balkan Insight reveals that harassment of journalists by Albanian officials is no longer exceptional but increasingly normalized. The article documents a range of intimidation tactics that independent media professionals say they face regularly—online abuse, surveillance, physical obstruction, and smear campaigns. Journalists interviewed for the report say that officials and political actors routinely frame critical reporting as hostile, misleading, or even treasonous. This rhetoric appears to reinforce the idea that independent reporters are legitimate targets. One cyber-attack on the media outlet Citizens Channel is cited as...

November 05, 2025 - USA -  Science journalists around the world are contending with a surge of health-related misinformation emanating from high-level government sources, including the White House, according to a report from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. While such outlets have historically focused on peer-reviewed studies, they now find themselves throttled by waves of disinformation that outpace traditional fact-checking workflows. The Reuters Institute highlights that when officials promote unverified claims—whether about vaccines, treatments, or emerging diseases—newsrooms must decide whether to challenge the statement, publish with caveats, or ignore it entirely. Some...

November 05, 2025 - Turkey/Syria -  A court in Istanbul has cleared seven journalists of criminal charges after they memorialised two slain reporters—Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin—who were killed in a drone strike in late 2024. The journalists had been arrested following a December 21 vigil in central Istanbul and were held for several weeks as prosecutors pressed charges including “terrorist propaganda” and participating in an unlawful demonstration. The detained journalists—among them Hayri Tunç, Gülistan Dursun, Pınar Gayıp, and Can Papila—had assembled to honour their murdered peers, only to be intercepted by law enforcement and...