News

September 08, 2025 - Czechia - In the run-up to the Czech parliamentary election on 3-4 October 2025, more than 20 national and international media-freedom organizations have issued a joint appeal calling on all democratic political parties to commit to ten priority measures to protect press freedom and ensure a pluralistic media landscape. These demands are grounded in concerns over growing threats to independent journalism in the Czech Republic, including verbal and online attacks on journalists (especially women), abusive lawsuits intended to silence critical reporting (SLAPPs), restrictions on access to public information, and attempts to...

September 07, 2025 - Palestine -  Israeli media outlets, which for nearly two years predominantly covered Israeli loss and heroism following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, have gradually begun to report on the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza. Until recently, the suffering of Palestinian civilians—including malnourished children and widespread destruction—was largely absent from mainstream broadcasts. This shift comes amid mounting global outrage and internal debates about the continuation of the military offensive. Prominent Israeli anchor Raviv Drucker acknowledged that coverage had skewed heavily toward Israeli perspectives, noting, “During most of the war, the Israeli...

September 07, 2025 - Kuwait -  The Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) Center for Media Development has officially launched its 20th training program for young journalists, which will run from September 7 to September 25, 2025. The program reflects KUNA’s long-standing commitment to developing journalistic skills among aspiring reporters while keeping pace with the transformations shaping today’s media environment. This year’s course brings together a wide range of experts to provide participants with both classical and modern media training. The program covers news writing, editing, and reporting styles, ensuring that trainees grasp the fundamentals of professional...

September 06, 2025 - General -  The Qatar Press Center’s series “Journalists at the Centre of Crises” has drawn attention to the sacrifices of reporters and media workers who face danger to bring truth to light. The stories it documents are not just professional accounts of courage but also testimonies of lives cut short in pursuit of public service. By revisiting their final moments, the series reminds audiences of the extraordinary risks journalists take and the devastating consequences of silencing them. Among the most powerful accounts is that of Ali Hassan al-Jaber, a Qatari cameraman...

September 06, 2025 - Syria/USA - Newly released footage by Anadolu Agency has shed light on the possible location where American journalist Austin Tice was once held in Syria. The drone video, captured on Mount Qasioun in Damascus, shows the interior of a one-man cell inside a headquarters controlled by the regime-affiliated 4th Division, commanded by Maher al-Assad, brother of the ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. The site, described as a small cabin-like structure within the compound, is believed to be the same place where Tice was detained shortly after his abduction in 2012. Austin...

September 06, 2025 – Ukraine/Russia -  Russia has delivered severe prison sentences to Ukrainian media figures detained in Russian-occupied Melitopol, prompting widespread condemnation from press freedom organizations. On September 2, Russian-installed courts sentenced Heorhii Levchenko, administrator of the Telegram channel RIA-Melitopol, to 16 years in a high-security penal colony—convicted of “high treason” and “incitement to extremism.” The authorities alleged that Levchenko used the channel to conduct anti-Russian and pro-Ukrainian propaganda and to pass on Russian troop positions to Ukrainian intelligence services. A day later, Vladyslav Hershon, who runs the Telegram channel Melitopol tse Ukraina, was...

September 06, 2025 – UK – Reform UK has drawn sharp condemnation from press freedom advocates after refusing to accredit media outlets, including DeSmog and The New World, for its 2025 party conference. The party cited no explanation for the denial, prompting warnings that its move echoes "the authoritarian playbook." This decision appears emblematic of Reform UK’s broader pattern of controlling narrative and limiting scrutiny. In August, Nottinghamshire’s Reform-led council banned access to local publications—Nottingham Post and Nottinghamshire Live—citing critical coverage as justification. This too triggered criticism, with observers warning it undermines democratic accountability. Meanwhile,...

September 06, 2025 – Palestine -  According to a recent analysis in the SA Jewish Report, media freedom in Gaza has effectively vanished, with journalists operating under severe restrictions imposed by both Israel and Hamas. The piece highlights a stark reality: there are only two “legal” paths for journalists to enter the Gaza Strip—either embedded with the Israeli military or approved by Hamas. Neither situation offers genuine independence or safety. Embedded journalists face strict oversight and censorship from the Israel Defense Forces, limiting their movement and access to vulnerable populations or contested areas. Meanwhile, those...

September 06, 2025 – Syria/France - As the Assad regime crumbled in December 2024, Syria’s atmosphere transformed — and Iraqi-born photojournalist Salwan Georges was on the ground to witness and record every moment. In a recent France 24 Perspective segment, Georges spoke movingly of returning to a country where citizens had nearly given up hope. “Hope is a new thing for them,” he said. Georges, a photographer for The Washington Post, grew up in Syria and returned after decades abroad to chronicle what he described as “the fall of Assad.” His assignment has become more...

September 06, 2025 – Tanzania – In a landmark moment for press freedom, Tanzania has launched a bold initiative to bolster journalist safety through multi-stakeholder collaboration. The National Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Journalist Safety and Security, held at UNESCO’s UN House in Dar es Salaam and convened by the Union of Tanzania Press Clubs (UTPC) in partnership with UNESCO and the Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition (THRDC), brought together key actors—journalists, police, human rights advocates, and development organizations—to confront long-standing safety gaps facing the media. The centerpiece of the event was a powerful pledge by Inspector...

September 06, 2025 – Palestine - An unassuming Excel spreadsheet has become one of the most haunting symbols of war: a meticulously documented record listing the names, dates, and places of 198 journalists killed in Gaza since October 2023. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) maintains this file, which now serves simultaneously as a memorial and as vital evidence of the unprecedented scale of media worker casualties. The first entry memorializes Ibrahim Marzouq, a logistics staffer at Gaza’s Palestine Today TV, who perished along with his family in an airstrike on October 24, 2023. The most...

September 06, 2025 – Bangladesh – A recent analysis by Eurasia Review paints a troubling picture: journalists in Bangladesh are increasingly vulnerable amid escalating violence, political chaos, and targeting by both authorities and extremist actors under the interim government led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus. The report underscores that, rather than heralding improved freedoms, the post-Hasina transition has subjected media workers to physical attacks, harassment, and fear. The article begins with the mysterious death of Bibhu Ranjan Sarkar (71), Senior Assistant Editor of Ajker Patrika, whose body was found in Munshiganj’s Meghna River on August...

September 06, 2025 – Palestine – The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS) has revealed that August 2025 was one of the deadliest months for media workers in Palestine. According to their report, Israeli forces killed 15 journalists, including three women—Marwa Muslim, Mariam Abu Daqa, and Islam Abed—marking a devastating blow to press freedom in the occupied territories. Beyond the fatalities, the PJS documented a staggering 86 violations against media professionals across the West Bank and Gaza Strip. These violations spanned physical assaults, arrests, intimidation tactics, and impediments to safe reporting—exposing how journalists today face risks not...

September 06, 2025 – Turkey – Turkish courts have ordered the blocking of YouTube channels belonging to two prominent journalists—one exiled, the other detained—marking a deepening crackdown on dissenting voices and independent media. An İstanbul court has directed that the YouTube channel of exiled journalist Can Dündar be blocked on grounds of “national security and public order.” The ruling came after Dündar encouraged members of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and its supporters to protest the government’s appointment of trustees to the party’s leadership. Known for his fearless reporting and advocacy, Dündar now broadcasts from...

September 06, 2025 – Palestine - A visual investigation by The Times of Israel has significantly challenged the Israeli military’s account of the deadly August 25 strike on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza—an attack that killed 22 people, including five journalists. The hospital, one of Gaza’s last operating medical centers, was hit in a so-called “double-tap” strike: a second hit followed rescue efforts, suggesting intent to target responders. This technique may amount to a war crime. The video analysis reveals discrepancies between the IDF’s official narrative—which claimed the attack targeted a Hamas-operated surveillance camera—and...

September 05, 2025 - Palestine -  In a recent video tribute, Middle East Eye’s editor-in-chief, David Hearst, honored veteran Palestinian journalist Wael al-Dahdouh, describing him as a symbol of resilience and unwavering commitment to the truth. Al-Dahdouh, widely recognized as the face of Al Jazeera’s coverage in Gaza, has continued reporting from the frontlines despite enduring profound personal tragedy and physical injury. Hearst highlighted the extraordinary sacrifices al-Dahdouh has made, noting that “Wael has suffered a huge personal loss, and significant injuries which he bears to this day, yet he has carried on reporting, he...

September 05, 2025 – Brazil/USA -  Veteran journalist Jackson Rangel, 62, endured 368 days in detention—ordered by Supreme Federal Court (STF) Minister Alexandre de Moraes—after making social media posts critical of the Court’s growing reach over Brazil’s democratic institutions. Despite no formal criminal charges ever being filed, Rangel was accused of “spreading fake news detrimental to the Democratic Rule of Law” and was only released provisionally on December 20, 2023, after being arrested on December 15, 2022. His prolonged preventive detention drew international condemnation. On July 30, the U.S. Treasury cited Rangel’s incarceration as an...

September 05, 2025 - Albania -  The State Cadastral Agency (SCA), particularly its Kamëz-Vorë branch, has stated an incident in which journalist Domenika Bajraktari and her cameraman were assaulted while on duty. The agency moved swiftly to clarify that the individual arrested in connection with the case, identified as F.M., 67, is not and has never been an employee of the institution. By stressing this point, the SCA distanced itself from direct responsibility for the act, while nonetheless condemning any form of violence against journalists. Alongside the arrest, authorities have also opened criminal proceedings against...

September 05, 2025 – Saudi Arabia/Yemen – Saudi authorities have detained Yemeni journalist Mujahid Al-Haiqi without charge, drawing strong criticism from press freedom defenders and human rights groups. Al-Haiqi, a freelance reporter who contributes to Aden Al-Ghad, was arrested on August 12, 2025, at Jeddah airport as he prepared to board a flight to Cairo after performing the Umrah pilgrimage with his mother. He was summoned to a security center inside the airport and subsequently taken into custody. No arrest warrant or official explanation has been provided. Family members told rights monitors that Al-Haiqi’s home...

September 05, 2025 - Somalia - Somali journalist and press freedom defender Abdalle Mumin, who recently visited Jersey for a period of respite, is now facing legal intimidation in the United Kingdom. Mumin, secretary-general of the Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS), has long been a target of harassment in Somalia for his reporting and activism. His visit to Jersey earlier this year, arranged by the Prisoners of Conscience Holiday Fund, provided him with temporary relief. During the trip, local supporters launched a fundraiser that raised over £6,000 to help bring his family to safety in the...

September 05, 2025 - India -  In Assam, northeastern India, authorities have launched three criminal investigations in under four months against The Wire, a New Delhi-based news outlet, and three journalists—including its editor-in-chief Siddharth Varadarajan, veteran journalist Karan Thapar, and freelance reporter Abhisar Sharma—for content considered critical of the government. All are being prosecuted under Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), India’s revised criminal code. This section, a modern iteration of the colonial-era sedition law, penalizes “acts endangering the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India,” and carries penalties of up to life imprisonment....

September 05, 2025 – General - Wael al-Dahdouh, Al Jazeera’s veteran Gaza bureau chief, has become emblematic of journalistic resilience under fire—yet his most compelling critique is reserved for his own profession. In a recent interview with Declassified UK, he condemned Western media for “capitulating to the Israeli narrative,” accusing them of failing Gaza by adopting unchallenged accounts without proper scrutiny or impartiality. For Dahdouh, such reporting amounts to a betrayal of truth in the face of mass suffering. His unwavering commitment to journalism is deeply personal. In a candid conversation with The New Arab,...

September 04, 2025 - Russia - A Moscow court has sentenced exiled journalist and LGBTQ+ commentator Karèn Shainyan to five years in prison in absentia, accusing him of financing extremist activities through a small donation to opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation. Prosecutors alleged that in early 202,2 Shainyan transferred 2,000 rubles—about $25—to the foundation, which was labeled an extremist organization by Russian authorities in 2021. While prosecutors initially sought a six-year sentence, the court ultimately imposed five years. Shainyan, who has lived in exile in London since 2022, was designated a “foreign agent” that...

September 04, 2025 – India – As India marks the eighth anniversary of Gauri Lankesh’s assassination, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is pressing the Karnataka state government to establish a fast-track court to close the prolonged but unresolved case. Lankesh—a fearless editor of the Kannada weekly Gauri Lankesh Patrike—was shot dead outside her home in Bengaluru on September 5, 2017, after vocally criticizing right-wing extremism. Despite arrests, no one has been convicted of her killing. Seventeen suspects have been granted bail, and one remains at large. The trial, which finally began in 2022, continues...

September 04, 2025 – Palestine/UK - When journalists across the globe rallied in solidarity to demand an end to attacks on media workers in Gaza, a London branch of their own union sparked internal controversy by discouraging participation. Emails reviewed by Novara Media reveal that union representatives within the BBC’s branch of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) warned BBC staff against attending an NUJ-organised vigil for Palestinian journalists killed since October 2023. The message, citing BBC impartiality rules, instructed staff to refrain from involvement—even though the vigil was arranged by their own union. The...