News

October 06, 2025 - Palestine/UK -  Veteran British journalist and activist Yvonne Ridley, 67, has gone missing after being detained by Israeli forces during a humanitarian flotilla bound for Gaza. Ridley had joined the Global Sumud Flotilla, a convoy carrying aid intended for Gaza. The flotilla was intercepted in international waters by Israeli forces, who detained participants from about 40 vessels. After capture, she was held in Ketziot Prison in the Negev desert, reportedly refusing substitute medications after her own was confiscated. She was placed on a hunger strike amid what her family and supporters...

October 06, 2025 - India -  In Mangaluru, Karnataka, India Post has unveiled a commemorative postage stamp honoring the 50th anniversary of the Dakshina Kannada Working Journalists’ Association (DKWJA). The ceremony took place at the Mangaluru Press Club and drew attendance from prominent journalistic and civic figures. Highlights of the EventThe stamp issuance formed part of a formal celebration of organized journalism's half-century presence in Dakshina Kannada. Senior Superintendent of Posts for the Mangaluru division, Sudhakar Mallya, presided over the event. He remarked that postage stamps have long chronicled India’s history and said the “My Stamp”...

October 06, 2025 - Palestine - In recent months, Israel has sharply restricted international press access to Gaza, intensifying what critics describe as a deliberate shuttering of media visibility in one of the world’s most volatile conflict zones. According to a report by CBC News, the Canadian broadcaster has partnered with European media groups to work around these barriers through collaborative reporting projects—but even such efforts are limited by the Israeli government’s stringent controls. Since the outset of war, Israel has largely barred foreign correspondents from entering Gaza, forcing coverage to rely heavily on Palestinian...

October 06, 2025 - Niger - Niger’s authorities have intensified efforts to silence critical media voices, with four journalists currently detained as part of a broader campaign against press freedom. According to the International Press Institute (IPI), the ongoing state crackdown has created a chilling environment for independent reporting. While details around the specific charges vary, the arrests are widely seen as politically motivated attempts to quash dissent. International media-freedom organisations have condemned the detentions, arguing they violate fundamental rights and undermine the role of journalism in holding power to account. The clampdown must be...

October 06, 2025 - Syria -  In a harrowing incident in Syria’s Latakia province, journalist Batoul Ali and her father, Samir Ali, were seriously wounded when unidentified gunmen stormed their residence in Damserkho village on the northern ring road of Latakia City. According to reports from Hawar News, the attackers arrived in four vehicles, gained entry, and opened fire on the journalist and her father before fleeing the scene. Both victims were rushed to Al-Sayyeda Hospital, where they underwent emergency surgeries. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) corroborated the attack, noting that after the...

October 05, 2025 - Sudan -  A journalist in El Fasher, North Darfur, has died after being wounded in shelling carried out by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the Sudanese Journalists Syndicate (SJS) confirmed. The victim, Al-Nour Suleiman (also called Al-Nour Suleiman Al-Nour), was struck when his home was hit during RSF bombardment on Friday. He was later transported to Saudi Hospital, the only functional medical facility in the conflict-torn city, where he succumbed to his injuries on Saturday. Suleiman was not just a local broadcaster: he had been active as a correspondent and presenter...

October 05, 2025 - Pakistan -  In early October 2025, Pakistan’s Ministry of Information published a controversial half-page advertisement in major newspapers, warning citizens of an “enemy hiding behind the veil of technology and the internet.” The ad suggested that some individuals “disguised as reporters, freelancers, or NGO workers” may be extracting sensitive information to foment unrest and chaos. Media watchdogs and human rights groups immediately decried the advertisement as a dangerous and reckless attempt to stigmatize journalists and civil society actors. The Freedom Network, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), and several other...

October 05, 2025 - Palestine -  A group of international journalists was escorted by the Israeli army through parts of Gaza City, in what officials described as a controlled media tour intended to show the impact of the two-year conflict. The carefully choreographed visit passed through the Netzarim corridor and near a Jordanian-run hospital, revealing a landscape of widespread destruction: bombed buildings, empty streets, and tortured infrastructure. One area visited was a hospital no longer in full operation, which Israeli forces claimed to have found a tunnel beneath—a claim denied by Jordanian authorities. The tour...

October 05, 2025 - Palestine -  At a mass demonstration in Rome denouncing genocide in Gaza, Romana Rubeo, Managing Editor of The Palestine Chronicle, paid tribute to journalists who continue to cover the war under extreme peril. The protest, drawing thousands bearing Palestinian flags and placards, was staged to denounce the escalating destruction and civilian toll in Gaza. Against this backdrop, Rubeo gave a speech acknowledging the bravery of Gaza’s media workers—those risking their lives to report the truth amid bombardment, blockades, and targeted attacks.  She underscored the vital role of journalism in exposing suffering...

October 05, 2025 - Bangladesh -  Two media workers—Hossain Ziad, Bureau Chief and Special Correspondent for Ekhon Television, and cameraman Md Parvez—were assaulted while reporting in Sitakunda upazila, Chittagong district. The incident unfolded in the Jangal Salimpur area (Loharpul locality) on Sunday morning. According to Parvez, as they entered to gather news, roughly 50–60 individuals attacked them without warning. They were physically beaten, their video camera destroyed, and their mobile phones, wallet, and IDs seized. The assault left both journalists seriously injured. Ziad, who holds a senior role at Ekhon TV, was among those harmed....

October 05, 2025 - UK -  The UK government has announced a major step to shield reporters from abuse and threats by installing Journalist Safety Liaison Officers (JSLOs) in every police force in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. These new officers will serve as direct points of contact for journalists who face intimidation, harassment, or danger while carrying out their work. They will offer guidance before high-risk assignments (such as covering protests), help record crimes against journalists properly, and act as a bridge between the media, law enforcement, and government. The roll-out covers all...

October 05, 2025 - Sri Lanka -  A coalition of more than 140 organizations and individuals has publicly denounced Sri Lankan authorities for the persistent targeting of Tamil photojournalist Kumanan Kanapathipillai, urging the government to end intimidation tactics against him and other Tamil media figures. The statement, dated 3 October 2025, accuses security agencies of closely monitoring Kumanan and subjecting him to harassment as retaliation for reporting on militarization, land seizures, protest suppression, and issues impacting families of the disappeared in the Tamil-majority Northern and Eastern provinces. It warns that such intimidation amounts to a breach...

October 05, 2025 - Nigeria -  The Department of State Services (DSS) has issued a formal apology and released two journalists from Jay 101.9 FM in Jos, Plateau State, who were wrongfully arrested during President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s visit to the state. The journalists, Ruth Marcus and Keshia Jang, were reportedly taken into custody amid tightened security measures surrounding the burial ceremony of the mother of Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC). According to reports, the two journalists had been in the area to cover routine assignments when operatives...

October 04, 2025 - USA -  Nick Sortor, a 27-year-old conservative influencer and self-described citizen journalist, was arrested by Portland police Thursday night amid anti-ICE protests near the city’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility. Sortor, who has more than 1 million followers on X and frequently appears on right-wing media outlets, was taken into custody along with two others on suspicion of second-degree disorderly conduct. He was released without bond. According to Sortor, he was filming the protests when he was surrounded, pushed into a flower bed, and struck by assailants before being handcuffed...

October 04, 2025 - Palestine -  The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has formally called on Israeli authorities to “immediately and unconditionally” free the journalists detained during the interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. The flotilla was intercepted on October 1 and 2, and CPJ says at least 32 press workers were among those arrested. CPJ condemned the move as a breach of international maritime law and labeled it a dangerous escalation in Israel’s pattern of targeting media professionals. “Detaining members of the press while reporting...

October 03, 2025 - France/Ukraine/Russia - A French photojournalist, Antoni Lallican, was fatally struck by a drone in eastern Ukraine while covering the conflict in the Donetsk/Donbas region. Lallican, who was 37 years old, and a Ukrainian colleague—Georgiy Ivanchenko—were traveling together when the attack occurred. Ivanchenko survived but was seriously injured. Both were wearing protective gear marked “PRESS” at the time of the strike. Early reports from the Ukrainian 4th Separate Mechanized Brigade described the strike as a targeted drone attack, identifying it as the first in which a working journalist was killed by a...

October 03, 2025 - Afghanistan -  Media freedom groups have strongly criticized the Taliban after they released a video showing imprisoned journalist Mehdi Ansari confessing to collaborating with foreign media and spreading anti-regime messages—a confession widely believed to be coerced. Ansari, who worked for the Afghan News Agency, has been under Taliban detention since October 2024. He was sentenced by a Taliban court to 18 months behind bars for allegedly engaging in “propaganda” and working with exiled media. The Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) and Afghanistan Media Support Organization (AMSO) issued joint statements condemning the video,...

October 03, 2025 - USA -  A jury in Kentucky has found Ohio journalist Lucas Griffith guilty of “failure to disperse” following his arrest while reporting on a protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions. At the time of his arrest, Griffith was working as an intern with the Ohio weekly CityBeat. He and a colleague, Madeline Fening, had crossed into Kentucky to document a protest on the Roebling Bridge. The pair was initially charged with multiple offenses, including disorderly conduct, obstructing a highway, and failure to disperse. Both were also charged with...

October 03, 2025 - Russia -  In Nizhny Novgorod, Margarita Murakhtaeva, daughter of the late independent journalist Irina Slavina, was detained by police as she tried to lay flowers at the site where her mother died. Slavina, who ran the independent outlet Koza Press, died on October 2, 2020, after setting herself on fire outside the regional police headquarters. Her act was widely seen as a protest against state pressure and repression. According to Murakhtaeva, she approached the police building intending to place flowers quietly, but was immediately confronted by officers who demanded her documents...

October 03, 2025 - Palestine -  Amid the Israel-Gaza war, commentary and advocacy have converged on a chilling diagnosis: Gaza is turning into a graveyard for journalism. In a recent opinion piece for The Guardian, Anthony Bellanger, General Secretary of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), argues that repeated killings of reporters in Gaza amount not only to war’s collateral damage—but to an existential attack on truth itself. He asserts that “killing journalists is killing the truth,” and calls for unrelenting pressure to protect media workers in conflict zones. The IFJ’s own blog has echoed...

October 03, 2025 - USA -  Investigators in Colorado have launched a review of the death of journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson, whose 2005 passing was previously ruled a suicide. The review was requested by Anita Thompson, his widow, who conveyed growing doubts about the original findings. While authorities emphasize they have found no new evidence indicating foul play, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is re-examining the case at the behest of the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Michael Buglione has framed the review as an effort to bring clarity, saying the move responds...

October 03, 2025 - Pakistan -  Since early 2025, Pakistan’s amended Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) has been used to target journalists and suppress online dissent, with at least nine reporters and multiple YouTube channels facing legal action or censorship. Under the revised law, authorities have brought lawsuits against media figures, often alleging cybercrimes or defamation, and in some cases have blocked or shuttered digital outlets. Some of the affected YouTube channels belonged to independent journalists covering social justice, human rights, and governance issues. Despite this escalating clampdown, the Pakistani Parliament moved in September 2025...

October 03, 2025 - USA - In early October 2025, Mario Guevara, a Spanish-language journalist based in Atlanta, was deported to El Salvador after spending over 100 days in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. His case has drawn sharp criticism from press freedom groups, who argue the deportation represents retaliation for his reporting rather than a straightforward immigration enforcement action. Guevara was initially arrested on June 14 while livestreaming a protest near Atlanta. Local charges—obstruction, unlawful assembly, and improperly entering a roadway—were later dropped. Despite the dismissal, ICE placed a detainer and transferred him...

October 03, 2025 - Pakistan -  During protests over the situation in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, law enforcement officers on October 2, 2025, forcefully entered Islamabad’s National Press Club (NPC), physically assaulting journalists and damaging media equipment. Eyewitnesses and video footage reveal uniformed police wielding batons as they burst into the press club’s cafeteria, dragging individuals out and attacking those filming or attempting to intervene. Several photographers and staff members of the press club sustained injuries; some had their cameras or phones smashed or confiscated. Journalist associations reacted strongly. The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) reported...

October 02, 2025 - Pakistan -  During the 60th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, Baloch journalist and activist Bilal Baloch delivered a striking critique of Pakistan’s human rights record, revealing widespread abuses in Balochistan. He described a climate of enforced disappearances, pervasive censorship, and daily attacks meant to silence dissent. Addressing global delegates, Baloch alleged that Pakistani security forces have largely abdicated control in the region, leaving a power vacuum where militant groups and intelligence networks dictate enforcement. He asserted that state agencies target critics and journalists to maintain...