News

September 24, 2025 - Peru -  A journalist in Peru, Dennis Muñoz, has been subject to intimidation after bullets were left at both his workplace and his home, according to LatAm Journalism Review, citing Pachamama Radio. The incident took place in the early morning hours: one bullet was found at the main entrance of the radio station Radio Universal in Ayaviri, and two bullets were placed at Muñoz’s house. The placements appear calculated to provoke fear. Muñoz is director of the news program Chekaq Willakuykuna – Rijchariy Melgarino.  In recent weeks, he has reported on...

September 24, 2025 - USA -  Journalist Mario Guevara, detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since June following his arrest while livestreaming a protest in Georgia, has published a powerful handwritten letter from detention detailing his ordeal, emotional toll, and determination to continue reporting. Guevara’s detention comes despite all criminal charges against him being dropped and an immigration judge granting him bond—moves that did not lead to his release. The Board of Immigration Appeals instead reopened a 13-year-old deportation order, effectively nullifying the bond and ordering his removal to El Salvador. In his...

September 24, 2025 - Ecuador -  Ecuadorian reporters Elvira del Pilar Nole and Juan Carlos Tito, both forced into exile due to threats and persecution linked to their investigative work, were recently honored with the prestigious 2025 Press Freedom Award. The award, presented by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), recognizes their resilience in continuing to speak truth to power despite severe suppression. Del Pilar Nole, a journalist and human rights advocate, fled Ecuador after facing criminal defamation lawsuits and intimidation for reporting on corruption. Tito, her colleague, similarly confronted legal harassment and threats tied to...

September 24, 2025 - General -  The Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas, in partnership with the Google News Initiative, is launching a free online course titled Google AI Tools for Journalists: Optimizing Editorial Workflow, Content Creation, and Audience Engagement. Running from October 20 to November 16, 2025, the four-week bilingual (English/Spanish) program offers practical instruction in integrating Google AI into newsroom work. Designed for journalists, editors, freelancers, and newsroom staff, the course will cover how to streamline editorial tasks, boost investigative reporting, and increase audience interaction through AI tools. Instructors from the Google News...

September 24, 2025 - General -  At the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the State of Qatar and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) came together in a high-level ministerial initiative to spotlight the grave dangers faced by journalists in Gaza. Qatar, represented by H.E. Dr. Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad, reaffirmed that deliberate targeting of journalists violates international humanitarian law and called on the global community to ensure accountability for those responsible. She stressed that safeguarding journalists is not only a moral obligation but also a critical step in ensuring transparency during...

September 24, 2025 - Congo - Pacifique Muliri, a reporter with the Congolese Press Agency and freelance contributor to Africa Mining Intelligence, has been forced into hiding since early July 2025 following threats tied to his investigatory work in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. His investigation focused on gold-mining operations at the Lomera site in Kabare territory, South Kivu province, where he explored possible collusion between armed rebel groups and authorities in Kinshasa. During that period, Muliri’s home in Bukavu was assaulted by soldiers linked to the M23 and Congo River Alliance (AFC) militia factions,...

September 23, 2025 - Nigeria -  In his address at the Beatrice Bassey Ita Best Investigative Journalist Award ceremony in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria, Union of Journalists (NUJ) President Alhassan Yahya affirmed that investigative journalism is essential to inclusive, sustainable democracy. He argued that probing reporting fosters transparency, accountability, and good governance—pillars without which democratic systems weaken. Yahya also used the platform to highlight the grave risks and pressures confronting Nigerian journalists today. He cited censorship, harassment, detention, and even threats to life as daily hazards in the work of uncovering the truth. Despite...

September 24, 2025 - Australia -  In Australia, the Federal Court has ruled that the national broadcaster, ABC, must pay journalist Antoinette Lattouf A$220,000 after finding her dismissal unlawful. Lattouf, hired on a short-term contract in December 2023, was terminated just three days in after she reposted a Human Rights Watch statement on Instagram about Israeli actions in Gaza. The judgment included A$150,000 in pecuniary penalties against ABC, added to the A$70,000 awarded earlier for non-economic loss. The court determined that ABC breached the Fair Work Act and its own enterprise agreement by failing to...

September 24, 2025 - Myanmar -  Border News Agency journalist Mu Dra was forcibly taken from her home in Maungdaw, Rakhine State, on 20 September, in a reported abduction carried out by Myanmar’s Arakan Army (AA), according to statements from the news agency and CPJ. She was taken in the late morning—around 11:00 a.m.—and remains held incommunicado at an intelligence office controlled by the AA. Mu Dra is known for her reporting on conflict, human rights abuses, and issues affecting vulnerable groups in Rakhine State, including forced recruitment and intercommunal violence. The Border News Agency...

September 24, 2025 - Ireland -  In a newly released independent review, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has been found to have searched journalists’ phone numbers in efforts to trace information leaks by officers or staff—though the practice was not deemed “widespread or systemic.” The review, conducted by barrister Angus McCullough KC, was commissioned by Chief Constable Jon Boutcher. It scrutinised PSNI surveillance practices between 2011 and 2024, including how warrants were obtained, covert monitoring, and data searches related to journalists, lawyers, and individuals of “special status.” McCullough’s findings reveal 21 instances in...

September 23, 2025 - Egypt/UK -  British-Egyptian activist and journalist Alaa Abd el-Fattah has been released from prison following a presidential pardon granted by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. His reunion with his mother, Laila Soueif, and sister Sanaa Seif took place late on 22 September. Abd el-Fattah had spent much of the past decade in custody, with his most recent detention beginning in 2019 over charges including “spreading false news.”  His case drew repeated national and international criticism, with UN experts deeming his detention arbitrary under international human rights law. Reporters Without Borders (RSF)...

September 23, 2025 - General -  In a riveting episode of Conversations, journalist Nick McKenzie recounts how he took on Ben Roberts-Smith, one of Australia’s most decorated soldiers, in a saga spanning years of investigation, litigation, and public reckoning. McKenzie and fellow reporter Chris Masters followed rumors emerging in 2017 about executions, cover-ups, and misconduct within the Special Air Service (SAS)—Australia’s elite military unit. reporting uncovered allegations of war crimes, intimidation, and abuse, catapulting them into what was later dubbed “the defamation trial of the century.” As the legal battle unfolded, McKenzie and Masters’ defense...

September 23, 2025 - Nepal -  Across South Asia and Gaza, the act of journalism has shifted from observation to confrontation, where reporters not only document turmoil but become frontline casualties in battles over narrative, survival, and power. In Bangladesh and Nepal, recent Gen Z-led protests have exposed journalists to attacks from multiple directions. Security forces have infiltrated newsrooms, coerced coverage directives, and threatened reporters to silence dissenting coverage. Meanwhile, protestors have accused the media of aligning with authorities, leaving correspondents trapped in a no-win dynamic: too critical and they are branded traitors, too cautious...

September 23, 2025 - Iran -  Journalist and women’s rights activist Jina Modarres-Gorji has been released from Sanandaj Central Prison after completing her prison term, following a high-profile case tied to Iran’s protests and press repression. Modarres-Gorji was initially arrested in November 2024 and subsequently sentenced by an appeals court to 16 months in prison for “forming an illegal group with the intent to overthrow the state” and one year for “propaganda against the state.” She was acquitted of “collaboration with hostile groups and governments.” Her original sentence had been much harsher: a Revolutionary Court...

September 23, 2025 - Peru -  Bogotá, September 23, 2025 — The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on Peruvian authorities to launch a full investigation into violent attacks against 16 journalists covering anti-government protests in Lima on September 20 and 21. The press advocacy group urged officials to ensure that those responsible are held to account, and to safeguard journalists’ rights to report on public-interest issues without fear. The incidents took place during large demonstrations against President Dina Boluarte. Police forces deployed rubber pellets, tear gas, and projectiles to disperse crowds, the National...

September 23, 2025 - Pakistan -  In a new campaign, Amnesty International highlights how Pakistani journalists routinely face heavy surveillance—both digital and physical—as part of their job, with consequences extending to their families, colleagues, and sources. The piece titled “In Pakistan, surveillance is part of the cost of being a journalist” recounts how phone tapping, location tracking, and scrutiny of call logs are used against reporters. When a journalist published a story on the military establishment, an acquaintance was forcibly disappeared for a week after being questioned about communications with the journalist. The campaign details...

September 23, 2025 - Turkey -  Istanbul, September 2025 — Eight Turkish journalists are under legal threat after being charged with “insult” and “disseminating false news” over remarks made during political talk shows. Three broadcasters from TELE1 were arrested after airing a graphic that compared President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to Israel’s prime minister; they have since been released pending investigation. Meanwhile, columnists Barış Pehlivan of Cumhuriyet and Timur Soykan of BirGün stand accused of defaming the judiciary during a previous Halk TV discussion, each facing up to four and a half years in prison. Two...

September 22, 2025 - USA -  Journalists Madeline Fening and Lucas Griffith, arrested while covering a July protest opposing the detention of Egyptian journalist Ayman Soliman, are facing jury trials in Kenton County, Kentucky — a rare and alarming legal move against news coverage. Although felony rioting charges were dropped earlier, Fening still faces misdemeanor counts, including disorderly conduct, obstructing an emergency responder, failure to disperse, unlawful assembly, and obstructing a public passage. Griffith is charged with the same offenses plus resisting arrest. A coalition of press freedom groups and journalism educators has petitioned the...

September 22, 2025 - Ireland -  Northern Ireland’s Police Service (PSNI) has issued a formal apology following revelations that it failed to disclose key information about surveillance operations targeting journalist Barry McCaffrey to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT). The oversight came to light via a review led by Angus McCullough KC, which found that PSNI neglected to reveal an authorisation for incoming call data, in addition to outgoing call and subscriber data already under discussion. McCullough’s inquiry also uncovered that PSNI retained data seized in 2018 from devices belonging to McCaffrey and colleague Trevor Birney...

September 22, 2025 - Pakistan -  Senior journalist and TV anchor Imtiaz Mir, known for hosting the current affairs show “Aaj Ki Baat with Imtiaz Mir” on Metro 1 News, was critically injured in a targeted attack in Karachi’s Malir district late on Sunday. The incident took place in the Kala Board area when two assailants on a motorcycle opened fire on Mir’s car, which was being driven by his brother. One bullet reportedly struck his mouth; he also sustained wounds to his chest. He was rushed to a private hospital and is said to...

September 22, 2025 - Ethiopia -  Human Rights Watch (HRW) has expressed deep concern about a recent spike in the arrests of journalists and media workers in Ethiopia, warning that the trend poses a serious threat to press freedom ahead of the 2026 national elections. Since August 2025, at least six media professionals have been detained—some held without charge or access to legal counsel, others incommunicado. Examples cited include three journalists from Sheger FM (102.1)—Tigist Zerihun, Mintamir Tsegaw, and Eshete Assefa—arrested after a broadcast on health workers. Despite compliance with a directive from the Ethiopian...

September 22, 2025 - Iraq/Kurdistan -  The Rojava Film Commune has completed a new cinematic tribute titled Heval Birako, dedicated to the memory of journalist Nazim Daştan. The film is adapted from a story he authored. Directed by Nûman Yigît with a screenplay by Önder Çakar, Heval Birako (113 minutes) began filming on 7 August 2024 and concluded on 7 October 2024. Its world premiere is scheduled for November 2025 at the Rojava International Film Festival in Qamishlo, where it will open the festival. The narrative centers around two siblings forcibly separated by ISIS forces....

September 22, 2025 - Belarus -  Belarusian journalist and social activist Pavel Mazheika was released and deported from Belarus on 11 September 2025, as part of a broader amnesty that saw over 50 political prisoners freed. Mazheika, affiliated with Belsat TV, had been detained since August 2022. Before his release, Mazheika had been sentenced by the Grodno Regional Court in July 2023 to six years in a strict-regime prison on a charge of “assisting extremist activities.”  His jailing was viewed by press freedom groups as emblematic of Belarus’s crackdown on independent media. The Committee to...

September 22, 2025 - Palestine -  Western media’s treatment of slain Gazan journalists often does not reflect tribute or accountability, but a deliberate distancing—reshaping narratives to absolve itself of complicity. In a recent opinion piece, Nour Balousha contends Western outlets report such deaths not to honour the fallen, but to sanitize their own role in normalizing the violence. Rather than centering Palestinian lives or interrogating the structural forces that render journalists vulnerable, Western coverage frequently frames such losses as inevitable tragedies—acts of war beyond moral judgment. The underlying message: journalists who die in Gaza are...

September 22, 2025 - UK -  In Kent, a recent anti-asylum rally turned hostile toward members of the press, as several journalists became direct targets of intimidation and harassment by protesters. The demonstration, which was aimed at opposing asylum policies, quickly created a hostile environment not only for asylum seekers and their advocates but also for those documenting the event. Reporters on the ground described an atmosphere where their very presence was treated as an intrusion to be challenged. Among the more disturbing incidents, protesters deliberately attempted to humiliate reporters. One demonstrator waved what he...