News

September 08, 2025 - Lituania -  Lithuanian journalist Eldoradas Butrimas has been added to Russia’s federal wanted list after making social media posts that apparently drew the Kremlin’s ire. The action follows his entry into Russia’s Kursk region, whereupon Russian authorities flagged him as a target for criminal prosecution. This development comes amid increasingly authoritarian measures that penalize journalism and dissent—especially targeting individuals designated under Russia’s expansive “foreign agent” framework. Although official details remain sparse, Butrimas’s posts were likely deemed to violate Russian laws against spreading “fake news” or discrediting the state—legislation that has frequently...

September 08, 2025 - Nepal -  Nepal’s government, under Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, has enacted a sweeping ban on 26 major social media and messaging platforms—including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, X, YouTube, LinkedIn, Reddit, Signal, and Pinterest—after they failed to register under new regulatory requirements mandated by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. Only five platforms, such as TikTok, complied with the rules and remain operational. In defiance of the restrictions, dozens of journalists and media professionals took to the streets of Kathmandu on September 7, 2025, rallying at Mannighar (Maitighar Mandala). Former office...

September 08, 2025 - General -  In a piece authored by Drew Sullivan and Ilya Lozovsky, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) presents a compelling vision of how investigative journalism is evolving to confront systemic corruption on a global scale. Reflecting on nearly two decades of experience, OCCRP highlights the transformative power of a diverse, global network of journalists—many underserved, often women, and occasionally just out of school—working collaboratively rather than competitively. Using advanced tools—Python scripts to extract data from government sites, AI to analyze records, and sophisticated tracking methods to follow oligarchs'...

September 08, 2025 - Africa -  In an illuminating exploration conducted by journalism scholar Meagan Doll, journalists across East Africa articulated their understanding of peace journalism through two distinct lenses. Some framed it as a philosophical practice—an orientation toward storytelling that emphasizes nonviolent responses to conflict, promotes understanding of structural causes, and elevates human experiences amid crisis. Others saw it as a practical toolkit, yielding concrete methods for framing stories more constructively in their daily reporting. Peace journalism, as a broader concept, was conceived to correct biases common in traditional war coverage—biases that often overemphasize...

September 08, 2025 - Bangladesh -  The Press Institute Bangladesh (PIB) is launching a three-day Mobile Journalism Training program starting September 9, 2025, aimed specifically at journalists who were physically and mentally injured while reporting on the mass uprising in July. A total of 28 journalists, selected for the program’s second phase, will participate in this residential training designed to help them regain their professional footing and adopt innovative methods for news gathering using modern tools. Information and Broadcasting Secretary Mahbuba Farjana will inaugurate the training as the chief guest, while the PIB Director General...

September 08, 2025 - Turkey -  Seventeen press freedom and human rights organizations—including the International Press Institute (IPI), Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), PEN International, Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), and Reporters Without Borders (RSF)—have urgently called for the immediate release of Turkish journalist Furkan Karabay, who has endured prolonged pretrial detention for over 100 days as of early September 2025. Karabay was arrested on May 15, 2025, following a police raid on his Istanbul home. He is now facing multiple charges, including “making targets of those who were...

September 08, 2025 - Ukraine -  Oleksandr Takhytai—a Ukrainian investigative journalist and former deputy of the Yampil District Council—was discovered deceased on September 5 in his apartment in Yampil, located in the Sumy region. Local outlet Hlavkom, citing Suspilne Sumy, first reported the news, noting that authorities are actively investigating whether his death is connected to his professional work. Takhytai previously served as editor-in-chief of the Yampilskyi Krai newspaper and gained notoriety for publicly exposing corruption involving the construction of fortifications in the Sumy area. His endeavors drew both attention and hostility. In August 2025,...

September 08, 2025 - USA -  A new report by Muck Rack and the nonprofit Rebuild Local News shows that Louisiana has fewer local journalists than the national average, marking a worrisome trend in media coverage across the state. As of Q1 2025, the study finds just 8.2 local journalist equivalents (LJEs) per 100,000 residents across the U.S.—a sharp 75% decline since 2002. These figures reflect the number of journalists likely focused on local communities, adjusted to account for full- and part-time work. This significant drop in journalists has real consequences. With fewer reporters covering...

September 08, 2025 - France -  Nearly 400 French-speaking journalists—including members of renowned newsrooms like Le Monde, BFM-TV, Agence France-Presse, and LCI—have issued a powerful appeal to President Emmanuel Macron. In an open op-ed published on September 8, 2025, they urged him to resume evacuations and warmly welcome Palestinian journalists from Gaza who wish to leave the enclave, while also restoring immediate access for the international press to the region. Since July, this collective has actively helped prepare evacuation dossiers by gathering essential documentation—identity papers, proof of employment, housing guarantees, and even job offers and...

September 08, 2025 - Turkey -  Twelve prominent international legal and human rights organizations submitted a joint amicus curiae brief to the Istanbul 26th High Criminal Court, describing the criminal and civil cases against the leadership of the Istanbul Bar Association as a “direct assault” on the independence of the legal profession. This urgent intervention precedes a second hearing scheduled for September 9 at the Istanbul High Criminal Court. The proceedings involve President İbrahim Kaboğlu and ten board members, who face allegations including “spreading terrorist propaganda” and “publicly disseminating misleading information,” charges punishable by up...

September 08, 2025 - USA -  The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) and its International Community publicly opposed a proposed change to U.S. visa policy that would affect international journalists. Currently, foreign correspondents holding an I-Visa may remain in the United States indefinitely, provided they continue working for a non-U.S. media outlet. The proposed rule, however, would require them to renew their visa every 240 days—approximately every eight months. SPJ International Community Co-Chair Dan Kubiske criticized the proposal as an unnecessary obstacle that introduces instability and excessive bureaucracy. He emphasized its chilling effect: “These proposed...

September 08, 2025 - China -  a powerful coalition of voices—including Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and 71 other rights and press freedom organisations—addressed Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer with an urgent plea: secure the immediate release of imprisoned publisher Jimmy Lai on medical grounds. The letter highlights Lai’s deteriorating condition after enduring more than 1,680 days in solitary confinement in Hong Kong, starvation of light and exercise, and critically delayed court proceedings that have further jeopardised his fragile health. RSF emphasised that if securing Lai’s release remains a UK priority, Starmer must act swiftly and...

September 08, 2025 - Lebanon -  Lebanese journalist and television host Walid Abboud was confronted with an alarming threat on September 8, 2025, after anonymous flyers were distributed near his home in Keserwan. The documents, signed by the so-called “Houthi Ansarullah Group,” contained disturbing language directed at Abboud and his family, accusing him of betrayal and collaboration with foreign interests. The flyers declared: “Stop attacking the security and dignity of the Islamic and Arab nation from your Zionist and collaborator channel.” They went further to issue chilling warnings: “The time of your punishment has come...

September 08, 2025 - Ireland -  Revelations surfaced that the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) had failed to disclose two covert surveillance operations against journalists to the UK’s independent surveillance watchdog, the Investigatory Powers Commissioner’s Office (IPCO). This omission, despite a legal duty to notify the oversight body, raised serious concerns about accountability, transparency, and the protection of press freedom in Northern Ireland. The first operation, launched in August 2018, sought to identify a confidential source used by journalists Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey. When IPCO inspectors carried out their annual inspection the following...

September 08, 2025 - Peru -  In a daring and life-preserving act, Machis, a 25-pound cocker spaniel mix in Huaral, Peru, thwarted a potentially fatal dynamite explosion at the home of local journalist Carlos Alberto Mesías Zárate. According to security camera footage, an assailant threw a lit stick of dynamite through a broken window above the front door of the residence. Machis immediately rushed to the explosive, barking and racing down the stairs, then instinctively bit into the burning fuse and chewed it until it extinguished—effectively deactivating the device and preventing catastrophe. The explosive, authorities...

September 08, 2025 - Pakistan -  Rawalpindi Police registered an FIR against Aleema Khan (sister of PTI founder Imran Khan), PTI party lawyer Naeem Panjutha, and approximately 40 PTI supporters following a violent incident targeting a journalist outside Adiala Jail during a media interaction after a Toshakhana-II case hearing. The complaint was lodged by Tayyab Baloch, President of the Supreme Court Press Association. According to Baloch, he was reporting outside the jail at around 3:55 pm alongside other media personnel when the incident occurred. Baloch had posed a question to Aleema Khan about her alleged...

September 08, 2025 - Palestine -  United Nations human rights experts have sounded the alarm on the deepening crisis in Gaza, urging the General Assembly to convene an emergency session to confront famine, mass civilian suffering, and what they describe as genocidal conditions. Central to their warning is the plight of Palestinian journalists, who have become both witnesses and victims of the catastrophe. The experts stressed that attacks on the press are not collateral but deliberate acts that strip Palestinians of their voice and the world of independent reporting from the ground. Since October 2023,...

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...