News

June 16, 2025 - General - At the opening of the 59th Session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC59) on June 16, 2025, the safety of journalists was placed among the highest priorities. Over the next three weeks, states, civil society organizations, and experts are addressing growing threats to press freedom globally, alongside broader issues of digital rights, elections, and the impact of artificial intelligence. One of the central discussions at HRC59 revolves around a new resolution on the safety of journalists. This resolution is led by Austria, with support from Brazil, France, Greece,...

June 16, 2025 - Iran -  Israel launched a targeted airstrike on the glass‑fronted headquarters of IRIB, Iran’s state-run TV station in central Tehran, during a live broadcast. The strike struck while anchor Sahar Emami was on air, causing the studio to quake with four explosions, forcing her and her colleagues to flee amid smoke and dust. After a brief cut to pre-recorded footage, the broadcast resumed from an alternate location. The IDF issued evacuation orders ahead of the strike for District 3 of Tehran, home to media offices, hospitals, and government buildings, warning roughly 330,000...

June 16, 2025 - Palestine -  A comprehensive year-long study by the Centre for Media Monitoring (CfMM) has revealed significant and systematic bias in BBC News’ coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza. The analysis, based on over 3,800 articles and 32,000 broadcast segments from October 2023 to October 2024, found stark disparities in how Israeli and Palestinian deaths, narratives, and suffering were represented. One of the most striking findings is that BBC coverage gave 33 times more attention to each Israeli death compared to each Palestinian death. While the Palestinian civilian death toll soared into...

June 15, 2025 - Nigeria -  Prominent human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, urged the federal government to discontinue all criminal prosecutions targeting journalists and citizens for criticizing public officials. Falana’s call follows President Bola Tinubu’s Democracy Day speech on June 12, in which the president emphasized that honest criticism—even harsh reporting—should not lead to criminal charges. Quoting Tinubu’s declaration—“no one should suffer injustice for simply writing a negative report about me or calling me names”—Falana implored Attorney-General and Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) to act accordingly by withdrawing all pending...

June 15, 2025 - Italy - Digital security researchers at Citizen Lab have uncovered that Paragon Solutions’ “Graphite” spyware—a military-grade, zero-click surveillance tool—was used to target at least three prominent journalists in Europe, including two based in Italy. In Italy, the latest victim is Ciro Pellegrino, who heads the Naples bureau of Fanpage it. Pellegrino’s phone showed forensic traces of Graphite—a confirmation that matches earlier evidence linking the spyware to Francesco Cancellato, Fanpage’s editor-in-chief. Citizen Lab also identified a third “prominent European journalist” who requested anonymity. All three phones were infected via an Apple iMessage zero-click exploit attributed...

June 14, 2025 - Saudi Arabia -  Saudi authorities executed journalist Turki al‑Jasser on June 14, 2025, following a seven‑year detention after his 2018 arrest. The Interior Ministry confirmed the execution via the Saudi Press Agency, stating that the kingdom’s top court upheld convictions against him for “treason,” “terrorism,” “foreign collaboration,” and “undermining national unity". Al‑Jasser, in his late 40s, had been charged primarily due to his alleged operation of a social‑media account on X (formerly Twitter), which posted claims of corruption within the royal family and controversial commentary about militant groups. His arrest involved a raid at...

June 14, 2025 - Pakistan -  Veteran journalist Abdul Latif Baloch was shot dead in the early hours inside his home in Mashkay Tehsil, Awaran district, Balochistan, Pakistan, in front of his wife and children. Four armed assailants forcibly entered his residence and fired four shots when he resisted abduction. Human rights groups, including the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and Pakistan’s Federal Union of Journalists, have strongly condemned the killing. They assert the attackers belonged to a state-supported militia tied to the Pakistani military, describing the killing as part of a deadly “kill and...

June 14, 2025 - USA -  A compelling new documentary, “Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything,” directed by Jackie Jesko, chronicles the life and legacy of broadcast legend Barbara Walters. Produced by ABC News Studios, Imagine Documentaries (with Ron Howard & Brian Grazer), and Latchkey Films, it premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 12 and begins streaming on Hulu (and Disney+ internationally) on June 23, 2025. This 95-minute film weaves together archival ABC footage—much of it previously unaired—with fresh interviews featuring Walters’s colleagues and subjects, including Oprah Winfrey, Katie Couric, Cynthia McFadden, Bette Midler, and more. It...

June 14, 2025 - Kurdistan -  Journalism across Kurdistan continues to thrive under immense pressure, with several prestigious awards honoring journalists who persist despite risks. The Gurbetelli Ersöz Women’s Journalism Award and the Musa Anter Journalism Awards both serve as powerful tributes to Kurdish journalists who have paid a heavy price for their commitment to truth. The Gurbetelli Ersöz Women’s Journalism Award, named after the first female Kurdish editor-in-chief, commemorates the life and work of Gurbetelli Ersöz, who was killed in 1997. Introduced by the Coalition for Women in Journalism alongside Kurdish media organizations, the...

June 14, 2025 - China -  Independent journalist and #MeToo activist Sophia Huang Xueqin (also known as Huang Xueqin) was sentenced by a Chinese court to five years in prison for “inciting subversion of state power.” Her co-defendant, labour activist Wang Jianbing, received a 3½-year sentence. Court details emerged almost exactly one year later, prompting renewed global advocacy on the first anniversary of the ruling. Huang first rose to prominence in 2017–2018 by reigniting China’s #MeToo movement through an online survey uncovering widespread sexual harassment, particularly within journalistic and academic environments. Her campaign supported victims...

June 14, 2025 - Niger -  a military court in Niger remanded two journalists from Sahara FM, a private radio station, into custody in Kollo prison, south of Niamey. They are charged with “undermining national defence and plotting against state authority.” The arrests stem from early May when Sahara FM aired reports suggesting that Niger had terminated security accords with Russia, a close ally of the country's military junta. A third journalist in the group was released on bail. The case follows a pattern of growing press restrictions since the 2023 coup, with Niger facing criticism from human...

June 14, 2025 - India -  Egyptian security forces detained over 200 activists and journalists—including Indian reporter Nikita Jain from Maktoob Media—at checkpoints near Ismailia and in Cairo, ahead of the Global March to Gaza solidarity protest. The march, organized by an international coalition of human rights groups and activists, aimed to enter Gaza via Rafah on foot to protest Israel’s blockade and deliver humanitarian aid, drawing participants from over 80 countries. Jain was among approximately 1,000 protesters stopped at Ismailia, where authorities seized passports and blocked non-Egyptian nationals from proceeding. She reported that around 70...

June 14, 2025 - Somalia -  At around 9 a.m., armed agents from Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) raided the offices of Himilo Somali TV, an independent online broadcaster in Mogadishu. Fourteen officers—eight inside the studio and six outside—demanded that the outlet remove an interview addressing alleged forced voter registration by the controversial Federal Electoral Commission. The demands followed coverage of a man who claimed he had "been abducted … forcibly registered as a voter without his consent," and who tore up the registration papers in protest. Studio staff locked themselves in an office and...

June 13, 2025 - Chad -  Human Rights Watch called for the pretrial release of two Chadian journalists—Olivier Monodji, editor of Le Pays and Radio France Internationale correspondent, and Mahamat Saleh Alhissein, a reporter with state broadcaster Télé Tchad—who have been held for three months by the N’Djamena High Court. Prosecutors initially accused them, alongside other suspects, of espionage, conspiracy, and threatening state security through alleged collaboration with Russia’s Wagner Group. Among the evidence cited were documents Alhissein reportedly translated from French to Arabic and an article by Monodji about a Russian cultural center opening. Following a...

June 13, 2025 - Turkey -  Turkish police conducted early-morning raids targeting four journalists, detaining them in operations spanning Istanbul and Artvin, amid an opaque inquiry shrouded by a publication ban. The journalists—Semra Balık, Dicle Baştürk, Ozan Gerik, and Melisa Efe—were arrested following coordinated home searches. Balık and Gerik were based in Istanbul and taken to the Gendarmerie Command in Maslak; the locations for Baştürk and Efe, reportedly operating in Artvin, remain less clear publicly. Authorities have neither disclosed the charges nor the issuing body behind the arrests due to the gag order in place....

June 13, 2025 - USA -  Amid widespread protests in Los Angeles against ICE raids, press freedom groups have raised alarms over escalating risks to journalists covering the unrest. Reports from the International Press Institute (IPI) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) indicate mounting “violence and detention” of media personnel, prompting calls for authorities to protect journalistic work. Numerous incidents involving law enforcement targeting reporters have surfaced. In LA, journalists faced rubber bullets, pepper balls, flash-bangs, and even brief detentions while on air. CNN’s Jason Carroll was held and cuffed during a live broadcast,...

June 13, 2025 - General -  UNESCO unveiled a groundbreaking global initiative aimed at addressing the growing use of legal harassment against journalists, often referred to as “lawfare.” This tactic, which includes the abuse of defamation laws, Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs), and other forms of judicial intimidation, is increasingly being used worldwide to suppress independent journalism, exhaust journalists financially, and silence critical reporting. Recognizing the urgent need for international action, UNESCO’s initiative will adopt a comprehensive approach combining legal support, judicial training, and global awareness to counteract these threats. Drawing from its experience...

June 12, 2025 - Turkey -  Turkish authorities released two journalists—Rahime Karvar and Reyhan Hacıoğlu—from pretrial detention stemming from a broad investigation into media outlets in Istanbul and the Artvin region. The probe originally led to the arrests in January of six journalists—Karvar, Hacıoğlu, Necla Demir, Ahmet Güneş, Welat Ekin, and Vedat Örüç—on charges of "membership in a terrorist organization," widely understood as related to alleged ties to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Reyhan Hacıoğlu, detained on January 21 at her home in Van, was held in Van's Type T Prison for almost five months...

June 12, 2025 - UK - The BBC is facing mounting accusations of age discrimination from several of its seasoned journalists, who allege they have been unfairly sidelined or pushed out due to their age. This controversy has reignited debates over workplace equality, diversity, and the corporation's handling of experienced staff amidst ongoing efforts to modernize its news coverage. At the heart of the complaints are claims that older presenters and reporters have seen their roles diminished, contracts terminated, or been excluded from high-profile opportunities in favor of younger colleagues. Some veteran journalists allege that...

June 11, 2025 - General -  The tragic death of journalist Ruben Salazar 55 years ago casts a long shadow over current law enforcement practices in Los Angeles. Salazar, a prominent Mexican-American reporter, was killed on August 29, 1970, when a tear-gas projectile fired by a sheriff’s deputy struck him while he was covering the Chicano Moratorium March against the Vietnam War. Today’s Los Angeles protests—sparked by sweeping ICE raids in early June 2025—have seen a resurgence in the use of “less-lethal” munitions and tactics against journalists. CalMatters reports that law enforcement has deployed rubber...

June 11, 2025 - USA -  Los Angeles became a flashpoint for press freedom concerns as journalists covering protests against federal immigration raids reported being targeted by law enforcement. Over two dozen journalists were injured, with incidents ranging from rubber bullet and pepper ball injuries to physical detentions, raising alarms about the safety and rights of the press. Among the affected were CNN correspondent Jason Carroll and his crew, who were detained while broadcasting live from the protest zone. Australian journalist Lauren Tomasi was struck in the leg by a rubber bullet, and several other...

June 11, 2025 - Palestine -  Wael Al-Dahdouh, a prominent Palestinian journalist based in Gaza, has endured heartbreaking personal tragedy while covering the ongoing conflict between Israel and Gaza. As the editor-in-chief of Al-Quds newspaper in Gaza, Al-Dahdouh has reported tirelessly on the devastation wrought by the war. But his professional commitment has come at a devastating personal cost: several of his family members have been killed in Israeli airstrikes, including his wife and children. Despite the unbearable loss, Al-Dahdouh continues to document the conflict’s harsh realities, determined to tell the world the human side...

June 11, 2025 - USA -  Veteran ABC News correspondent Terry Moran has been terminated following a controversial social media post in which he criticized President Donald Trump and his adviser Stephen Miller. In the now-deleted post, Moran referred to both men as "world-class haters," accusing Miller of "eating his hate" and suggesting that Trump's hatred serves his self-glorification. The post, shared on the platform X (formerly Twitter), violated ABC News' policies on objectivity and professionalism, leading to his suspension and subsequent dismissal. Moran, who joined ABC News in 1997, had recently conducted a tense...

June 11, 2025 - Iran/USA -  Iranian-American journalist Reza Valizadeh, a former reporter for Radio Farda, has initiated a hunger strike in Tehran's Evin Prison to protest the seizure of his essential documents, including his birth certificate. These documents are crucial for managing his legal affairs and protecting his assets abroad. Valizadeh, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of "collaborating with a hostile government," began his hunger strike on June 7, 2025, following the confiscation of these vital records by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Intelligence Organization. Valizadeh, a dual...

June 11, 2025 - General - Covering climate change is one of the most important but emotionally challenging tasks journalists face today. Reporting on disasters like hurricanes, wildfires, and floods means witnessing devastation and human suffering firsthand, which can take a serious toll on journalists’ mental health. Many experience anxiety, depression, nightmares, and compassion fatigue — a condition caused by repeated exposure to others’ trauma. Unfortunately, newsroom cultures often overlook these issues, leaving journalists to cope alone. Studies show that nearly 20% of reporters covering extreme weather suffer from symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)...