News

October 01, 2024 - Syria -  Israeli airstrikes rocked Damascus, hitting the Mezzeh district and its surroundings. Refugee and news agencies reported that at least three civilians were killed, and nine injured, as Syrian air defenses scrambled in response to incoming drones and missiles—allegedly launched from the occupied Golan Heights. Among the dead was Safaa Ahmad, a well-known presenter on Syria State TV. Joining the station in 2002, she hosted cultural talk shows and the flagship morning program "Sabah Al-Kheir". Her death marked the first journalist killed in Syria in 2024. The International Federation of Journalists...

October 01, 2024 - Italy -  A single four-minute video of Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini aired uncritically on public news channel Rainews24 on September 14 has reignited concerns about political influence over RAI’s editorial independence. The clip, in which Salvini defended his handling of the 2019 Open Arms migrant rescue crisis ahead of his trial for alleged kidnapping, was broadcast directly from his social media, with no accompanying commentary or critical analysis—a move that prompted alarm from journalists and media freedom advocates. RAI’s editorial board swiftly condemned the broadcast, accusing political figures of exploiting...

October 01, 2024 - Cambodia -  Cambodian investigative journalist Mech Dara, renowned for uncovering human trafficking and online scam networks, was detained on September 30, 2024, by military police at a toll booth near Sihanoukville while traveling with his family. He was formally charged on October 1 under Cambodian anti-incitement laws—specifically articles 494 and 495—for “inciting social unrest” related to Facebook posts that highlighted environmental damage to a sacred mountain site from quarry activity. The Phnom Penh Municipal Court remanded him in pretrial detention at Kandal Provincial Prison, where he may face up to two years...

September 30, 2024 - Haiti -  Republican vice-presidential candidate J.D. Vance has come under fire from press freedom advocates after promoting a fabricated story that sparked a wave of threats against journalists and immigrant communities in the United States. The controversy erupted in September 2024 when Vance repeated a baseless claim that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, were stealing and eating local pets. Despite the story having no factual basis and being debunked by police, Vance defended his use of the false narrative, stating he would “create stories so the American media pays attention.” The...

September 30, 2024 - France/Russia -  Despite being officially banned across the European Union since March 2022, Russia’s state-controlled broadcaster RT continues to reach French and wider EU audiences with ease through its website and mirror links. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has condemned what it calls a “glaring loophole” in the EU’s sanctions regime, warning that the Kremlin’s propaganda machine is bypassing restrictions with minimal resistance. RT’s satellite and cable broadcasts were halted in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as part of a broader EU strategy to combat disinformation and state propaganda. However, RSF’s...

September 30, 2024 - Kosovo/Serbia/Russia -  Although the European Union has banned Russia’s state-run RT from broadcasting within its borders, RT Balkan continues to push Kremlin-aligned content throughout the Western Balkans, most notably from its base in Belgrade. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) warns that this ongoing media operation poses a serious threat to the EU’s efforts to combat disinformation and safeguard media integrity. Operating outside the jurisdiction of EU sanctions, Serbia has allowed RT Balkan to flourish. From Belgrade, the outlet publishes a steady stream of pro-Russian narratives that are widely picked up by local...

September 30, 2024 - General Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has launched a major new initiative called The Propaganda Monitor, a multimedia investigative platform designed to uncover and analyze the global machinery of state-led propaganda and disinformation. Announced on September 30, 2024, the project aims to strengthen media literacy, expose propaganda disguised as journalism, and support policymakers, journalists, and the public in countering false narratives that threaten democratic societies. The Propaganda Monitor will provide in-depth investigations, profiles of key propagandists, expert interviews, and a wide range of resources to explain how authoritarian states—particularly Russia—weaponize media to...

September 30, 2024 - Russia/Ukraine -  Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has condemned Ukrainian-born journalist Diana Panchenko for actively spreading Kremlin propaganda under the guise of independent journalism. Once a presenter on Ukrainian television, Panchenko has transformed into a key figure in Russia’s international disinformation strategy, using sophisticated video content and pseudo-journalistic framing to push narratives that support Moscow’s agenda and undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty. Panchenko began her media career in Ukraine, working for outlets like NewsOne and First Independent stations later sanctioned for their pro-Russian stances. Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, she relocated...

September 30, 2024 - Europe -  Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party passed a sweeping legislative package titled “On Family Values and Protection of Minors”, adopting the bill through its third and final reading by a vote of 84–0. This package amends 18 existing laws—including the Freedom of Speech Act and broadcasting regulations—and explicitly bans media outlets from covering LGBTQ+ content. Under Article 8, broadcasters are prohibited from promoting “identification with a gender other than one’s biological sex or relationships between individuals of the same biological sex based on sexual orientation.” Violators face fines of 1,000 GEL...

September 30, 2024 - Burkina Faso/Russia/Ukraine -  Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has unveiled the operations of Italian national Vittorio Nicola Rangeloni, a self-proclaimed journalist who has spent nearly a decade amplifying Kremlin propaganda across conflict zones—from Russian-occupied Ukraine to Burkina Faso. RSF’s investigation reveals how Rangeloni’s work blurs the line between journalism and state-backed disinformation, positioning him as a key player in Moscow’s global information war. Rangeloni, a 32-year-old from Lecco, Italy, with partial Russian heritage, rose to prominence by producing media content in Eastern Ukraine that mirrored the Kremlin’s narrative. Fluent in Russian and...

September 30, 2024 - Haiti -  Widlore Mérancourt, editor-in-chief of Haiti’s investigative outlet AyiboPost, has been forced into hiding after receiving death threats for publishing a report revealing that Reuters journalists gave gifts to notorious Haitian gang leader Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier. Mérancourt’s September 18, 2024, article detailed how Cherizier showed off items—including balaclavas, alcohol, and cigarettes—that he claimed were provided by a Reuters reporter and photographer. The article sparked national attention and raised serious concerns about the ethics of foreign media reporting from crisis zones. Just a week after publication, Cherizier issued a chilling threat...

September 30, 2024 - Russia/Ukraine -  The International Press Institute (IPI) has revealed a coordinated campaign of mass spoofing targeting European news outlets, exposing a new and alarming tactic in Russia-linked disinformation efforts. Fake websites mimicking trusted media brands are being used to spread pro-Kremlin narratives while eroding public trust in journalism across the continent. According to IPI’s investigation, dozens of spoofed domains have been identified in recent months, including counterfeit versions of prominent outlets in Ukraine, France, Germany, and the Balkans. These sites replicate the design, logos, and even the URLs of legitimate news...

September 28, 2024 - Africa -  On the occasion of the International Day for Universal Access to Information, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its African affiliate, the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ), called on African governments to adopt and enforce meaningful access-to-information (ATI) laws. They emphasized that robust information access is not just a media issue—it’s a cornerstone of democratic governance, transparency, and accountability. In many African countries, journalists still struggle to obtain basic public data necessary for reporting. Weak or outdated ATI laws, bureaucratic red tape, and state secrecy all contribute to...

September 27, 2024 - China/Russia -  Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has reignited its digital resistance campaign, Operation Collateral Freedom, unblocking nearly 50 censored news websites in Russia and China. By creating mirror versions of independent media outlets hosted on major cloud services, RSF is helping millions reclaim access to journalism suppressed by authoritarian regimes. Launched in observance of the International Day for Universal Access to Information, the operation targets two of the world’s most heavily censored countries. In Russia, where the government has blocked or dismantled most independent outlets since the invasion of Ukraine, RSF...

September 27, 2024 - Russia/Ukraine -  The International Press Institute (IPI) has strongly condemned a campaign of defamation lawsuits filed by Ukrainian politician and lawyer Andriy Portnov against several independent media outlets and journalists. The organization warns that this strategy represents a dangerous attempt to silence critical reporting through legal harassment, posing a significant threat to press freedom in Ukraine. Portnov, a former deputy head of ex-President Viktor Yanukovych’s administration, began filing lawsuits in 2023 targeting journalists and outlets such as the Kyiv Independent, Hromadske, and the investigative unit Schemes. These lawsuits primarily object to...

September 27, 2024 - Brazil -  As Brazil prepares for its October 2024 municipal elections, a disturbing wave of digital hostility has engulfed the country’s press. According to a new report by the Coalition in Defense of Journalism (CDJor), with support from Reporters Without Borders (RSF), more than 37,000 online attacks were recorded against journalists in just six weeks—from August 15 to September 27. The majority of these attacks took place on X (formerly Twitter), which accounted for 90% of all incidents. Posts often included derogatory slurs like “trash,” “shame,” or “activist,” and painted journalists...

September 27, 2024 - General -  On the occasion of the International Day for Universal Access to Information, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) launched a global campaign titled “No to Secrets,” urging governments around the world to stop restricting access to public information. The campaign highlights the vital role of transparency in upholding democracy, combating corruption, and empowering citizens to hold their leaders accountable. In recent years, many governments have tightened controls over information, using national security, anti-terrorism laws, and state secrecy provisions to shield official documents and data from public view. These legal...

September 27, 2024 - Brazil -  In the month leading up to Brazil’s October 2024 municipal elections, journalists faced an unprecedented wave of online hostility. According to a report by the Coalition in Defense of Journalism (CDJor), more than 37,000 online attacks were recorded against journalists between August 15 and September 27—an alarming figure that underscores a growing crisis for press freedom in Brazil’s digital sphere. The majority of these attacks—nearly 90%—were launched on X (formerly Twitter), where journalists were systematically targeted with slurs, threats, and campaigns aimed at discrediting their work. Reporters Without Borders...

September 26, 2024 - General -  At the 2024 UNCOVERED Conference in Athens, the Investigative Journalism for Europe (IJ4EU) Impact Awards celebrated the power of cross-border collaboration in exposing injustice and holding the powerful to account. Three groundbreaking investigations were each awarded €5,000 for their significant public impact, innovative reporting methods, and international reach. One of the award-winning investigations, The Pylos Shipwreck: Reconstruction of a Catastrophe, meticulously uncovered the details of a 2023 migrant boat disaster off the Greek coast that claimed over 500 lives. Through forensic modeling, survivor interviews, and collaboration between outlets like...

September 26, 2024 - Armenia -  Armenia’s media landscape has made important strides since the 2018 Velvet Revolution, but a new analysis by the International Press Institute (IPI) reveals that press freedom remains on uncertain footing. Despite climbing to 34th in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, Armenia faces mounting challenges, including rising political polarization, waning public trust, and weak legal protections for journalists. One of the most pressing concerns is the growing perception that media outlets are politically biased. Many prominent news platforms are closely aligned either with the ruling Civil Contract Party or...

September 26, 2024 - Kyrgyzstan -  In a troubling escalation of media repression in Kyrgyzstan, prosecutors have demanded six-year prison sentences for 11 journalists associated with Temirov Live, a prominent independent investigative outlet. The charges against them—ranging from “calling for mass unrest” to “creating an organised criminal group”—follow a January 2024 raid on their homes and offices. The case centers on journalists, including current and former staff: Makhabat Tajibek kyzy, Aktilek Kaparov, Aike Beishekeyeva, and Azamat Ishenbekov, four of whom remain in detention, while others are under house arrest or travel bans. Prosecutors claim the group’s reports contained "indirect" incitement, even...

September 26, 2024 - Palestine -  Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has issued a stark warning: since October 7, over 130 journalists have been killed in Gaza—at least 32 while reporting—a number so high that RSF fears the enclave may soon be without frontline media workers. Across Gaza, press vests no longer offer protection; instead, they have become targets. On September 26, RSF coordinated flash protests in ten countries, protesting the relentless killings and demanding urgent safeguards for journalists and granting safe access for foreign press. Director-General Thibaut Bruttin underscored that the “massacre of journalists…threatens to...

September 26, 2024 - China -  In a stark signal of shrinking press freedoms in Hong Kong, two senior editors from the pro-democracy outlet Stand News—Chung Pui‑kuen and Patrick Lam—have been convicted under the colonial-era Sedition Ordinance. On 26 September 2024, a Hong Kong court sentenced Chung, the former editor-in-chief, to 21 months in prison, and Lam, who had served pretrial custody, received 11 months before time already served and health considerations led to his release. This marks the first use of the sedition law against media figures since the 1997 handover, escalating concerns about the city’s rapid...

September 25, 2024 - Pakistan/Kenya - Nearly two years after the fatal shooting of Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya, calls for justice have intensified. The UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression, Irene Khan, has urged both Kenyan and Pakistani authorities to ensure full accountability for what she described as an "unlawful killing" that demands an independent and transparent investigation. Arshad Sharif, a prominent investigative journalist and vocal critic of Pakistan’s military, was forced into exile in 2022 following threats and legal harassment in his home country. He was killed on October 23, 2022,...

September 25, 2024 - Lebanon -  Since the outbreak of war in Gaza in October 2023, Lebanon has become one of the deadliest places for journalists outside the Palestinian territories. According to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), at least nine journalists and media workers have been killed in Lebanon as a result of Israeli airstrikes and escalating cross-border violence. These fatalities highlight the growing dangers faced by reporters covering one of the region’s most volatile frontlines. Among the most recent victims was Kamel Karaki, a cameraman with Al-Majd News, who was killed on 24...