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Business Recorder
3 days ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
CPJ demands probe into murder of journalist
NEW YORK: Pakistani authorities must immediately investigate the May 24 killing of journalist Latif Baloch in Balochistan and ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said Tuesday. 'Pakistani authorities must immediately investigate the reasons behind Latif Baloch's killing and determine whether it was linked to his work as a journalist,' said Beh Lih Yi, CPJ's Asia regional director. 'Journalists in Pakistan face growing violence and intimidation from both state and non-state actors. The government must ensure the safety and freedom of journalists in Balochistan and across the country.' Baloch was affiliated with some major media outlets. Balochistan police Inspector General, Moazzam Jah Ansari, did not respond to CPJ's request for comment via messaging app.
Middle East Eye
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
British Jewish journalists call for Israel to allow media access to Gaza
Leading British Jewish journalists have signed a letter calling on Israel to allow foreign media access to the Gaza Strip. The letter, signed by ITV political editor Robert Peston and The News Agents hosts Emily Maitlis and Jon Sopel among others, also criticised Egypt's restrictions on access through the Rafah crossing. "We note that local media have done an extraordinary job reporting on events while themselves being displaced, hungry and at constant risk, but they should not carry this burden alone," reads the letter, printed in the trade magazine Press Gazette on Thursday. "As journalists and editors, who are also Jews, we see Israel's and Egypt's refusal to allow such access as unjustified and unjustifiable, and as an unacceptable restriction on our professional responsibility to inform readers, viewers and listeners accurately and impartially." Since the beginning of the war on Gaza in October 2023, Israel has prevented foreign media access to the enclave with the exception of a small number of heavily controlled and curated trips. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters More than 200 journalists have been killed over the course of the war, which the Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ) says has "killed more journalists over the course of a year than in any other conflict CPJ has documented". Rights groups and unions such as the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate have accused the Israeli army of pursuing a systematic policy of targeting journalists and their families. Ignore Starmer's theatrics. Gaza's trail of blood leads straight to his door Read More » Israel has repeatedly justified the exclusion of journalists from the Gaza Strip on the grounds that it is unsafe, a claim that has been dismissed by media outlets. "To suggest that the safety of journalists cannot be guaranteed is not a reason to deny access. International journalists are aware of the risks," read the Press Gazette letter. "These risks are for them to manage as they do all too frequently in conflict zones around the world. That is their job and that is their calling: to report from some of the most troubled places in the hope that humanity will not avert its eyes." On Thursday, the Palestinian health ministry confirmed that at least 16,503 children had been killed by Israeli attacks since the Israeli war on Gaza began on 7 October 2023. Among them were 916 infants under the age of one. In a statement, the ministry said the numbers "do not merely represent innocent lives lost" but reveal a "humanitarian catastrophe" and the "targeting of an entire generation". It called for global action, asking the international community, human rights groups, and aid agencies to "stop the aggression immediately" and hold Israeli occupation leaders accountable for crimes against civilians.
Business Recorder
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
CPJ slams blocking of journalist's YouTube channel
NEW YORK: Pakistani authorities must immediately restore access to exiled investigative journalist Ahmad Noorani's YouTube channel in Pakistan and stop law enforcement agencies harassing him and his family, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Friday. 'Blocking journalist Ahmad Noorani's YouTube channel and filing a criminal case against him is indicative of Pakistan's relentless campaign against exiled journalists,' said Beh Lih Yi, CPJ's Asia programme coordinator. 'It also appears that the journalist's family is being targeted back home in Pakistan. The brutal intimidation of journalists and their families must stop, and the Pakistan government must allow the media to report freely.' US-based Noorani told CPJ that he believed his brothers' forced disappearance was because of his March 17 investigative report, which said the military was misusing its influence over civilian institutions. CPJ's text message to Information Minister Attaullah Tarar requesting comment received no response.
Scoop
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Journalists Being Forgotten On The Frontline, Warns Injured War Reporter
16 May 2025 'I believe in nothing right now. Our press vests are turning us into targets and it's becoming a death sentence for us,' Christina Assi told UN News. On 13 October 2023, Ms. Assi - who was working as a photojournalist for Agence France Presse (AFP) - lost her right leg after two Israeli air strikes targeted the exposed hillside where she and other colleagues were observing the ongoing conflict between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants. This year's commemoration of World Press Freedom Day on 3 May provided a moment to reflect on the fact that more journalists were killed in 2024 than in any other year since the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) began collecting data more than three decades ago. At least 124 journalists and media workers were killed last year, nearly two-thirds of them Palestinians killed by Israel, the CPJ data shows. Ms. Assi stands among the few survivors, and she never imagined that she would be targeted simply for doing her job. The day of the attack She recounted the harrowing events of that day – one of her first major assignments, which quickly became the most traumatic experience of her life. 'It was starting to get dark and that's when we were about to leave and then suddenly, out of nowhere, we were targeted,' she said. 'The first time I was on the ground, I couldn't really understand what was happening, and I was screaming for help. So, my colleague Dylan rushed to help me and put a tourniquet on me. But then, like 40 to 47 seconds later, we were targeted again.' After the second strike, Ms. Assi found herself alone beside a burning car. Bleeding and gravely injured, she had no choice but to crawl away to save her life. 'My press vest was too heavy, and the camera belt was suffocating,' she recalled. In that moment, she began to lose faith in international laws and conventions. 'As journalists, we are left alone," she insisted. The silence of the international community For Ms. Assi, the international community's response to the attack - including condemnations and UN calls for investigation - has been utterly ineffective. 'I do believe that we need more than words. We need concrete action and something to happen where that should lead to justice in one way or another. If it's not now, then later,' she said. She strongly condemns the impunity with which attacks on journalists continue. 'Our cases are being dismissed as collateral damage when, in fact, they are not. These are war crimes, and there should be a real investigation.' The forgotten journalists of Gaza Ms. Assi also emphasized that the same impunity applies to Palestinian journalists in Gaza, who have been documenting the war there since day one. 'They've been silenced, targeted in every possible way. It's all over social media and in the news—and yet nothing has been done. No action has been taken to protect these journalists,' she said. She pointed out that the lack of international presence hasn't stopped the violence. 'It's clear how horrific everything is. But the world hasn't reacted the way it should have. No one has even tried to stop it.' Carrying the flame Nearly a year after losing her leg, Ms. Assi carried the Olympic torch in the French city of Vincennes, ahead of the Paris Games in July 2024. It was more than a symbolic gesture but a powerful opportunity to pay tribute to her colleague, Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah, who was killed in the same attack. 'It was a great opportunity for us to honour all the fallen journalists and let the world and the international community and the Europeans and all those who didn't know about what happened to us, let them know about what happened,' she said.
Express Tribune
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Press freedom under siege in Trump's first 100 days
In a nation long regarded as a global standard-bearer for free speech, the first hundred days of Donald Trump's second presidency have marked an ominous turning point for the American press. A new report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), 'Alarm Bells: Trump's First 100 Days Ramp Up Fear for the Press, Democracy', lays bare a landscape increasingly hostile to independent journalism, in which reporters are being sidelined, public broadcasters undermined, and regulatory agencies turned into tools of intimidation. For newsrooms across the country, the report paints a very grim picture. Media outlets and practitioners now face both overt pressure and subtler constraints—pressures that risk tipping into full-fledged self-censorship. Major networks including CBS, NBC, NPR and PBS have been subjected to federal scrutiny. Journalists covering issues central to the Trump White House agenda—immigration and national security—face intense scrutiny and the possibility of retribution for their reporting. 'It is concerning to see how quickly this administration has taken actions that limit journalists' First Amendment rights,' Katherine Jacobsen, CPJ's US, Canada, and Caribbean program coordinator, told the Express Tribune. 'We chose the title Alarm Bells because we believe it's vital—not just for journalists, but for the American public and the international community—to take stock of what's happening in the US and consider the potential consequences,' she added. That warning carries international weight. The United States has long been seen as the gold standard for press freedom—a democratic superpower with the First Amendment enshrined in its Constitution and a global reputation for protecting independent journalism. But as Jacobsen points out, when the US falters, others take note. 'The US—for better or worse—has long presented itself as a promoter of press freedom. So when the US falls short, it becomes much harder to advocate for press freedom abroad,' she said. 'The Trump administration's actions serve as a kind of permission structure for other leaders… It sets a tone globally, like it or not. And that's deeply troubling.' At home, the Trump administration has increasingly curated its media environment, bringing in right-leaning influencers and fringe bloggers to White House briefings—figures who often frame questions to elicit sympathetic responses and reinforce the president's political narrative. The result is a corrosive distortion of the press pool's traditional role. 'What Trump and his allies have done very effectively is tap into one particular media ecosystem in the US—not necessarily a journalistic one, but still a media space,' Jacobsen said. 'And that's really concerning. Because journalism is fundamentally about holding power accountable. If the people in that space aren't asking hard or meaningful questions, it disrupts the flow of information,' she added. The CPJ report suggests the chilling effect is already taking hold. Some newsrooms, hoping to avoid the fate of the Associated Press—which faced exclusion and regulatory scrutiny—have begun 'quietly bending' to White House preferences. Asked how she distinguishes between cautious strategy and institutional self-censorship, Jacobsen acknowledged the nuance—but flagged the danger. 'When someone less traditional is in power—someone with unconventional methods, which Trump himself often touts—people look to journalists to help them make sense of what's happening,' she said. 'That's a core role of journalism, and it becomes even more important in uncertain times. People pay closer attention when they feel something is shifting.' But the shift now seems tectonic. Public funding for outlets like NPR and PBS is under threat. International broadcasters such as Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty—once key instruments of US soft power—have been silenced. Meanwhile, support for independent media overseas, once backed by the US Agency for International Development and other federal channels, has been quietly slashed, leaving fledgling democracies and authoritarian regimes with fewer avenues to access credible reporting. In parallel, threats to journalist safety have surged. The New York-based media watchdog reports a marked increase in requests from American newsrooms for hostile-environment training and legal support—measures more commonly associated with reporters operating in conflict zones or under autocratic regimes. The language employed by the White House—branding the press as 'the enemy of the people'—has not only normalised public contempt but, in some cases, incited violence. Some experts have even described the Trump administration's tactics as 'Nixon on steroids,' referencing former President Richard Nixon's well-documented contempt for the press. The concern, Jacobsen cautioned, is that the current climate might not be temporary. It could calcify into a generational redefinition of journalism's role and remit. 'This isn't just an American problem,' the CPJ report concludes. 'The White House's posture toward the press sets an example for the world.'
