Press Freedom

World Watch

Afghan Media Fear Losing Freedom in Taliban Peace Talks
00:02:21
Press Freedom
Afghan Media Fear Losing Freedom in Taliban Peace Talks
Journalists covering peace talks in Doha say they are concerned protections for press may be lost as Afghanistan negotiates with Taliban
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By Samsama Sirat
Sat, 09/19/2020 - 07:26 PM
USAGM CEO Nominee Michael Pack confirmation hearing, Sept. 19, 2019.
Press Freedom
House Committee Issues Subpoena for USAGM CEO
House Foreign Affairs Committee issues a subpoena to Michael Pack after the USAGM chief executive cancels scheduled hearing
Jessica Jerreat
By Jessica Jerreat
Fri, 09/18/2020 - 08:31 PM
Nicaraguan Government Threatens to Close Independent TV Station
Press Freedom
Asset Freeze Threatens to Silence Independent Nicaraguan Broadcaster
Journalist at Canal 12 describes order by Managua court to seize broadcast facilities and freeze company assets in tax case as ‘politically motivated’
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By Houston Castillo Vado
Fri, 09/18/2020 - 04:17 PM
Shadows of Ugandan police officers and members of Local Defence Units (LDU), a paramilitary force composed of civilians, are…
Africa
Lawyer: Ugandan Writer Arrested for Second Time This Year
The move was prompted by an unpublished manuscript that details the writer's arrest, detention and alleged torture in April by military personnel, according to his lawyer
Halima Athumani
By Halima Athumani
Fri, 09/18/2020 - 11:52 AM
Nicaraguan Government Threatens to Close Independent TV Station
00:02:15
The Americas
Nicaraguan Government Threatens to Close Independent TV Station
Country’s Justice Department threatens to seize $350,000 it says Canal 12 owes in taxes
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By Donaldo Hernandez
Fri, 09/18/2020 - 09:51 AM
Malawi Capital Radio presenter Madalitso Phiri hosts a panel discussion with studio guests. Malawi media houses say implemention of the Access to Information Law will make news-gathering much easier. (Lameck Masina/VOA)
Africa
Malawi Sweeps Access to Information Law Into Effect
Malawi’s government rolls out law four years after it was passed by the country’s parliament
Lameck Masina
By Lameck Masina
Sat, 09/12/2020 - 01:14 PM
Bilal Farooqi is seen in an undated photo from his Twitter (@bilalfqi).
Press Freedom
Pakistani Police Release Journalist Accused of Spreading Hateful Content Against Army
Reporter Bilal Farooqi freed under court order reprimanding police for overstepping mandate
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By RFE/RL
Sat, 09/12/2020 - 10:45 AM
FILE - A man holding a smartphone walks past the headquarters of the Chinese Communist Party newspaper People's Daily, in Beijing, China, Oct. 6, 2018.  
Press Freedom
China, US Trade Barbs After Paper Refuses to Carry Envoy's Op-Ed
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticizes official newspaper of China's ruling Communist Party for not publishing an opinion piece by the US ambassador
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By Reuters
Thu, 09/10/2020 - 03:10 PM
Three of the Turkish journalists sentenced Sept. 9, 2020, work for the pro-Kurdish Yeni Yasam daily.
Press Freedom
Turkish Reporters Convicted in State Secrets Trial Are Released Pending Appeals
Six journalists faced up to 20 years in prison on charges of exposing state secrets and violating the Turkish Intelligence Agency law
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By Agence France-Presse
Wed, 09/09/2020 - 06:41 PM
Warsaw-based Belarusian blogger Stsiapan Putsila, known under the pseudonym NEXTA, is seen during an interview with Reuters, in Warsaw, Poland, August 28, 2020.
Press Freedom
Polish-Based Blogger Becomes Driving Force in Belarusian Protests
Nexta, created by a Belarusian, has grown in popularity, first and foremost among Belarusians seeking uncensored information in country where the state-run media usually serve only as mouthpiece for government
RFE/RL logo
By RFE/RL
Wed, 09/09/2020 - 01:43 AM
Stacks of South Sudanese newspapers sit on shelves in the office of the Association for Media Development in South Sudan (AMDISS) in Juba, a day after The Citizen media group was ordered by government officials to shut down.
South Sudan in Focus
Journalists' Union Urges South Sudan Security to Free Reporter
A South Sudan journalists union urges the government to release a journalist who has not been seen since early last week, after he contacted a rebel group spokesperson for balance on a story
David Mono Danga 
By David Mono Danga 
Tue, 09/08/2020 - 06:46 PM
Australian Broadcasting Corp. journalist Bill Birtles walks into a hotel for quarantine in Sydney, Australia, Sept. 8.
East Asia Pacific
Australian Journalists Rushed Out of China as Diplomatic Tensions Rise
Relations between Australia and China have deteriorated sharply over the past two years
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By Phil Mercer
Mon, 09/07/2020 - 11:19 PM
People walk in front of the Bole International Airport, in Addis Ababa, on March 17, 2020. (Photo by EDUARDO SOTERAS / AFP)
Press Freedom
Journalists Say They Were Barred from Traveling to Cover Ethiopian Regional Election
At least four journalists stopped by security forces at Bole International Airport and interrogated about their plans to cover regional elections in Tigray 
Esha Sarai
By Esha Sarai
Mon, 09/07/2020 - 12:53 PM
Hatice Cengiz, the fiancee of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Kashoggi, leaves a court in Istanbul, Friday, July 3, 2020, where…
Middle East
Eight Sentenced to Prison in Khashoggi Death
Saudi Arabia sentenced unnamed defendants to between seven and twenty years in prison for the 2018 murder of the Washington Post columnist
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By VOA News
Mon, 09/07/2020 - 10:54 AM
High school students flash the three-fingered salute, symbol of resistance, during a protest rally in Bangkok, Thailand, Sept. 5, 2020.
East Asia Pacific
Thailand's Conservative Government Grapples with Royal Reckoning
Thailand’s largely decentralized protest movement and evolving internet landscape will make it tough for conservative government to mute mounting calls to rein in powerful monarchy, observers say
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By Zsombor Peter
Mon, 09/07/2020 - 09:47 AM
Thumbnail image for COVID-19: The Hit on Press Freedom
Press Freedom
COVID-19: The Hit on Press Freedom
As countries move to control information about the pandemic, independent media and journalists face censorship and threats.

About this page

Voice of America is committed to press freedom around the world. Many VOA journalists work in countries that restrain free speech and independent journalism. In those countries, local journalists and news media often face threats or other repercussions yet succeed in delivering news and vital information. This page strives to tell their stories. 

 

Jailed journalists around the world (CPJ)