Journalism: United States added to list of most dangerous countries for journalists for first time

The murder of the Saudi columnist Jamal Khashoggi — in a year when more than half of all journalists who were killed around the world were targeted deliberately — reflects a hatred of the media in many areas of society, a free-press advocacy group said Tuesday.

At least 63 professional journalists were killed doing their jobs in 2018, a 15 percent increase over last year, said the group, Reporters Without Borders. The number of deaths rises to 80 when all media workers and people classified as citizen journalists are included, it said in its annual report.

The world's five deadliest countries for journalists include three — India, Mexico and, for the first time, the United States — where journalists were killed in cold blood, even though those countries weren't at war or in conflict, the group said.

"The hatred of journalists that is voiced ... by unscrupulous politicians, religious leaders and businessmen has tragic consequences on the ground, and has been reflected in this disturbing increase in violations against journalists," Secretary-General Christophe Deloire said in a statement.

Read more at: United States added to list of most dangerous countries for journalists for first time

Journalism Awards: Reporters Without Borders honors journalists who fear for their lives

Three female journalists, from Malta, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam have received this year's press freedom prizes awarded by the NGO Reporters Without Borders. Two were not allowed to travel to collect their award.

Only Caroline Muscat was able to appear in person to collect her "Prize for Independence." Vietnamese blogger Pham Doan Trang, who won the "Prize for Impact," and Saudi Arabian women's rights activist Eman al-Nafjan, winner of the "Prize for Courage," both remain barred from leaving their countries, their websites blocked, and under constant threat of detention and harassment.

Read more at: Reporters Without Borders honors journalists who fear for their lives | News | DW | 12.09.2019

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Freedom of Expression: Media Terror: Press Freedom in Turkey, Mexico and Russia -

Turkey is ranked 151st out of 180 on press freedom as of 2016, according to the Reporters Without Borders’ annual Press Freedom Index.
2. That makes it the third-worst performer among the G-20 nations, after China and Saudi Arabia (165th).
3. As recently as 2006, Turkey ranked in the top 100 nations in terms of press freedom.
4. Turkey’s ranking has fallen in recent years because of increasing political pressure on journalists and the return of war at home and abroad.
5. The government also vigorously prosecutes alleged “insults” against top officials and seizes control of newspapers that it accuses of “terrorist” support.
6. Mexico ranks the next-worst (149th) in the G-20 after Turkey – and is the most dangerous country in the Western hemisphere for journalists.
7. Mexican drug gangs have used brutal tactics to intimidate the journalists reporting on their activities. Scores of journalists have been openly murdered.
8. Mexico in 2016 ranks next to Russia (148th), which makes the latter the fifth-worst performer among the G-20 nations.
9. Since Vladimir Putin’s return to the presidency in 2012, the repression and consolidation of the media in Russia have been stepped up.
10. Russia also stands out because of its systematic failure to punish, or even pursue, those who have attacked or murdered journalists.

Read more: Media Terror: Press Freedom in Turkey, Mexico and Russia - The Globalist

Europe's sun rises from Istanbul, Turkish EU minister says - "not so sure" says CPJ and Reporters Without Borders

The sun rises for Europe in Istanbul, Turkish EU Affairs Minister Egemen Bağış said today, addressing the audience at an Erasmus student exchange program meeting in the city.

"A European Union without Turkey is a poor, plain and simple one," Bağış said.

"The sun of Europe rises from Istanbul every morning nowadays," he added, in an indirect reference to the current economic problems of the union.

The minister was speaking at the debut meeting of a project to unite the millions of one-time Erasmus students across the continent, the "Garagerasmus."

Note EU-Digest: Given some of the facts that are available Turkey certainly is not meeting EU standards when it comes to 'freedom of the press'. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) recently reported that Turkey jailed the most journalists in 2012 - ahead of Iran and China. Based on the latest figures there are now some 76 journalists in prison, at least 61 in direct relation to their work. The evidence against the other 15 journalists was less clear

Turkey recently also ranked 154th out of 179 countries - behind Iraq, Afghanistan, and Russia - in the 2013 World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders. The group also called Turkey "the world's biggest prison for journalists". Article 301 of the Turkish penal code makes "insulting Turkishness" a criminal offense, though what this law really means, or how it is applied, remains subjective at best.

Read more: POLITICS - Europe's sun rises from Istanbul, Turkish EU minister says

Human Rights - Freedom of Expression: A Deadly Year For Press Freedom

A new report by Reporters Without Borders reveals the bleak dangers that journalists are faced with in their daily work. With 141 people killed, 2012 has been one of the worst years for press freedom in a long time.

"2012 was an extremely deadly year," says Ulrike Gruska of Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The organization's just-published annual report shows a total of 141 journalists, bloggers and media workers were killed because of their work. Of these, six were media employees and 47 were bloggers - the report describes these as "citizen journalists." In addition, 88 professional journalists were killed in the course of their duties - more than at any time since the introduction of the RSF annual reports in 1995.

2012 was particularly dangerous for citizen journalists, bloggers and Internet reporters. Five died in 2011 - but in 2012 there were 47 deaths around the world, 44 in Syria alone. "In Syria, many people have tried to break through the regime's information blockade," Gruska said, "by getting information out of the country, whether in the form of blogs and video messages or mobile phone videos. And we had to rely on this heavily in our Syria coverage in Germany because there were hardly any professional journalists on the ground."

Reporters Without Borders also counts Brazil among the most dangerous countries - even though it is the venue for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the Summer Olympic Games in 2016. Five reporters have died here - two were apparently murdered because they were researching cases of drug smuggling.

At present, 193 journalists are in prisons worldwide, 70 in Turkey (an EU member candidate)  alone. In the case of 42 of them, RSF is sure that there is a connection with their profession. China also imprisons professional and citizen journalists - at present there are about 100 behind bars, most of whom have been there for many years are are living in inhumane conditions. Often corrupt regional officials are behind the judgments, to get rid of their harshest critics.


Read more: A deadly year for press freedom | World | DW.DE | 19.12.2012