Dear Fellow South African,
We live in a country where not just journalists but any member of the public is able to freely articulate their views, their opinions, and indeed their dissatisfaction without fear of retribution.
As we conclude Freedom Month, we recall how far we have come from the days where social protest by artists attracted banning orders, and critical reporting by journalists risked imprisonment or the closure of publications.
Last week, the organisation Reporters without Borders published the 2021 World Press Freedom Index, a barometer of the state of media freedom across the globe.
Overall, it was found that there has been a decline in public access to information and an increase in obstacles to news coverage in a number of countries.
Myanmar is rapidly becoming one of the most dangerous places on earth to be a journalist. Dozens of journalists are behind bars and many haven t been heard from since their disappearance. CNN s Paula Hancocks speaks to some of the journalists in hiding.
Journalist Ye Wint Thu was already on the run when his name and photo appeared on a wanted list broadcast by Myanmar’s military junta.
For weeks, he had been documenting protests in Yangon against the military coup. But in early March, after a colleague was violently arrested in the south of the country, and the junta revoked the licenses of five prominent media organizations, his included, he got word that he should go into hiding.
President Duterte has vowed to protect press freedom but also appealed to media practitioners to uphold truth, fairness, accuracy, and transparency.
President Rodrigo Duterte (Malacañang)
On the observance of World Press Freedom Day Monday, May 3, the President recognized the vital role of a "
They are hunted and in hiding but Myanmar’s journalists continue to report the truth
Journalist Ye Wint Thu was already on the run when his name and photo appeared on a wanted list broadcast by Myanmar’s military junta.
For weeks, he had been documenting protests in Yangon against the military coup. But in early March, after a colleague was violently arrested in the south of the country, and the junta revoked the licenses of five prominent media organizations, his included, he got word that he should go into hiding.
“I got a call from my source saying I should run right now because they are going to arrest you tonight,” said Ye Wint Thu, who is in his late 30s.
It Isn t Just Modi. India’s Compliant Media Must Also Take Responsibility for the COVID-19 Crisis
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India Goes Into 21 Day Lockdown Due To Coronavirus COVID 19
A man with his face covered, reads the newspaper on day twelve of the 21-day nationwide lockdown to check the spread of coronavirus, at Azadpur Mandi, on April 5, 2020 in New Delhi, India. Credit - Sanchit Khanna/Hindustan Times via Getty Images
As India’s COVID-19 second wave began to surge last month, the country’s largest-selling newspaper, the Hindi-language
Dainik Bhaskar, splashed its Apr. 15 front page with a night-time shot of a crematorium in the city of Bhopal, dotted with the ghoulish orange glow of pyres. The banner headline declared, “The government’s data are fake, the pyres tell the truth.”