World Newspaper Congress opens with call for press freedom

Jacob Mathew, President of WAN-IFRA, opened the 65th World Newspaper Congress, 20th Word Editors Forum and 23rd World Advertising Forum by praising media liberalisation in Myanmar and by calling for greater press freedom in Thailand.

Video: UNESCO on Safety of Journalists

In this video, Etienne Clément, Deputy Director UNESCO Bangkok, explains the role of UNESCO in the drive for press freedom.

New challenges, familiar threats

The 2013 Press Freedom Roundtable

Is press freedom a reality or just naïve idealism? This was the opening statement from the 2013 Press Freedom Roundtable, where experts from four continents gathered before a packed room to air their views on the critical issues facing freedom of expression worldwide.

Press Freedom Takes Centre Stage at WAN-IFRA Board

The Board of WAN-IFRA has issued press freedom resolutions concerning the United Kingdom, China, Myanmar, Africa, and Argentina.

Journalists in Myanmar Finally Get Their Awards

Thirteen years after being named as Golden Pen of Freedom laureates, Myanmar journalists San San Nweh and U Win Tin finally get their awards.

Newsroom safety in Mexico: reporting on violence while seeking to avoid retribution

Javier Garza Ramos is deputy editorial director of El Siglo de Torreón and is newsroom safety advisor to the World Editors Forum. As he explains below, his paper suffers from frequent attacks on its premises and its journalists are under constant threat of kidnapping.

He will speak at the World Editors Forum in Bangkok next week on newsroom protocols to protect staff.

Justice Department target Fox News reporter in North Korea leak case

Just a week after the AP/Department of Justice affair, the White House has become involved in a second potential scandal involving the alleged surveillance of Fox News journalist, James Rosen, as part of an inquest into a leak of classified information regarding North Korean nuclear test plans in 2009.

Kenyan elections: Uchaguzi revolutionises crowdsourcing

Launched just before the Kenyan general election of 2013, new online platform Uchaguzi gave Kenyan internet users the unique opportunity to report on violence and other disturbances unfolding as members of the public cast their votes. It is hoped that this latest development of iHub will continue facilitating a form of citizen journalism that will lead to calmer, more transparent elections in the future.

The New Yorker launches ‘Strongbox’ to protect privacy of sources

On Wednesday (15 May), The New Yorker launched ‘Strongbox’, a new way to share information with the magazine’s writers and editors that provides “a greater degree of anonymity and security than afforded by conventional e-mail.” The formation of this anonymous information-sharing platform means that members of the public need not hesitate about sharing sensitive information, given that their identities will remain protected from magazine staff.

AP: US Justice Department secretly accessed phone records

The US Justice Department is being accused of carrying out “a serious interference with AP’s constitutional rights to gather and report news” by secretly obtaining two months’ worth of telephone records of the Associated Press’ reporters and editors. As some are seeing it, that infringes on the news cooperative’s rights to maintain the confidentiality of their sources and newsgathering operations.