News

February 17, 2026 - Syria/Turkey - Two journalists, including a Turkish freelance reporter and a Syrian state news correspondent, were wounded on 17 February 2026 when a landmine exploded during a Syrian army demining operation in the countryside of Latakia province. Authorities and news outlets say the blast occurred while journalists were covering engineering units clearing unexploded ordnance left from years of conflict. Among those injured was Şevket Akça, a freelance correspondent with Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, who sustained head wounds from shrapnel and debris. Alongside him, Hasan Hashim, a reporter for the Syrian Arab News...

February 17, 2026 - Belgium - Media and labour unions in Belgium have successfully challenged and achieved the annulment of a controversial law that would have criminalised the leaking of state secrets to journalists, a major victory for press freedom and protections for whistleblowers. The decision, announced in mid-February 2026, follows sustained legal and civic advocacy that argued the law posed serious threats to investigative journalism and public accountability. The law in question would have imposed criminal penalties on individuals — including public officials, contract workers, and private citizens — who disclosed classified information to...

February 17, 2026 - Syria - The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has called for immediate and concrete action to improve safety for media workers in Syria, warning that journalists covering the prolonged conflict continue to face grave risks — including threats to their lives, freedom, and basic human rights. The appeal, issued in early February 2026, urges Syrian authorities and all parties to the conflict to recognise journalist protection as a national priority and uphold international norms safeguarding press freedom. In its press release, the IFJ highlighted a pattern of violence, intimidation, and harassment...

February 17, 2026 - Bolivia - A journalist in El Alto, Bolivia’s second-largest city, suffered a violent attack on February 15, 2026, after reporting on regional electoral campaigning, prompting national outcry and government condemnation. The incident has drawn sharp criticism from press organisations and highlighted ongoing dangers faced by media workers in the country’s contested political environment. According to official statements, the reporter was returning home from covering a campaign event in a neighbourhood of El Alto when he was seized by unidentified individuals. His attackers reportedly assaulted him physically, threatening his life, and inflicting...

February 17, 2026 - USA - A significantly disproportionate number of journalists of color were affected during recent layoffs at The Washington Post, according to internal data released by The Washington Post Guild. The cuts, announced on February 4, 2026, deeply reduced newsroom staff and have raised serious concerns about equity and representation within one of the United States’ leading news organisations. Guild statistics show that more than one-third of the workforce received layoff notices, but the impact was uneven across racial and ethnic groups. Roughly half of union members identifying as Hispanic or Latino...

February 16, 2026 - China - A Chinese investigative journalist who had been detained after publishing a report alleging corruption by a Chinese Communist Party official has been released on bail, local and regional outlets reported on 14 February 2026. The temporary release comes amid ongoing scrutiny of Beijing’s handling of cases involving journalists who report on sensitive political or official misconduct. The journalist, whose identity has been reported domestically as Liang Wei (name transliterated based on media accounts), was detained by police after publishing an investigation alleging misuse of funds and corrupt practices by...

February 16, 2026 - Iran - Iranian authorities have detained journalist Kianoush Darvishi, summoning him to appear before the prosecutor’s office before placing him into Tehran's Greater Prison, according to sources familiar with the case. Darvishi’s arrest on February 16, 2026, is linked to comments and reports he shared on the social platform X that drew the attention of Iran’s cyber police. Darvishi, who had publicly disclosed on X earlier in February that Iran’s cyber police had contacted him over his online posts, was subsequently summoned and taken into custody. The journalist also stated that...

February 16, 2026 - France/Algeria - French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez travelled to Algeria this week in a high-profile diplomatic mission aimed at easing bilateral tensions between Paris and Algiers, even as concerns persist over the detention of a French journalist held in Algeria. The visit on 16 February 2026 underscores Paris’s efforts to stabilise relations with a key North African partner amid geopolitical and security cooperation priorities. Nunez’s visit focuses on security collaboration, including demining operations connected to unexploded ordnance from past conflicts. French and Algerian officials have expressed mutual interest in expanding joint...

February 16, 2026 - Russia - Russian authorities have sentenced journalist Aleksei Kotrikadze and businessman Evgeny Chichvarkin in absentia to nine years’ imprisonment on charges related to publishing what the state deems “false information” about the Russian armed forces, according to multiple Russian media reports on 16 February 2026. The rulings highlight Moscow’s tightened legal crackdown on critical reporting and perceived misinformation about the conflict in Ukraine. According to The Moscow Times and Russian state outlet Izvestia, the military-related “fakes” law — enacted in 2022 shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine — was cited...

February 16, 2026 - General - NBA star Kyrie Irving drew international attention during the 2026 NBA All-Star Game by wearing a specially designed T-shirt labeled “PRESS” as he took the court, symbolically honoring journalists who have been killed while reporting on the conflict in Gaza. The gesture was widely covered by global media and sparked conversation about the risks facing journalists in conflict zones and the role of athletes in political expression. Irving, a guard for the Dallas Mavericks and one of the league’s most prominent players, wore the T-shirt before tip-off of the...

February 16, 2026 - Philippines - A Philippine court has denied bail to journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio, meaning she will remain in detention as her legal case proceeds, press freedom advocates and local media reported on 15 February 2026. The ruling comes more than six years after Cumpio was first arrested and charged in connection with allegations of terror financing, charges that rights groups say are widely used to suppress critical journalism and dissent. Cumpio, an editor and reporter in Tacloban City, has been in detention since 2019 after authorities accused her of involvement in...

February 15, 2026 - Italy - Israeli authorities barred entry to Italian journalist Lorenzo Tondo, a veteran reporter for The Guardian, at Ben-Gurion Airport on February 11-12, 2026, after he arrived to cover developments related to the Israel-Gaza conflict. Israeli officials denied him a visa on the spot, citing what they described as his “one-sided and hostile” reporting on Israel’s military operations and policies. The decision was formally communicated by Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which stated that Tondo’s previous articles reflected bias and did not meet the country’s standards for balanced journalism. Authorities did...

February 15, 2026 - Ethiopia - Ethiopian authorities have revoked the accreditation of three Reuters journalists based in Addis Ababa and canceled the news agency’s credentials to cover the 39th African Union summit scheduled in the Ethiopian capital. The Ethiopian Media Authority (EMA) declined to renew its accreditation and withdrew summit access days after Reuters published an investigative report on February 10 alleging that Ethiopia hosted a secret training camp for fighters of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group involved in Sudan’s civil war. Ethiopia has not officially explained its decision, but government...

February 15, 2026 - USA - Salvadoran journalist Mario Guevara — a Spanish-language reporter who lived and worked in the Atlanta area for more than two decades — was deported from the United States in October 2025 after spending over **100 days in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. His case drew sustained criticism from press freedom advocates and civil liberties organisations. Guevara, originally from El Salvador, was arrested by local police on 14 June 2025 while covering a “No Kings Day” protest in DeKalb County, a demonstration against federal immigration enforcement actions. Video from the...

February 15, 2026 - General - An official inquiry has concluded that Labour Together — a think tank closely linked to UK Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer — commissioned an external public relations firm to research journalists who reported critically on Starmer and the party, prompting accusations of undue influence and threats to press freedom. The findings, published on 15 February 2026, have sparked debate about political engagement with media and the appropriate boundaries for party-aligned organisations. According to the inquiry reports and parliamentary coverage, Labour Together paid a PR firm to compile dossiers on...

February 15, 2026 - Palestine - Israeli occupation forces have detained Palestinian journalist Nisreen Salem while she was reporting in East Jerusalem, in an arrest that rights advocates say reflects continuing constraints on press freedom in the occupied city and broader Palestinian territories. The arrest was reported on 15 February 2026 by local news agencies monitoring developments in the region. According to Saba news agency, Salem was taken into custody on Al-Zahra Street by Israeli forces, who also delivered demolition notices in nearby Bedouin communities as part of ongoing eviction and demolition policies across East...

February 14, 2026 - China - Chinese authorities have detained several journalists following the publication of an investigative report exposing alleged corruption and misconduct by a senior official of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), U.S. public broadcasters reported on 14 February 2026. The detentions add to a pattern of repression against independent reporting and investigative journalism in China, where authorities strictly control media narratives and suppress dissenting voices. The journalists were working for an independent Chinese news outlet when they released the investigation, which reportedly detailed financial irregularities and abuse of power by a high-level...

February 14, 2026 - UK - Israeli media professionals have expressed alarm over the potential impact on press freedom following news that UK billionaire Len Blavatnik’s Access Industries is preparing to sell its stake in Channel 13, one of Israel’s major commercial television networks. Journalists and press freedom advocates say the deal could further concentrate media ownership and weaken editorial independence at a time of intense political and social debate within the country. Reports emerged in mid-February 2026 that Access Industries, which has held a controlling interest in Channel 13 since the network’s launch following...

February 14, 2026 - India -  A journalist covering local news in Siwan district, Bihar, was shot and critically injured by unidentified assailants in what authorities are treating as a targeted attack, police and multiple Indian media outlets reported on 13 February 2026. The incident has raised serious concerns about the safety of media workers in the region and prompted a police investigation. The journalist, identified by local reports as Rahul Kumar, was shot near Siwan city’s Gauri Ganj area in the late afternoon when attackers opened fire as he was returning from an assignment....

February 14, 2026 - Palestine - Israeli authorities have detained a Palestinian journalist who witnessed the killing of Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh, prompting international concern over press freedom and the treatment of witnesses to violence against journalists. The detention has drawn sharp criticism from local and international rights advocates, who say the arrest exemplifies broader patterns of repression against media workers covering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The journalist, Wael al-Dahdouh, a long-time Gaza correspondent and colleague of Abu Akleh, was reportedly arrested while reporting in the West Bank several days after marking the second...

February 13, 2026 - Palestine - Journalists covering an illegal settler attack in Talfit, south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, were shot at by Israeli forces while reporting on the escalating violence. The incident occurred on Friday, February 13, 2026, as the crew from Al Jazeera documented attacks by armed settlers on Palestinian residents. Al Jazeera correspondent Tharwat Shaqra said in a live broadcast that Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition directly toward the team, even though the journalists were in a clearly visible, open area and had not been asked to leave. A...

February 13, 2026 - Guatemala - A Guatemalan judge has ordered the release of veteran journalist José Rubén Zamora from prison and his return to house arrest, a development that press freedom advocates have welcomed amid ongoing legal battles over charges widely decried as politically motivated. Zamora — founder of the independent newspaper El Periódico — had been jailed since August 2023 on charges that include money laundering, tax fraud, and money smuggling, allegations his supporters say are an effort to quell critical reporting on corruption and government misconduct. On 12 February 2026, a Guatemalan...

February 13, 2026 - General - The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) have jointly nominated Philippine journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio for the prestigious UNESCO Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize, highlighting her commitment to independent reporting amid threats and detention. The nomination was announced in early February 2026 as part of UNESCO’s annual recognition of individuals or organisations that have made outstanding contributions to press freedom. Cumpio, a correspondent for independent outlets in the Philippines, has been a vocal reporter on issues including local governance, human rights violations, and abuses...

February 13, 2026 - General - Surfshark, a global virtual private network (VPN) provider, has partnered with international media development organisation Internews to expand digital security protections for journalists, activists, and human rights defenders worldwide, industry observers reported this week. The collaboration will offer free access to Surfshark’s secure VPN services to eligible media professionals as part of broader efforts to counter digital surveillance and strengthen online safety for independent reporting. The initiative aims to address rising concerns over digital threats facing journalists, particularly those working in high-risk environments or covering sensitive topics such as...

February 13, 2026 - USA - Journalist Don Lemon, a former CNN anchor now working independently, has pleaded not guilty to federal civil rights charges in connection with his presence at a protest that disrupted a church service in St. Paul, Minnesota, authorities and multiple news outlets reported on 13 February 2026. The arraignment marks a key turning point in the unfolding legal case that has drawn national attention to questions of press freedom and protest law enforcement. Lemon appeared in U.S. District Court in St. Paul to enter his plea, where he was joined...