News

September 16, 2025 - USA Local journalism in Pennsylvania is at a crossroads a moment that demands attention, support, and action. In a recent reflection, The Spotlight PA-LebTown collaboration outlines how independent, non-partisan journalism is crucial for government accountability, truth, and democracy. They warn that without sufficient resources, journalism that holds power to account risks disappearing. Spotlight PA, founded in 2019, has already shown the impact non-profit investigative reporting can have: saving taxpayers more than $20 million, prompting 36 policy changes at local, state, or federal levels, driving 14 new laws, and securing 8 legal...

September 16, 2025 – Lebanon - Lebanese and international rights organisations are urging Lebanon’s parliament to ensure that a draft media law being debated preserves, rather than erodes, freedom of expression. The discussions, held by the parliamentary Administration and Justice Committee, involve amendments that rights groups say risk undermining key protections for journalists, public critics, and media outlets. Currently, fourteen groups including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders, and the Committee to Protect Journalists have submitted a joint appeal to lawmakers. They demand that the draft law decriminalize defamation, blasphemy, insult, and criticism...

September 16, 2025 – Belarus/Poland/Lithuania/USA - In a significant diplomatic move, Belarus has released 52 political prisoners, among them three Polish nationals and eight journalists affiliated with Belsat TV. The release comes amid continued international pressure and calls for justice for those imprisoned under the regime of President Alexander Lukashenko. The group released includes Belarusian journalists who had been detained as political prisoners, many accused of discrediting the government or participating in activities deemed “extremist” by authorities. Polish citizens were also among those imprisoned, marking another layer of international concern and involvement in their cases....

September 16, 2025 - Nigeria -  The Acting Governor of Oyo State, Adebayo Lawal, paid a condolence visit to the family of slain journalist Ojo Peter in Ibadan, promising government support and solidarity during their time of grief. The visit followed widespread outrage over Peter’s death, which reportedly occurred after he was attacked by suspected armed robbers. Lawal described the tragedy as a painful loss, noting that Peter was a promising professional who died “at his prime.” At the family’s residence in Apata, the acting governor expressed heartfelt sympathy to Peter’s wife, children, and relatives....

September 16, 2025 - USA -  Former U.S. President Donald Trump has filed a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times and Penguin Random House, claiming both organizations deliberately sought to damage his reputation through a book and several articles. The case, lodged in federal court in Florida on September 16, 2025, is one of Trump’s most aggressive legal actions against the media. At the center of the lawsuit is a book published by Penguin Random House and authored by Times reporters, titled Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and...

September 16, 2025 - General -  At the Vatican on September 15, 2025, Pope Leo XIV and Diane Foley, mother of slain American journalist James Foley, gathered with the faithful in a vigil of remembrance and healing. The event honored Foley’s life and work, while focusing on the power of forgiveness in the face of unimaginable loss. Foley, who was abducted in Syria in 2012 and brutally murdered by the Islamic State in 2014, has since become a symbol of both the dangers journalists face and the resilience of those who carry their memory forward....

September 15, 2025 – Belarus/Lithuania/United States - Ihar Losik, a 33-year-old Catholic journalist, has been freed after enduring more than five years in a Belarusian prison. His case, emblematic of the repression faced by journalists under President Alexander Lukashenko, drew international attention for its mix of political persecution, religious discrimination, and human rights violations. Losik, a contributor to Radio Svoboda, the Belarusian branch of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, was arrested in June 2020 as authorities cracked down on dissent before the disputed presidential election. He was accused of “incitement” and “preparing to participate in riots,”...

September 15, 2025 – Africa/Palestine The Federation of African Journalists (FAJ), part of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), has issued a strong statement condemning what it calls the heightened and relentless deadly attacks on journalists and media workers in Gaza. With at least 221 Palestinian journalists and media workers killed so far, the organisation demands that governments and international bodies act now to stop what it views as a systematic violation of press freedom. In their declaration, FAJ mourns the deaths of colleagues and recognises the profound trauma carried by those who remain, many...

September 15, 2025 - Palestine -  Mohammad al-Kuwaifi, a Palestinian journalist, was killed on Monday following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, marking yet another devastating loss for the press corps in the besieged enclave. According to medical and media reports, al-Kuwaifi was inside a tent erected on the roof of a house in the al-Nasr neighborhood of western Gaza when the strike occurred. The tent was being used by displaced families seeking temporary refuge after fleeing earlier bombardments. The attack left al-Kuwaifi and another civilian dead, adding to the mounting civilian toll of the...

September 15, 2025 - Palestine - Since the Israeli offensive in Gaza began in October 2023, journalists there have faced persistent efforts to discredit and endanger them. The campaign—often called “Gazawood”—employs doctored images, baseless accusations, and targeted online harassment, frequently backed by influential media outlets and government platforms. One stark example: hours after Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif was killed in a strike near Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital, a photo circulated online of two other Gazan journalists, Mohnad Qashta and Mohamed al-Sharif, with a superimposed target over their faces and a call for their elimination. These...

September 15, 2025 – Crimea/Russia/Siberia - After more than six years of separation, Safiye, the daughter of Crimean Tatar journalist Remzi Bekirov, has finally reunited with her father for three days in a Russian Siberian penal colony. The meeting, in Khakassia, offered a brief but powerful respite for a family torn apart by political repression. Remzi Bekirov, a citizen journalist from Crimea, is serving a 19-year sentence under accusations of creating a Hizb ut-Tahrir cell, charges widely regarded by human rights defenders as falsified and politically motivated. His reports on repression against Crimean Tatars are...

September 15, 2025 - General -  Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Trymaine Lee has published a memoir, A Thousand Ways to Die: The True Cost of Violence on Black Life in America, which sheds light on the physical and emotional toll of covering gun violence in Black communities. At age 38, Lee suffered a near-fatal heart attack, a medical emergency he believes resulted from the cumulative stress of his career reporting on death, trauma, and loss. That moment forced him to reckon more directly with how the work had impacted him—not just as a journalist, but as...

September 15, 2025 - UK -  MI5 has formally conceded that it unlawfully acquired communications data belonging to Vincent Kearney, a former BBC Northern Ireland home affairs correspondent, during two instances in 2006 and 2009. The data in question came to light in a letter addressed both to Kearney and the BBC, with the revelation emerging as part of a tribunal examining whether journalists in Northern Ireland have been subject to improper surveillance by police and security services. Kearney, who is now the Northern Editor for the Irish broadcaster RTÉ, had worked on a documentary...

September 14, 2025 - Palestine/Germany - Palestinian photojournalist Anas Zayed Fteiha, based in the Gaza Strip, has filed a legal claim against German publishing giant Axel Springer, accusing the company of violating his constitutional rights by falsely portraying him as a Hamas propagandist. The case, reported by The Intercept, centers on Springer’s flagship tabloid Bild, which allegedly mischaracterized Fteiha’s reporting as partisan propaganda in support of Hamas. Fteiha’s lawsuit seeks an injunction to prevent Axel Springer from continuing to circulate what he describes as defamatory claims. According to the filing, Springer’s portrayal has damaged his...

September 14, 2025 - Yemen – The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has condemned an Israeli airstrike that killed at least nine journalists in Yemen, calling it a “grave violation of international law.” The strike on 10 September hit Sana’a and the northern province of Al Jawf, damaging the offices of the 26 September Newspaper, a media outlet under Houthi control. The fatalities include Abdulaziz Al-Sheikh, Abbas Al-Dailami, Youssef Shams Al-Din Al-Bahri, Mohammed Al-Omeisi, Abdullah Al-Harazi, Murad Halboub Al-Faqih, Ali Naji Al-Shara’i, Ali Mohammed Al-Aqel, and Jamal Al-Adhi. Several others were wounded, among them Mansour...

September 14, 2025  – Palestine - Veteran photojournalist Reuven Castro, working with the Walla news site, was shoved to the ground by a police officer while covering a protest outside a Likud Party event on the evening of September 13. Protesters had gathered in Petah Tikvah ahead of the Jewish New Year, demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of 48 hostages held by Hamas. Hundreds of demonstrators stationed themselves at the entrance of the venue where Likud ministers were entering, carrying signs, chanting, and using drums and horns. While many were held behind...

September 14, 2025 - Turkey/USA -  A gathering of Turkish and American media professionals was held in New York during the Global Journalism Council’s International Media Friendship Awards ceremony at Turkish House. The event, hosted by the Turkish Consulate General, celebrated the contributions of journalists covering Turkish-American relations, US affairs, the United Nations, and more. Türkiye’s Consul General in New York, Muhittin Ahmet Yazal, underscored the importance of media in public diplomacy. He thanked the journalists present, recognizing the work of those covering different beats—some reporting on the Turkish-American community, others focusing on the US...

September 14, 2025 - Yemen -  An Israeli airstrike targeted Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen — including the capital Sanaa and al-Jawf province — and killed at least nine journalists, as confirmed by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). The strike hit the offices of the 26 September Newspaper, a publication under the de facto Houthi government in Sanaa. While the newspaper is officially the outlet of the Yemeni Army (now aligned with Houthi authorities), the casualties included both military and civilian journalists, several of whom had no affiliation with the military. According to the Yemeni...

September 14, 2025 - Australia/Palestine -  In Brisbane on Sunday, approximately 400 protesters gathered outside the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) offices in South Bank to draw attention to journalists killed in Gaza. The demonstration, titled “ABC Stop Silencing Palestine – Rally & March,” was organized by Justice for Palestine Magan-djin, a group focused on Palestinian solidarity in the area. The event began around 2 pm local time, with many attendees wearing “press” vests bearing the names of deceased journalists. One protester handed ABC staff a list of media workers who have died in Gaza. Protesters...

September 12, 2025 - Belarus -  Following their release from Belarusian prisons, several journalists linked to Belsat TV have spoken out, sharing the toll of incarceration and the ongoing challenges of repression, while expressing relief at regaining freedom. These individuals were among the group of 52 political prisoners pardoned and released by President Alexander Lukashenko on September 11, 2025. Among the freed are Iryna Slaunikava, convicted for alleged “extremism,” who served time in a penal colony, and Larysa Shchyrakova, also convicted under extremism-related charges. Others include Pavel Mazheika, Yauhen Merkis, Alena Tsimashchuk, Vyacheslau Lazarau, Pavel...

September 12, 2025 - Nepal - Nepal has been rocked by intense anti-government protests—led largely by young people (“Gen Z”)—that erupted following a controversial social media ban covering 26 apps, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and X. The nationwide demonstrations are rooted in deep frustrations over corruption, nepotism, and authoritarian governance under Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli. The government’s ban triggered mass mobilization. Protesters decried the restrictions as infringements on free expression and pushed back against more than just internet censorship. The unrest has been particularly impactful in Kathmandu and other cities, where security forces used...

September 12, 2025 - Yemen -  A recent 59-page report by Human Rights Watch exposes a widespread campaign by various Yemeni factions—including the Houthis, the Southern Transitional Council (STC), and forces loyal to the internationally recognized government—to suppress journalism through violence, intimidation, and institutional control. Based on interviews with 27 people, including 16 journalists, the report documents 14 new cases of abuse since late 2023, along with abuses going back to 2014 after the Houthis took control of Sanaa. Among the abuses are arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, torture, and restrictions of access to medical care....

September 12, 2025 - China/Palestine -  The Press Freedom Committee of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club (FCC) in Hong Kong held a solemn event on Monday to remember the journalists and media workers who have lost their lives during the ongoing war in Gaza. The gathering was a commemorative name-reading ceremony, during which almost 200 names of those killed were read aloud, serving as both tribute and a reminder of the human cost of covering conflict. At the heart of the event was the act of giving voice to those unable to speak—reading the names of...

September 11, 2025 - Yemen -  Human Rights Watch has published a report titled “We Pray to God by Torturing Journalists”: Warring Parties’ Systematic Violations Against Journalists and Press Freedom in Yemen, documenting grave abuses against media workers by Yemen’s various conflict actors — including the Houthis, the Southern Transitional Council (STC), and the internationally recognized government. Based on interviews conducted between October 2024 and May 2025 with 27 individuals — 16 of them journalists — alongside analysis of court documents, photos, and other evidence, the report identifies at least 14 specific cases of serious...

September 11, 2025 - Belarus -  Belarus freed at least eight journalists who had been imprisoned, some for several years, as part of a larger political prisoner release involving 52 detainees in total. This move came alongside the United States lifting certain sanctions imposed on Belavia, the national airline of Belarus. The released journalists include: Iryna Slaunikava (Belsat TV) has been detained since October 2021. Pavel Mazheika (Belsat TV), since August 2022. Yauhen Merkis, freelancer, from September 2022. Larysa Shchyrakova, freelancer, since December 2022. Alyaksandr Mantsevich, editor-in-chief of Rehiyanalnaya Gazeta, since March 2023. Alena Tsimashchuk,...