Features

Newswatch: How difficult is it to be the Chief Photographer of Reuters? What is the work pressure like? Do you need to focus only on news from an international perspective? Or do you need to keep the local needs in mind too? Malhotra: It is difficult. Many pressures are there. Since Reuters is a big wire service agency, they are in need of breaking stories all the time. And as far as the

Chad is now one of the few African countries without an effective independent press since a state of emergency was declared on February 15. Journalists are fleeing abroad to escape arrest or falling silent in protest against censorship and "very serious" official threats. And now, with the adoption of a new press law by decree instead of abolishing prison sentences for press offences, it makes

The Iraqi press has once again paid dearly for its commitment to more freedom — the head of the country's largest journalists organisation died on Wednesday, four days after being seriously wounded by gunmen who fired at his car in Baghdad. Jabbar Tarrad al-Shimmari, deputy head of the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate, told the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) that al-Tamimi, 74

Outgoing Russian President Vladimir Putin and his chosen successor Dmitry Medvedev are benefitting from partisan broadcast media coverage in their favour, presidential election monitoring by the Centre for Journalism in Extreme Situations (CJES) has shown. CJES Thursday released results of its monitoring of media coverage of candidates for the March 2 presidential election as well as of the

In Latin America, Uruguay has set an exemplary precedent by adopting a definitive community media law. The House of Representatives unanimously adopted the law on December 12. 2007. Reporters Without Borders, which supported the democratic law, has hailed it as a model for the rest of the region. The law defines community radio and TV stations as “services of public interest, independent of the

Faisal Abbas Ghazala, the correspondent of the satellite TV station Kolsat was released on 21 December after more than a month in detention in Mosul. Accused of terrorism, Ghazala, 34, spent a total of 31 days detained in different locations. He was arrested by Kurdish security forces who stormed into his home in Mosul early in the morning of 19 November and dragged from his bed. He was held in

Journalist and human rights activist Emadoldin Baghi was rushed to hospital after suffering a double heart attack in Tehran’s Evin prison on 26 December and was returned to a general wing of the prison yesterday evening. Baghi was arrested on 14 October to serve a one-year sentence he was given in November 2004 for writing a book that accused the Iranian authorities of involvement in the murders

The French government along with major press freedom organisations have called for the immediate release of two French journalists held in Niger since 17 December. Reporter Thomas Dandois and cameraman Pierre Creisson were detained by Niger authorities on alleged charges of “breach of national security” says media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Dandois and Creisson work for Camicas

Going by the words of the State Council information office minister Cai Wu it can be speculated that the new rules for the foreign press that were introduced in January as part of the preparations for next August’s Beijing Olympics could remain in force after the games are over. Speaking at a news conference Cai said: “No document says that when this new regulation expires on 17 October next

Reporters Without Borders reiterates its call for the release of Diallo, his reporter Daouda Yacouba, and Niamey-based journalist Moussa Kaka. Moussa Kaka, director of privately-owned Radio Saraounia and Niger correspondent of both Radio France Internationale and Reporters Without Borders completed 100th day in detention and risks life imprisonment. Ibrahima Manzo Diallo, director of the bimonthly