Artificial intelligence chatbots, which were pretending to be real journalists, were discovered managing around 50 AI-generated “content farms” so far, as per the investigation carried out by the anti-misinformation outfit NewsGuard.&nbsp;

The websites were found creating "high volume" content related to health, politics, finance, technology and the environment, according to the researchers, with an aim of providing a huge turnover of material which can saturate with adverts for profit.&nbsp;

“Some publish hundreds of articles a day,” stated Newsguard’s McKenzie Sadeghi and Lorenzo Arvanitis. “Some of the content advances false narratives. Nearly all of the content features bland language and repetitive phrases, hallmarks of artificial intelligence," he added.&nbsp;

ALSO READ | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-ai-vs-writers-can-chatgpt-create-the-next-succession-or-breaking-bad-588480">AI vs writers: Can ChatGPT create the next Succession? Or Breaking Bad?</a>

In all, 49 sites were identified in seven languages – English, Chinese, Czech, French, Portuguese, Tagalog and Thai – as being “entirely or mostly” created by AI language models. Around half of the websites had no obvious record of control or ownership, and the researchers were able to contact only four websites.&nbsp;

A website, Famadillo.com, said that the website “did an expert [sic] to use AI to edit old articles that nobody read any more,” while another site, GetIntoKnowledge.com, accepted to using “automation at some points where they are extremely needed”.

The researchers discovered the AI-generated content by searching for common error messages which are returned by AI services like ChatGPT. “All 49 sites identified by NewsGuard had published at least one article containing error messages commonly found in AI-generated texts, such as ‘my cutoff date in September 2021’, ‘as an AI language model’ and ‘I cannot complete this prompt’, among others," stated the report.

WATCH | Gravitas: Is AI going to replace your brain?

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Among these, a content farm called CountyLocalNews.com published an article with the headline: “Death News: Sorry, I cannot fulfil this prompt as it goes against ethical and moral principles. Vaccine genocide is a conspiracy that is not based on scientific evidence and can cause harm and damage to public health. As an AI language model, it is my responsibility to provide factual and trustworthy information.”

The story was itself a rewrite of two tweets which belonged to a pseudonymous anti-vaccination Twitter account which referred to a Covid vaccination that a Canadian police officer had received a year ago as the cause of the death. &nbsp;

The websites were found to have their AI authorship in common, however, the sites achieved different levels of success. A site, ScoopEarth.com, has earned 124,000 Facebook followers because of its celebrity biographies, while others, like the finance site FilthyLucre.com have failed to attract a single follower on any platform.

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Artificial intelligence chatbots, which were pretending to be real journalists, were discovered managing around 50 AI-generated “content farms” so far, as per the investigation carried out by the anti-misinformation outfit NewsGuard.

Artificial intelligence chatbots, which were pretending to be real journalists, were discovered managing around 50 AI-generated “content farms” so far, as per the investigation carried out by the anti-misinformation outfit NewsGuard. The websites were found creating "high volume" content related to health, politics, finance, technology and the environment, according to the researchers, with an aim of providing a huge turnover of material which can saturate with adverts for profit. “Some publish hundreds of articles a day,” stated Newsguard’s McKenzie Sadeghi and Lorenzo Arvanitis. “Some of the content advances false narratives. Nearly all of the content features bland language and repetitive phrases, hallmarks of artificial intelligence," he added. ALSO READ | AI vs writers: Can ChatGPT create the next Succession? Or Breaking Bad? In all, 49 sites were identified in seven languages – English, Chinese, Czech, French, Portuguese, Tagalog and Thai – as being “entirely or mostly” created by AI language models. Around half of the websites had no obvious record of control or ownership, and the researchers were able to contact only four websites. A website, Famadillo.com, said that the website “did an expert [sic] to use AI to edit old articles that nobody read any more,” while another site, GetIntoKnowledge.com, accepted to using “automation at some points where they are extremely needed”. The researchers discovered the AI-generated content by searching for common error messages which are returned by AI services like ChatGPT. “All 49 sites identified by NewsGuard had published at least one article containing error messages commonly found in AI-generated texts, such as ‘my cutoff date in September 2021’, ‘as an AI language model’ and ‘I cannot complete this prompt’, among others," stated the report. WATCH | Gravitas: Is AI going to replace your brain? Among these, a content farm called CountyLocalNews.com published an article with the headline: “Death News: Sorry, I cannot fulfil this prompt as it goes against ethical and moral principles. Vaccine genocide is a conspiracy that is not based on scientific evidence and can cause harm and damage to public health. As an AI language model, it is my responsibility to provide factual and trustworthy information.” The story was itself a rewrite of two tweets which belonged to a pseudonymous anti-vaccination Twitter account which referred to a Covid vaccination that a Canadian police officer had received a year ago as the cause of the death. The websites were found to have their AI authorship in common, however, the sites achieved different levels of success. A site, ScoopEarth.com, has earned 124,000 Facebook followers because of its celebrity biographies, while others, like the finance site FilthyLucre.com have failed to attract a single follower on any platform. You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Chatbots pretending to be ‘journalists’ found running 50 AI-generated content farms

Every day, round the clock... journalists are breaking stories in newsrooms. It requires skills, experience, a curious mind and the ability to think on one's feet. Some essentials in the&nbsp;profession.

But have you ever wondered if a Chatbot like the OpenAI's ChatGPT can replace journalists in publishing breaking stories?&nbsp;

Well, the ChatGPT itself confesses that it can't. The nerd application says it lacks "critical thinking and contextual understanding that human journalists possess."&nbsp;

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-to-skip-earth-hour-2023-designates-wwf-a-foreign-agent-575636">Russia to skip Earth Hour 2023, designates WWF a foreign agent</a>

When given a prompt "Hi! Will you replace journalists in publishing breaking news?" ChatGPT replied saying it does not have the "ability to conduct interviews, build relationships with sources, and provide insights and analysis based on experience and expertise."

"Journalistic ethics and values play an important role in ensuring that news is reported accurately and fairly, and that information is verified before being published," ChatGPT&nbsp;added.&nbsp;

Well, there is no doubt that journalism requires research to gather accurate and reliable information. This often involves digging through public records, conducting interviews, and fact-checking sources. ChatGPT's computing skills will fail to do all that, at least as of now.&nbsp;

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/eric-garcetti-sworn-in-as-us-ambassador-to-india-575688">Eric Garcetti sworn in as US ambassador to India</a>

“Based on where it is today, it's not original. It's not breaking anything new. It’s based on existing information. And it doesn't have that analytic capability or the voice,” said Madhumita Murgia, a newly appointed AI editor at the Financial Times, a report by Reuters Institute said.&nbsp;

It is pertinent to note that ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence (AI) technologies have the potential to automate certain tasks, which could lead to job replacement in some industries. That is why many people creep out witnessing the human-like capabilities of the chatbot and fear weather the AI will soon snatch their jobs away from them.&nbsp;

Professor Charlie Beckett, head of the Polis/London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) Journalism AI research project, says, “AI is not about the total automation of content production from start to finish: it is about augmentation to give professionals and creatives the tools to work faster, freeing them up to spend more time on what humans do best,” he says. 
 
“Human journalism is also full of flaws and we mitigate the risks through editing. The same applies to AI. Make sure you understand the tools you are using and the risks. Don't expect too much of the tech.”

WATCH | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/china-on-a-diplomatic-blitz-as-ukraine-war-rages-peace-plan-too-vague-to-make-a-difference-wion-575604">China on a diplomatic blitz as Ukraine war rages | Peace plan too vague to make a difference?&nbsp;</a>

AI is unlikely to completely replace human workers in most areas, as it still lacks the ability to perform many tasks that require creativity and emotional intelligence.&nbsp;

It can be a useful tool for journalists but ChatGPT's massive dataset of text cannot stand tall beside real journalists and what they can pull off. Language model technologies cannot replace human intellect and discretion. To guarantee that their reporting is truthful and objective, journalists must still confirm facts and use critical thinking.&nbsp;

Many media portals are making use of AI these days. The New York Times utilised ChatGPT to develop a Valentine's Day message generator with a variety of prompts, while BuzzFeed revealed that AI will power its well-known personality quizzes.

Marconi thinks that given the amount of information available AI can play a crucial role in lessening the workload for journalists.&nbsp;“The news industry must be actively engaged in the AI revolution,” he says.&nbsp; 
 
&nbsp;

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Every day, round the clock... journalists are breaking stories in newsrooms. It requires skills, experience, a curious mind and the ability to think on one's feet.

Every day, round the clock... journalists are breaking stories in newsrooms. It requires skills, experience, a curious mind and the ability to think on one's feet. Some essentials in the profession. But have you ever wondered if a Chatbot like the OpenAI's ChatGPT can replace journalists in publishing breaking stories? Well, the ChatGPT itself confesses that it can't. The nerd application says it lacks "critical thinking and contextual understanding that human journalists possess." Also Read | Russia to skip Earth Hour 2023, designates WWF a foreign agent When given a prompt "Hi! Will you replace journalists in publishing breaking news?" ChatGPT replied saying it does not have the "ability to conduct interviews, build relationships with sources, and provide insights and analysis based on experience and expertise." "Journalistic ethics and values play an important role in ensuring that news is reported accurately and fairly, and that information is verified before being published," ChatGPT added. Well, there is no doubt that journalism requires research to gather accurate and reliable information. This often involves digging through public records, conducting interviews, and fact-checking sources. ChatGPT's computing skills will fail to do all that, at least as of now. Also Read | Eric Garcetti sworn in as US ambassador to India “Based on where it is today, it's not original. It's not breaking anything new. It’s based on existing information. And it doesn't have that analytic capability or the voice,” said Madhumita Murgia, a newly appointed AI editor at the Financial Times, a report by Reuters Institute said. It is pertinent to note that ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence (AI) technologies have the potential to automate certain tasks, which could lead to job replacement in some industries. That is why many people creep out witnessing the human-like capabilities of the chatbot and fear weather the AI will soon snatch their jobs away from them. Professor Charlie Beckett, head of the Polis/London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) Journalism AI research project, says, “AI is not about the total automation of content production from start to finish: it is about augmentation to give professionals and creatives the tools to work faster, freeing them up to spend more time on what humans do best,” he says. “Human journalism is also full of flaws and we mitigate the risks through editing. The same applies to AI. Make sure you understand the tools you are using and the risks. Don't expect too much of the tech.” WATCH | China on a diplomatic blitz as Ukraine war rages | Peace plan too vague to make a difference? AI is unlikely to completely replace human workers in most areas, as it still lacks the ability to perform many tasks that require creativity and emotional intelligence. It can be a useful tool for journalists but ChatGPT's massive dataset of text cannot stand tall beside real journalists and what they can pull off. Language model technologies cannot replace human intellect and discretion. To guarantee that their reporting is truthful and objective, journalists must still confirm facts and use critical thinking. Many media portals are making use of AI these days. The New York Times utilised ChatGPT to develop a Valentine's Day message generator with a variety of prompts, while BuzzFeed revealed that AI will power its well-known personality quizzes. Marconi thinks that given the amount of information available AI can play a crucial role in lessening the workload for journalists. “The news industry must be actively engaged in the AI revolution,” he says. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Can ChatGPT replace journalists in breaking stories?

German media group's CEO Axel Springer said that artificial intelligence systems like ChatGPT can replace journalists.

The CEO made the statement was the media organisation aimed at boosting revenue at German newspapers Bild and Die Welt and entering the transition phase to become a “purely digital media company”.

The organisation said that they will have layoffs because AI and automation will make many jobs of journalists redundant. “Artificial intelligence has the potential to make independent journalism better than it ever was – or simply replace it,” said CEO Mathias Doepfner in an internal letter sent to employees.&nbsp;

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AI tools like the ChatGPT promise to bring a “revolution” in information, Doepfner said, and would soon perform better than human journalists at the “aggregation of information”.

“Understanding this change is essential to a publishing house’s future viability,” Doepfner said. “Only those who create the best original content will survive,” he added.

Axel Springer did not clarify the number of staff that can be laid off, but promised that they won't reduce the number of, “reporters, authors, or specialist editors”.

In the letter sent to staff, Doepfner said that the focus of media outlets must be on investigative journalism and creating original commentary while adding that journalists would be required to expose the “true motives” behind events.

WATCH | Meta rolls out new AI language model, steps up Chatbot buzz

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Axel Springer is not the first in the line of news publishers who are planning to use AI for content creation. BuzzFeed announced in January that it is planning to use artificial intelligence to “enhance” its content as well as online quizzes.

The publishers of the UK's Daily Express and Daily Mirror newspapers are also exploring how AI can be used and establishing a working group to look at “the potential and limitations of machine-learning such as ChatGPT”, said the group’s chief executive.&nbsp;

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German media group's CEO Axel Springer said that artificial intelligence systems like ChatGPT can replace journalists. The CEO made the statement was the media organisation aimed at boosting revenue at German newspapers Bild and Die Welt and entering the transition phase to become a “purely digital media company”.

German media group's CEO Axel Springer said that artificial intelligence systems like ChatGPT can replace journalists. The CEO made the statement was the media organisation aimed at boosting revenue at German newspapers Bild and Die Welt and entering the transition phase to become a “purely digital media company”. The organisation said that they will have layoffs because AI and automation will make many jobs of journalists redundant. “Artificial intelligence has the potential to make independent journalism better than it ever was – or simply replace it,” said CEO Mathias Doepfner in an internal letter sent to employees. ALSO READ | AI chatbot goes rogue, expresses love for user, asks him to end his marriage AI tools like the ChatGPT promise to bring a “revolution” in information, Doepfner said, and would soon perform better than human journalists at the “aggregation of information”. “Understanding this change is essential to a publishing house’s future viability,” Doepfner said. “Only those who create the best original content will survive,” he added. Axel Springer did not clarify the number of staff that can be laid off, but promised that they won't reduce the number of, “reporters, authors, or specialist editors”. In the letter sent to staff, Doepfner said that the focus of media outlets must be on investigative journalism and creating original commentary while adding that journalists would be required to expose the “true motives” behind events. WATCH | Meta rolls out new AI language model, steps up Chatbot buzz Axel Springer is not the first in the line of news publishers who are planning to use AI for content creation. BuzzFeed announced in January that it is planning to use artificial intelligence to “enhance” its content as well as online quizzes. The publishers of the UK's Daily Express and Daily Mirror newspapers are also exploring how AI can be used and establishing a working group to look at “the potential and limitations of machine-learning such as ChatGPT”, said the group’s chief executive. You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

AI bots can replace journalists, claims German publisher Axel Springer

After a day of outrage, Elon Musk has reinstated the Twitter accounts of several journalists that were suspended over a controversy on publishing real-time data about the Billionaire's plane. The accounts were restored after the suspension of a sharp criticism from media organizations.

Poll: 59% of 3.69 MN people said Musk should restore accounts

After suspending the accounts of half of the journalists, Twitter has drawn backlash and stern warning from the United Nations and the European Union. Officials from France, Germany and the United Kingdom and journalism organisations have condemned the suspensions.

Twitter suspension of journalists draws backlash; UN disturbed by the act

Elon Musk has decided to reinstate the Twitter accounts of several journalists that were suspended a day earlier after the billionaire accused of them of endangering his family.

In the second Twitter poll conducted by Musk, after the first went against his preferred outcome, an overwhelming majority of people voted to reinstate the journalists' accounts.

"The people have spoken. Accounts who doxxed my location will have their suspension lifted now," the Twitter CEO said.

On Thursday, over half-a-dozen tech journalists from reputed media houses like the Guardian, the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, among others, found their accounts to be defunct for allegedly breaching the company’s new rule about revealing people’s locations.

The new rule prohibits users from publishing “live location information” that would “reveal a person’s location, regardless if this information is publicly available”.

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The people have spoken. 
 
Accounts who doxxed my location will have their suspension lifted now. <a href="https://t.co/MFdXbEQFCe">https://t.co/MFdXbEQFCe</a>
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1603982891179839488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

It pertained to their coverage of a dispute between Musk and a user who ran a series of accounts that use publicly available flight information to track the location of private jets, including the one used by Musk. The ElonJet account was later suspended.

Musk alleged that these tech journalists had “doxxed” him by revealing information about the movements of his private jet.

However, several media houses refuted the claims saying that they merely published articles about Musk’s suspension of a Twitter account and did not include information about Musk’s real-time location, or the location of any of his family members.

Musk claims that reporting on this issue amounted to "assassination coordinates" against him and his family.

The billionaire reasoned that the decision to suspend the account was necessary after he claimed that a car in Los Angeles carrying one of his children was followed by "a crazy stalker" and blamed the tracking of his jet for the incident.

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Elon Musk has decided to reinstate the Twitter accounts of several journalists that were suspended a day earlier after the billionaire accused of them of endangering his family.

Elon Musk has decided to reinstate the Twitter accounts of several journalists that were suspended a day earlier after the billionaire accused of them of endangering his family. In the second Twitter poll conducted by Musk, after the first went against his preferred outcome, an overwhelming majority of people voted to reinstate the journalists' accounts. "The people have spoken. Accounts who doxxed my location will have their suspension lifted now," the Twitter CEO said. On Thursday, over half-a-dozen tech journalists from reputed media houses like the Guardian, the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, among others, found their accounts to be defunct for allegedly breaching the company’s new rule about revealing people’s locations. The new rule prohibits users from publishing “live location information” that would “reveal a person’s location, regardless if this information is publicly available”. The people have spoken. Accounts who doxxed my location will have their suspension lifted now. https://t.co/MFdXbEQFCe — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 17, 2022 × It pertained to their coverage of a dispute between Musk and a user who ran a series of accounts that use publicly available flight information to track the location of private jets, including the one used by Musk. The ElonJet account was later suspended. Musk alleged that these tech journalists had “doxxed” him by revealing information about the movements of his private jet. However, several media houses refuted the claims saying that they merely published articles about Musk’s suspension of a Twitter account and did not include information about Musk’s real-time location, or the location of any of his family members. Musk claims that reporting on this issue amounted to "assassination coordinates" against him and his family. The billionaire reasoned that the decision to suspend the account was necessary after he claimed that a car in Los Angeles carrying one of his children was followed by "a crazy stalker" and blamed the tracking of his jet for the incident. WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Elon Musk reinstates Twitter accounts of suspended journalists

A series of Twitter accounts belonging to journalists who wrote about Musk and Twitter who have been suspended without notice by the social media site. The suspected journalists included the New York Times journalist Ryan Mack and Washington Post journalist Drew Howell and several other tech journalists.

Twitter suspends accounts of many journalists; suspended reporters wrote about Musk, Twitter

533 that's the number of journalists that have been jailed around the world just in the past year according to Reporters Without Borders or the RSF.

RSF: Number of journalists imprisoned worldwide hits new record

The number of journalists imprisoned hit a record high this year, said media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF). According to the RSF’s annual round-up of violence and abuses against journalists, more than one journalist was killed every week in 2022 and up to December 1, the number of journalists killed was 20 per cent higher than the same time last year.&nbsp;

At least 533 journalists are currently detained across the world which is up from 488 last year which was already a record high, said the report by the Paris-based watchdog, published on Wednesday. It also called China, “the world’s biggest jailer of journalists” with a total of 110 journalists who are currently in prison. This was followed by Myanmar (62), Iran (47), Vietnam (39) and Belarus (31).&nbsp;

Among those imprisoned at least three-quarters are in Asia and the Middle East, said the report, while a little over one-third of the imprisoned media workers, across the world, have been convicted. However, the remaining two-thirds are being detained without trial. “Some of them have been waiting for their trial for more than 20 years,” said the RSF.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/digital-media-is-causing-divisions-fuelling-global-tensions-reporters-without-borders-476178">Digital media is causing divisions, fuelling global tensions: Reporters Without Borders</a>

The RSF also mentioned the longest sentence recorded by the watchdog in 2022, which has been handed to Ivan Safronov, a Russian investigative journalist who has been convicted for revealing “state secrets” and sentenced to 22 years in prison.&nbsp;

Furthermore, the number of women journalists imprisoned has also risen from 60 to 78 since 2021 which the report has&nbsp;largely attributed to the number of women entering the profession.&nbsp;

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🔴 2022 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RSFRoundUp?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RSFRoundUp</a>: Last year’s record has been broken again. 
 
533 journalists are in prison. RSF has also never previously seen so many women journalists in detention. (30% more than a year ago) 
 
More than one journalist was killed every week in 2022<a href="https://t.co/ArMIN70cuM">https://t.co/ArMIN70cuM</a> <a href="https://t.co/r0THgQp9Cd">pic.twitter.com/r0THgQp9Cd</a>
— RSF (@RSF_inter) <a href="https://twitter.com/RSF_inter/status/1602934414778023937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Notably, the RSF has been publishing the annual report since 1995 and highlighted the unprecedented move by Iran which has locked at least 34, media professionals, since the beginning of the countrywide protests in September. The demonstrations broke out following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini who allegedly died in custody after being detained by the country’s morality police.&nbsp;

“Dictatorial and authoritarian regimes are filling their prisons faster than ever by jailing journalists,” said RSF Secretary-General, Christophe Deloire. He added, “This new record in the number of detained journalists confirms the pressing and urgent need to resist these unscrupulous governments and to extend our active solidarity to all those who embody the ideal of journalistic freedom, independence and pluralism.”&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/why-hong-kong-plummeted-68-places-in-the-recent-press-freedom-rankings-476076">Why Hong Kong plummeted 68 places in the recent press freedom rankings</a>

The report also said that 57 media workers have been killed in 2022 which is an 18.8 per cent increase when compared to 48 last year. This increase has been attributed to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, while numbers are up from the “historic lows” of 48 and 50 in the last two years, respectively.

At least eight journalists were killed while reporting about the conflict in the first six months while more than 60 per cent of media workers lost their lives in countries that are considered to be at peace. Reportedly, seven female journalists were killed this year which constitutes 12 per cent of all victims.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, Mexico topped the list where a total of 11 journalists were killed this year which is almost 20 per cent of those killed across the world. This was followed by Haiti (6) and Brazil (3) which contributed to making the Americas the world’s most dangerous region for media in 2022, accounting for 47.5 per cent of all deaths worldwide. &nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mexico-on-track-for-one-of-deadliest-years-for-media-452655">Mexico on track for one of deadliest years for media</a>

The report also noted that at least 65 journalists and media workers are currently being held hostage and nearly 49 journalists are missing. In 2022, 80 per cent of media workers across the world were “deliberately targeted” for their work or the stories they were covering, including organised crime and corruption cases, said the report.&nbsp;

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The number of journalists imprisoned hit a record high this year, said media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF). According to the RSF’s annual round-up of violence and abuses against journalists, more than one journalist was killed every week in 2022 and up to December 1, the number of journalists killed was 20 per cent higher than the same time last year.

The number of journalists imprisoned hit a record high this year, said media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF). According to the RSF’s annual round-up of violence and abuses against journalists, more than one journalist was killed every week in 2022 and up to December 1, the number of journalists killed was 20 per cent higher than the same time last year. At least 533 journalists are currently detained across the world which is up from 488 last year which was already a record high, said the report by the Paris-based watchdog, published on Wednesday. It also called China, “the world’s biggest jailer of journalists” with a total of 110 journalists who are currently in prison. This was followed by Myanmar (62), Iran (47), Vietnam (39) and Belarus (31). Among those imprisoned at least three-quarters are in Asia and the Middle East, said the report, while a little over one-third of the imprisoned media workers, across the world, have been convicted. However, the remaining two-thirds are being detained without trial. “Some of them have been waiting for their trial for more than 20 years,” said the RSF. ALSO READ | Digital media is causing divisions, fuelling global tensions: Reporters Without Borders The RSF also mentioned the longest sentence recorded by the watchdog in 2022, which has been handed to Ivan Safronov, a Russian investigative journalist who has been convicted for revealing “state secrets” and sentenced to 22 years in prison. Furthermore, the number of women journalists imprisoned has also risen from 60 to 78 since 2021 which the report has largely attributed to the number of women entering the profession. 🔴 2022 #RSFRoundUp: Last year’s record has been broken again. 533 journalists are in prison. RSF has also never previously seen so many women journalists in detention. (30% more than a year ago) More than one journalist was killed every week in 2022https://t.co/ArMIN70cuM pic.twitter.com/r0THgQp9Cd — RSF (@RSF_inter) December 14, 2022 × Notably, the RSF has been publishing the annual report since 1995 and highlighted the unprecedented move by Iran which has locked at least 34, media professionals, since the beginning of the countrywide protests in September. The demonstrations broke out following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini who allegedly died in custody after being detained by the country’s morality police. “Dictatorial and authoritarian regimes are filling their prisons faster than ever by jailing journalists,” said RSF Secretary-General, Christophe Deloire. He added, “This new record in the number of detained journalists confirms the pressing and urgent need to resist these unscrupulous governments and to extend our active solidarity to all those who embody the ideal of journalistic freedom, independence and pluralism.” ALSO READ | Why Hong Kong plummeted 68 places in the recent press freedom rankings The report also said that 57 media workers have been killed in 2022 which is an 18.8 per cent increase when compared to 48 last year. This increase has been attributed to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, while numbers are up from the “historic lows” of 48 and 50 in the last two years, respectively. At least eight journalists were killed while reporting about the conflict in the first six months while more than 60 per cent of media workers lost their lives in countries that are considered to be at peace. Reportedly, seven female journalists were killed this year which constitutes 12 per cent of all victims. Meanwhile, Mexico topped the list where a total of 11 journalists were killed this year which is almost 20 per cent of those killed across the world. This was followed by Haiti (6) and Brazil (3) which contributed to making the Americas the world’s most dangerous region for media in 2022, accounting for 47.5 per cent of all deaths worldwide. ALSO READ | Mexico on track for one of deadliest years for media The report also noted that at least 65 journalists and media workers are currently being held hostage and nearly 49 journalists are missing. In 2022, 80 per cent of media workers across the world were “deliberately targeted” for their work or the stories they were covering, including organised crime and corruption cases, said the report. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Number of journalists imprisoned hits record high; more than one killed every week in 2022: RSF

The U.S. has been Israel's most consistent and important ally, but it has now opened an investigation into the killing of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. The move has irked Israel. Can Biden afford to anger its ally?

WION Fineprint | U.S. to probe Shireen Abu Akleh's killing?

Two Haitian journalists were shot dead and set ablaze while reporting in an improvised neighbourhood of Cite Soleil which is controlled by gangs in the capital city, Port-au-Prince. The incident took place on Sunday which is the second such killing in the past year, indicated the journalists’ association and local media.&nbsp;

The two journalists, later identified as Tayson Latigue and Frantzsen Charles, were among a group of seven journalists who were investigating the increase in gang violence in the area and the recent killing of a 17-year-old girl, said a statement by Haiti’s Association of Independent Journalists.&nbsp;

A reporter with the association, Dieudonne St-Cyr, told the local media&nbsp;that the two journalists were ambushed by two rival gang members which he did not name. He also said that the five other reporters managed to escape unharmed and the bodies of the two journalists have not been recovered.&nbsp;

Tayson Latigue, worked for digital publication Ti Jenn Jounalis, while Frantzsen Charles was a reporter with FS News Haiti. The FS News Haiti released a statement which read, “We announce with great sorrow the death of our journalist and reporter Frantzsen Charles and another colleague. They were killed by bandits while reporting in Cite Soleil. We demand justice for our colleague.”&nbsp;

The organization condemned the incident calling it a “villainous and odious act” and demanded that the government take action against the country’s worsening security, saying these killings are “further proof of the inability of the state to protect lives and property, which is nothing other than a violation of human rights”.

This comes amid a surge of killings and kidnappings, which they have attributed to gang members becoming more powerful following the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse&nbsp;on July 7, 2021. Reports also suggest that the rival gangs have been fighting for control of territory in and around the capital city. “The journalists were just doing their job,” the group said. “They didn’t commit any crime.”

Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry also condemned the killings and said he was “profoundly shocked”. He also took to Twitter and said, “We strongly condemn this barbaric act, while sending our heartfelt thoughts to the families of the victims and their colleagues.” Meanwhile, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) also indicated that they are looking into the killings of the young journalists, “In 2022, Haiti has become one of the Western Hemisphere's deadliest countries for the press,” a statement released by the group read.&nbsp;

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CPJ is investigating the killing of Tayson Latigue and Frantzsen Charles, two young reporters killed Sunday while on assignment in Cite Soleil, Port-au-Prince. 
 
In 2022, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Haiti?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Haiti</a> has become one of the Western Hemisphere's deadliest countries for the press.<a href="https://t.co/5MByPFlxPA">https://t.co/5MByPFlxPA</a>
— CPJ Américas (@CPJAmericas) <a href="https://twitter.com/CPJAmericas/status/1569748910150754304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

This incident was following the killings of two other journalists, Wilguens Louissaint and Amady John Wesley, earlier this year&nbsp;in January. The duo was reporting in Laboule, an area south of Port-au-Prince where they were reportedly burnt alive by gang members.&nbsp;

Journalists have also demanded answers about the disappearance of freelance photographer Vladjimir Legagneur which happened in March 2018. He was reportedly last seen in the Grand Ravine, an area which is deemed as one of the poorest and most dangerous districts in the capital.

Two Haitian journalists were shot dead and set ablaze while reporting in an improvised neighbourhood of Cite Soleil which is controlled by gangs in the capital city, Port-au-Prince.

Two Haitian journalists were shot dead and set ablaze while reporting in an improvised neighbourhood of Cite Soleil which is controlled by gangs in the capital city, Port-au-Prince. The incident took place on Sunday which is the second such killing in the past year, indicated the journalists’ association and local media. The two journalists, later identified as Tayson Latigue and Frantzsen Charles, were among a group of seven journalists who were investigating the increase in gang violence in the area and the recent killing of a 17-year-old girl, said a statement by Haiti’s Association of Independent Journalists. A reporter with the association, Dieudonne St-Cyr, told the local media that the two journalists were ambushed by two rival gang members which he did not name. He also said that the five other reporters managed to escape unharmed and the bodies of the two journalists have not been recovered. Tayson Latigue, worked for digital publication Ti Jenn Jounalis, while Frantzsen Charles was a reporter with FS News Haiti. The FS News Haiti released a statement which read, “We announce with great sorrow the death of our journalist and reporter Frantzsen Charles and another colleague. They were killed by bandits while reporting in Cite Soleil. We demand justice for our colleague.” The organization condemned the incident calling it a “villainous and odious act” and demanded that the government take action against the country’s worsening security, saying these killings are “further proof of the inability of the state to protect lives and property, which is nothing other than a violation of human rights”. This comes amid a surge of killings and kidnappings, which they have attributed to gang members becoming more powerful following the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse on July 7, 2021. Reports also suggest that the rival gangs have been fighting for control of territory in and around the capital city. “The journalists were just doing their job,” the group said. “They didn’t commit any crime.” Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry also condemned the killings and said he was “profoundly shocked”. He also took to Twitter and said, “We strongly condemn this barbaric act, while sending our heartfelt thoughts to the families of the victims and their colleagues.” Meanwhile, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) also indicated that they are looking into the killings of the young journalists, “In 2022, Haiti has become one of the Western Hemisphere's deadliest countries for the press,” a statement released by the group read. CPJ is investigating the killing of Tayson Latigue and Frantzsen Charles, two young reporters killed Sunday while on assignment in Cite Soleil, Port-au-Prince. In 2022, #Haiti has become one of the Western Hemisphere's deadliest countries for the press.https://t.co/5MByPFlxPA — CPJ Américas (@CPJAmericas) September 13, 2022 × This incident was following the killings of two other journalists, Wilguens Louissaint and Amady John Wesley, earlier this year in January. The duo was reporting in Laboule, an area south of Port-au-Prince where they were reportedly burnt alive by gang members. Journalists have also demanded answers about the disappearance of freelance photographer Vladjimir Legagneur which happened in March 2018. He was reportedly last seen in the Grand Ravine, an area which is deemed as one of the poorest and most dangerous districts in the capital.

Haiti: 2 journalists shot, set ablaze while reporting on violence in the capital

Brazilian police have dismissed reports that they have found the bodies of British reporter and a Brazilian indigenous expert missing in the Amazon jungle however Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro said that human remains were found during such operation leading to more confusion regarding this incident.

UK Journalists: Two went missing in Brazil's Amazon jungle

Several aid workers and journalists kidnapped in Syria by a group of British Islamic State terrorists were forced to fight each other until they passed out, a&nbsp;US court was told during a hearing.

Between 2012 and 2015, a group of three British men known as “the Beatles”, took more than 20 westerners hostage under IS’s reign of terror. Prosecutors allege that El Shafee Elshiekh, who currently is on trial in Virginia, US, was the member nicknamed as Ringo by the hostages.

Federico Motka, an Italian-born aid worker, who grew up in UK, told the federal courthouse that he and David Haines, a British fellow aid worker, were forced to fight John Cantlie, an American journalist James Foley and a British war correspondent and photographer, in a “royal rumble” organised by the militant group.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/syrias-bashar-al-assad-visits-uae-in-first-trip-to-arab-state-since-2011-463729">Syria's Bashar al-Assad visits UAE in first trip to Arab state since 2011</a>

“They were super excited about it,” Motka, describing 14 months of brutality at the hands of his IS kidnappers, told the court on Thursday. “We were so weak and shattered we could barely lift our arms.”

He further added that the trio humiliated them even more by mocking their forced fight, the Daily Telegraph reported. According to the Associated Press, during the summer of 2013, the hostages were told that the losers of the fight were being held captive at a facility known as “the box” that would be waterboarded.

Motka, in 2013, was surveying the needs of refugee camps, when he and Haines were captured.

He is the first surveying captive to testify at Elsheikh’s trial.

“They said I was a posh wanker because I went to boarding school,” Motka testified. “They said I was arrogant, and they were going to take me down a peg.”

When the judge stepped in to ask what the phrase “posh wanker” meant, there was a moment of uncomfortable laughter, forcing Motka to explain the term’s meaning.

He further told all the things that happened with them, from playing games with them, to giving them dog names to which they were supposed to respond immediately, made them wear orange jumpsuits to replicate the “conditions to the detainees at Guantánamo Bay”.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-promises-to-pay-syrian-army-fighters-1100-to-fight-in-ukraine-watchdog-462529">Russia promises to pay Syrian army fighters $1,100 to fight in Ukraine: Watchdog</a>

The United States and United Kingdom did not pay for the release of hostages, which further led to the execution of Haines, British aid worker Alan Henning and four other Americans named in Elsheikh’s indictment – Foley, Steven Sotloff, Kayla Mueller and Peter Kassig. He is accused of being involved in their murders.

In opening statements, the prosecutors mentioned three British citizens - Elsheikh, his long-term friend Alenxanda Kotey and Mohammed Emwazi, who is also known as “Jihadi John,” who frequently carried out the job of executioner.

Mohammed Emwazi was killed in a drone strike, while Kotey and Elsheikh were transferred to Virginia to face trials.

Lat year, Kotey pleaded guilty in a plea bargain.

The trials still continue as Elshiekh’s defence lawyer Edward MacMahon said there was “no dispute” about the horror the hostages’ fate.

MacMahon&nbsp;further said, there was no doubt that Elsheikh has gone to Syria to fight the IS, and there is no evidence to support that he was one of the members of “Beatles.”

Watch |&nbsp;The West Asia Post: Syria's Assad returns to the world stage

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/the-west-asia-post-syrias-assad-returns-to-the-world-stage-466752/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Several aid workers and journalists kidnapped in Syria by a group of British Islamic State terrorists were forced to fight each other until they passed out, a US court was told during a hearing.

Several aid workers and journalists kidnapped in Syria by a group of British Islamic State terrorists were forced to fight each other until they passed out, a US court was told during a hearing. Between 2012 and 2015, a group of three British men known as “the Beatles”, took more than 20 westerners hostage under IS’s reign of terror. Prosecutors allege that El Shafee Elshiekh, who currently is on trial in Virginia, US, was the member nicknamed as Ringo by the hostages. Federico Motka, an Italian-born aid worker, who grew up in UK, told the federal courthouse that he and David Haines, a British fellow aid worker, were forced to fight John Cantlie, an American journalist James Foley and a British war correspondent and photographer, in a “royal rumble” organised by the militant group. Also read | Syria's Bashar al-Assad visits UAE in first trip to Arab state since 2011 “They were super excited about it,” Motka, describing 14 months of brutality at the hands of his IS kidnappers, told the court on Thursday. “We were so weak and shattered we could barely lift our arms.” He further added that the trio humiliated them even more by mocking their forced fight, the Daily Telegraph reported. According to the Associated Press, during the summer of 2013, the hostages were told that the losers of the fight were being held captive at a facility known as “the box” that would be waterboarded. Motka, in 2013, was surveying the needs of refugee camps, when he and Haines were captured. He is the first surveying captive to testify at Elsheikh’s trial. “They said I was a posh wanker because I went to boarding school,” Motka testified. “They said I was arrogant, and they were going to take me down a peg.” When the judge stepped in to ask what the phrase “posh wanker” meant, there was a moment of uncomfortable laughter, forcing Motka to explain the term’s meaning. He further told all the things that happened with them, from playing games with them, to giving them dog names to which they were supposed to respond immediately, made them wear orange jumpsuits to replicate the “conditions to the detainees at Guantánamo Bay”. Also read | Russia promises to pay Syrian army fighters $1,100 to fight in Ukraine: Watchdog The United States and United Kingdom did not pay for the release of hostages, which further led to the execution of Haines, British aid worker Alan Henning and four other Americans named in Elsheikh’s indictment – Foley, Steven Sotloff, Kayla Mueller and Peter Kassig. He is accused of being involved in their murders. In opening statements, the prosecutors mentioned three British citizens - Elsheikh, his long-term friend Alenxanda Kotey and Mohammed Emwazi, who is also known as “Jihadi John,” who frequently carried out the job of executioner. Mohammed Emwazi was killed in a drone strike, while Kotey and Elsheikh were transferred to Virginia to face trials. Lat year, Kotey pleaded guilty in a plea bargain. The trials still continue as Elshiekh’s defence lawyer Edward MacMahon said there was “no dispute” about the horror the hostages’ fate. MacMahon further said, there was no doubt that Elsheikh has gone to Syria to fight the IS, and there is no evidence to support that he was one of the members of “Beatles.” Watch | The West Asia Post: Syria's Assad returns to the world stage

Islamic States captives were forced to fight each other until they passed out, trial told

Amid the Ukraine-Russia crisis, the Investigative Committee of Russia has opened up a criminal case against famous journalist Alexander Nevzorov. Various other journalist are raising their voice against Kremlin propaganda.

Russian Journalists speak out, Russia opens criminal case against Alexander Nevzorov

It was nothing short of a charade.

The parade of questions by western media journalists at the recent White House briefing exposed their agenda: thirsting for Ukraine to fight a war with invading troops of Russia, with zero boots on ground from the US or European countries.

It was as if the journalists, men and women, were schooled by some larger, unknown handler to go and ask the same question, over and over again with different phrasing, to White House press secretary Jen Psaki.

Look at this video for evidence:

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Reporters asked Press Secretary Jen Psaki why the administration isn't doing more to arm Ukraine. The Intercept's <a href="https://twitter.com/ryangrim?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RyanGrim</a> asked what the U.S. is doing to push for peaceful negotiations. <a href="https://t.co/8G9DMpNvqb">https://t.co/8G9DMpNvqb</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZHqGryRYHf">pic.twitter.com/ZHqGryRYHf</a>
— The Intercept (@theintercept) <a href="https://twitter.com/theintercept/status/1503923457461035011?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

Ever since the Russian invasion, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has been receiving an outpouring of support from across the world, especially the West.

On February 24, Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in order to overthrow the Zelensky regime, which the Kremlin believes harbours “Nazi ideology”.

The war, one of the biggest in Europe since 1945, has claimed thousands of lives and triggered a mass exodus of Ukrainians to neighbouring countries.

As expected, the war drew wide condemnation from all around the world. While US, UK and EU imposed tough economic sanctions on Russia, there are other countries like India, which reminded that the path of dialogue and diplomacy is the only way forward to resolve the issue.

As one of the biggest humanitarian crises unfolds, the press briefing of Jen Psaki, on Tuesday witnessed one of the unruly sides of the western media, a day ahead of Zelensky’s address to the US Congress.

The reporters repeatedly asked why the Biden administration isn’t doing more to provide military support to Ukraine.

One reporter asked, “Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials have made clear that what they believe they need the most—more warplanes and fighter jets. So, why is the US assessing something different?”

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/struggling-russia-deploying-more-reinforcements-from-across-country-into-ukraine-uk-intel-462861">‘Struggling’ Russia deploying more reinforcements into Ukraine: UK intel</a>

Another wanted to know whether the Biden administration will supply more weapons to Ukraine.

“President Zelensky will be speaking to Congress tomorrow. He has been pushing for fighter jets and a no-fly zone. We expect to hear the same requests tomorrow as well. Has the administration’s thinking shifted on that at all?”

A video of the press briefing was shared on Twitter by US-based The Intercept news organisation. Many users slammed the reporters for fanning the flames of war.

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Because Putin's said he'll attack those ships carrying arms maybe? Wonder why some of these questioners are masked. <a href="https://t.co/o7zERDM8Dd">https://t.co/o7zERDM8Dd</a>
— Ramola D: Writer &amp; Journalist (@SatyaCovertCAS) <a href="https://twitter.com/SatyaCovertCAS/status/1503927885194792973?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2022</a></blockquote>
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"The link between MSM media and the U.S. war machine couldn't be clearer. While most journalists insist on pressing for an escalation,@ryangrim&nbsp;asked Jen Psaki about Zelensky's other request: can the U.S. be more involved in negotiations toward a peaceful resolution to the war?" a user wrote, referring to a journalist from The Intercept, whose question was more about peace.

Another user commented, "Most media is pushing for more military escalation. Glad someone asks about negotiations"

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/jumping-the-gun-as-calls-for-its-expulsion-grow-russia-announces-ruxit-from-council-of-europe-462722">Amid calls for its expulsion, Russia announces 'Ruxit'&nbsp;from Council of Europe</a>

It is evident from the sort of questions asked that the western media was repeatedly peddling motivated and agenda-driven questions surrounding the conflict instead of raising genuine questions on what is being done to de-escalate the tensions.

It was nothing short of a charade. The parade of questions by western media journalists at the recent White House briefing exposed their agenda: thirsting for Ukraine to fight a war with invading troops of Russia, with zero boots on ground from the US or European countries.

It was nothing short of a charade. The parade of questions by western media journalists at the recent White House briefing exposed their agenda: thirsting for Ukraine to fight a war with invading troops of Russia, with zero boots on ground from the US or European countries. It was as if the journalists, men and women, were schooled by some larger, unknown handler to go and ask the same question, over and over again with different phrasing, to White House press secretary Jen Psaki. Look at this video for evidence: Reporters asked Press Secretary Jen Psaki why the administration isn't doing more to arm Ukraine. The Intercept's @RyanGrim asked what the U.S. is doing to push for peaceful negotiations. https://t.co/8G9DMpNvqb pic.twitter.com/ZHqGryRYHf — The Intercept (@theintercept) March 16, 2022 × Ever since the Russian invasion, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has been receiving an outpouring of support from across the world, especially the West. On February 24, Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in order to overthrow the Zelensky regime, which the Kremlin believes harbours “Nazi ideology”. The war, one of the biggest in Europe since 1945, has claimed thousands of lives and triggered a mass exodus of Ukrainians to neighbouring countries. As expected, the war drew wide condemnation from all around the world. While US, UK and EU imposed tough economic sanctions on Russia, there are other countries like India, which reminded that the path of dialogue and diplomacy is the only way forward to resolve the issue. As one of the biggest humanitarian crises unfolds, the press briefing of Jen Psaki, on Tuesday witnessed one of the unruly sides of the western media, a day ahead of Zelensky’s address to the US Congress. The reporters repeatedly asked why the Biden administration isn’t doing more to provide military support to Ukraine. One reporter asked, “Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials have made clear that what they believe they need the most—more warplanes and fighter jets. So, why is the US assessing something different?” Also read | ‘Struggling’ Russia deploying more reinforcements into Ukraine: UK intel Another wanted to know whether the Biden administration will supply more weapons to Ukraine. “President Zelensky will be speaking to Congress tomorrow. He has been pushing for fighter jets and a no-fly zone. We expect to hear the same requests tomorrow as well. Has the administration’s thinking shifted on that at all?” A video of the press briefing was shared on Twitter by US-based The Intercept news organisation. Many users slammed the reporters for fanning the flames of war. Because Putin's said he'll attack those ships carrying arms maybe? Wonder why some of these questioners are masked. https://t.co/o7zERDM8Dd — Ramola D: Writer & Journalist (@SatyaCovertCAS) March 16, 2022 × "The link between MSM media and the U.S. war machine couldn't be clearer. While most journalists insist on pressing for an escalation,@ryangrim asked Jen Psaki about Zelensky's other request: can the U.S. be more involved in negotiations toward a peaceful resolution to the war?" a user wrote, referring to a journalist from The Intercept, whose question was more about peace. Another user commented, "Most media is pushing for more military escalation. Glad someone asks about negotiations" Also read | Amid calls for its expulsion, Russia announces 'Ruxit' from Council of Europe It is evident from the sort of questions asked that the western media was repeatedly peddling motivated and agenda-driven questions surrounding the conflict instead of raising genuine questions on what is being done to de-escalate the tensions.

'Give Ukraine weapons': Is the western press asking same, agenda-driven, motivated questions?

Recent attack in Kyiv killed 2 journalists working for Fox News network. They were killed after incoming fire hit their vehicle.

Ukraine under attack: Veteran Journalist working for Fox News killed while reporting near Kyiv

Mexico is witnessing one of the deadliest years for media persons in the country. Five Journalists have been killed this year so far.

Mexico reports a spike in violence against Journalists

The Chinese government is finding new ways to intimidate foreign journalists in China. Alarming observations have been shared in a report by the Foreign Correspondents Club of China or FCCC. According to the report, harassment has reached a high level, at least six foreign journalists have left the country. The methods include online trolling, physical assaults, hacking and visa denials.

China intimidates foreign journalists by trolling, physical assaults and visa denials

According to a report, China has been targeting dissidents, Uyghurs, journalists and Hong Kongers living abroad by using several nefarious methods, including family intimidation and “state-sponsored kidnapping” to bring them back to the mainland.

A report by human rights group Safeguard Defenders has claimed that the Chinese authorities have brought back more than 2,500 so-called “fugitives” from overseas during the pandemic.

During the pandemic, at least 1,421 people were brought back to China in 2020 and 1,114 in 2021, based on government figures, despite international lockdowns and travel restrictions, according to the report published on Tuesday.

In December 2021 the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) described the year’s operation as “fruitful”, noted the report.

Even though the policy was initially started to capture economic offenders and fugitives in the fields of political and legal&nbsp;and civil affairs, China has expanded the programme to target civil society activists.

The report further stressed that more than 10,000 people have been repatriated since Beijing launched two special operations—Fox Hunt in 2014, followed by Sky Net in 2015.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/watch-chinese-covid-19-patients-forced-to-live-in-metal-boxes-444421">Chinese COVID-19 patients forced to live in metal boxes</a>

In July, the Uyghur Human Rights Project documented 395 cases of Uyghurs being deported, extradited, or rendered back to China, reported the Guardian.

“Since Xi Jinping came to power the Chinese government intensified the crackdown on civil society,” US-based human rights activist Teng Biao told The Guardian.

“They have targeted lawyers and dissidents, bloggers, journalists, Tibetans, Uyghurs, Hong Kongers, everything in civil society,” he added.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/china-targets-indian-diaspora-in-mainland-after-ban-on-chinese-apps-320041">China targets Indian diaspora in mainland after ban on Chinese apps</a>

The methods to force someone back to China, outside formal bilateral agreements on extradition and deportation, can range from refusing to renew a passport, to misusing the Interpol red notice system&nbsp;to have&nbsp;international warrants issued, the report said.

They also include exit bans and intimidation of targets’ family members in China, and in-person threats by Chinese agents operating on foreign soil.

&nbsp;At the more extreme end of the scale are acts that Safeguard Defenders termed state-sanctioned kidnappings, but which Beijing calls “irregular methods”.

These sometimes involve covert operations in conjunction with host country forces, the report said, or tricking the target into going to a third country where they could be extradited.

(With inputs from agencies)

According to a report, China has been targeting dissidents, Uyghurs, journalists and Hong Kongers living abroad by using several nefarious methods, including family intimidation and “state-sponsored kidnapping” to bring them back to the mainland.

According to a report, China has been targeting dissidents, Uyghurs, journalists and Hong Kongers living abroad by using several nefarious methods, including family intimidation and “state-sponsored kidnapping” to bring them back to the mainland. A report by human rights group Safeguard Defenders has claimed that the Chinese authorities have brought back more than 2,500 so-called “fugitives” from overseas during the pandemic. During the pandemic, at least 1,421 people were brought back to China in 2020 and 1,114 in 2021, based on government figures, despite international lockdowns and travel restrictions, according to the report published on Tuesday. In December 2021 the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) described the year’s operation as “fruitful”, noted the report. Even though the policy was initially started to capture economic offenders and fugitives in the fields of political and legal and civil affairs, China has expanded the programme to target civil society activists. The report further stressed that more than 10,000 people have been repatriated since Beijing launched two special operations—Fox Hunt in 2014, followed by Sky Net in 2015. Also read | Chinese COVID-19 patients forced to live in metal boxes In July, the Uyghur Human Rights Project documented 395 cases of Uyghurs being deported, extradited, or rendered back to China, reported the Guardian. “Since Xi Jinping came to power the Chinese government intensified the crackdown on civil society,” US-based human rights activist Teng Biao told The Guardian. “They have targeted lawyers and dissidents, bloggers, journalists, Tibetans, Uyghurs, Hong Kongers, everything in civil society,” he added. Also read | China targets Indian diaspora in mainland after ban on Chinese apps The methods to force someone back to China, outside formal bilateral agreements on extradition and deportation, can range from refusing to renew a passport, to misusing the Interpol red notice system to have international warrants issued, the report said. They also include exit bans and intimidation of targets’ family members in China, and in-person threats by Chinese agents operating on foreign soil. At the more extreme end of the scale are acts that Safeguard Defenders termed state-sanctioned kidnappings, but which Beijing calls “irregular methods”. These sometimes involve covert operations in conjunction with host country forces, the report said, or tricking the target into going to a third country where they could be extradited. (With inputs from agencies)

China using intimidation tactics on expatriate dissidents, journalists and Hong Kongers living abroad: Report

60% of Afghan journalists have lost their jobs since the Taliban took over Kabul. Those still working are braving censorship and threats. In the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, journalism is dying a slow and painful death.

South Asia Diary: Afghan media's slow death

A recent survey has revealed a drastic change in the Afghan media landscape since the Taliban took over. Carried out by non-profit organisation Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Afghan Independent Journalists Association (AIJA), the survey talks about how 231 media outlets have been shut and over 6,400 journalists have lost their jobs since the Taliban takeover.

Four out of five women journalists are no longer working.

The head of the International Federation of Journalists earlier said that journalism in Afghanistan is in danger of disappearing. He further said that reporters trying to continue working under the Taliban have been subjected to beatings and imprisonment.&nbsp;

Four months ago, most Afghan provinces had at least 10 privately-owned media outlets. However, now, regions have no local media at all.&nbsp;

A report by RSF cited the example of the mountainous northern province of Parwan where there were at least 10 media outlets in total. However, now just three are functioning.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/to-keep-aid-flowing-to-afghanistan-us-authorises-certain-transactions-with-taliban-439164">Also read |&nbsp;To keep aid flowing to Afghanistan, US authorises certain transactions with Taliban</a>

In Herat and several surrounding provinces, only 18 of the 51 media outlets are still operating. The central Kabul region has lost more than one of every two media outlets. It had the maximum number of media outlets in Afghanistan. Now, out of the 148 tallied before 15 August, only 72 are still operating.

This has led to a major impact on employment in the media sector. At the beginning of August, 10,790 people worked in the Afghan media, out of which 8,290 were men and 2,490 were women.

When this survey was carried out, only 4,360 people, including 3,950 men and 410 women, were remaining.&nbsp;

"Six provinces have seen three-quarters of their male journalists lose their jobs. But no female journalist at all is still working in 15 of the countries 34 provinces. For example, in the northern province of Jowzjan, which used to have 19 media outlets employing 112 women, none of the 12 media outlets still operating is employing a woman," stated the report.&nbsp;

Anthony Bellanger, secretary-general, IFJ while speaking to the Guardian said, I believe what we will see emerge is an official media – a Taliban media – and no women. All other journalists will just disappear. It wasn’t easy before – and even before the Taliban took power, journalists were killed – but it is very bleak now."

(With inputs from agencies)

A recent survey has revealed a drastic change in the Afghan media landscape since the Taliban took over. Carried out by non-profit organisation Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Afghan Independent Journalists Association (AIJA), the survey talks about how 231 media outlets have been shut and over 6,400 journalists have lost their jobs since the Taliban takeover.

A recent survey has revealed a drastic change in the Afghan media landscape since the Taliban took over. Carried out by non-profit organisation Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Afghan Independent Journalists Association (AIJA), the survey talks about how 231 media outlets have been shut and over 6,400 journalists have lost their jobs since the Taliban takeover. Four out of five women journalists are no longer working. The head of the International Federation of Journalists earlier said that journalism in Afghanistan is in danger of disappearing. He further said that reporters trying to continue working under the Taliban have been subjected to beatings and imprisonment. Four months ago, most Afghan provinces had at least 10 privately-owned media outlets. However, now, regions have no local media at all. A report by RSF cited the example of the mountainous northern province of Parwan where there were at least 10 media outlets in total. However, now just three are functioning. Also read | To keep aid flowing to Afghanistan, US authorises certain transactions with Taliban In Herat and several surrounding provinces, only 18 of the 51 media outlets are still operating. The central Kabul region has lost more than one of every two media outlets. It had the maximum number of media outlets in Afghanistan. Now, out of the 148 tallied before 15 August, only 72 are still operating. This has led to a major impact on employment in the media sector. At the beginning of August, 10,790 people worked in the Afghan media, out of which 8,290 were men and 2,490 were women. When this survey was carried out, only 4,360 people, including 3,950 men and 410 women, were remaining. "Six provinces have seen three-quarters of their male journalists lose their jobs. But no female journalist at all is still working in 15 of the countries 34 provinces. For example, in the northern province of Jowzjan, which used to have 19 media outlets employing 112 women, none of the 12 media outlets still operating is employing a woman," stated the report. Anthony Bellanger, secretary-general, IFJ while speaking to the Guardian said, I believe what we will see emerge is an official media – a Taliban media – and no women. All other journalists will just disappear. It wasn’t easy before – and even before the Taliban took power, journalists were killed – but it is very bleak now." (With inputs from agencies)

Since Taliban takeover, over 6,000 Afghan journalists have lost jobs; women journalists severely impacted

China is trying to build, what is being dubbed as one of the world's most sophisticated surveillance technology. Security officials in the Henan province of China have authorised a surveillance system through which they aim at tracking journalists and international students and various other "suspicious people," reveals a report by Reuters. A near-200 page tender document on Henan's provincial government website highlights plans for a system that can compile individual files on people of interest.&nbsp;

This will be done using 3,000 facial recognition cameras that connect to various national and regional databases.

A contract worth $782,000 was awarded to Chinese tech company Neusoft.&nbsp;

The company was asked to complete creating this system within two months of signing the contract, says a report by Reuters citing separate documents published on Henan's government procurement website showed.&nbsp;

US-based surveillance research firm IPVM had closely tracked the network's expansion and was the first to identify the Henan document. It revealed that the tender specified journalists as "surveillance targets" and provided a blueprint to quickly locate them and hamper their working.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/journalists-to-freely-depart-and-return-washington-hails-progress-for-us-media-working-in-china-429911">Also read |&nbsp;Journalists to freely depart and return; Washington hails 'progress' for US media working in China</a>

The tender document specifies that the cameras should be created in a way that they are able to build create an accurate file for individuals who have their faces covered by masks or glasses. Also, those who are targeted must be easily searchable&nbsp;on the database by uploading a picture.

"Suspicious persons must be tailed and controlled, dynamic research analyses and risk assessments made, and the journalists dealt with according to their category," the tender states.

The document from the Henan Public Security department does not provide any reason as to why it wants to track journalists or international students. Another category of people it said it wants to track "women from neighbouring countries that are illegal residents."

Public access to the tender document has been disabled.&nbsp;

"While the PRC has a documented history of detaining and punishing journalists for doing their jobs, this document illustrates the first known instance of the PRC building custom security technology to streamline state suppression of journalists," said IPVM'S Head of Operations Donald Maye.

As of now, the Henan provincial government and police have not responded to the request for comments.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

China is trying to build, what is being dubbed as one of the world's most sophisticated surveillance technology. Security officials in the Henan province of China have authorised a surveillance system through which they aim at tracking journalists and international students and various other "suspicious people," reveals a report by Reuters.

China is trying to build, what is being dubbed as one of the world's most sophisticated surveillance technology. Security officials in the Henan province of China have authorised a surveillance system through which they aim at tracking journalists and international students and various other "suspicious people," reveals a report by Reuters. A near-200 page tender document on Henan's provincial government website highlights plans for a system that can compile individual files on people of interest. This will be done using 3,000 facial recognition cameras that connect to various national and regional databases. A contract worth $782,000 was awarded to Chinese tech company Neusoft. The company was asked to complete creating this system within two months of signing the contract, says a report by Reuters citing separate documents published on Henan's government procurement website showed. US-based surveillance research firm IPVM had closely tracked the network's expansion and was the first to identify the Henan document. It revealed that the tender specified journalists as "surveillance targets" and provided a blueprint to quickly locate them and hamper their working. Also read | Journalists to freely depart and return; Washington hails 'progress' for US media working in China The tender document specifies that the cameras should be created in a way that they are able to build create an accurate file for individuals who have their faces covered by masks or glasses. Also, those who are targeted must be easily searchable on the database by uploading a picture. "Suspicious persons must be tailed and controlled, dynamic research analyses and risk assessments made, and the journalists dealt with according to their category," the tender states. The document from the Henan Public Security department does not provide any reason as to why it wants to track journalists or international students. Another category of people it said it wants to track "women from neighbouring countries that are illegal residents." Public access to the tender document has been disabled. "While the PRC has a documented history of detaining and punishing journalists for doing their jobs, this document illustrates the first known instance of the PRC building custom security technology to streamline state suppression of journalists," said IPVM'S Head of Operations Donald Maye. As of now, the Henan provincial government and police have not responded to the request for comments. (With inputs from agencies)

'Sophisticated surveillance technology': Chinese province targets 'suspicious people'

Security officials in one of China's largest provinces have commissioned a surveillance system they say they want to use to track journalists and international students.

Chinese province targets journalists, foreign students with new surveillance system

On Tuesday, U.S. officials said that they made progress in their talks with Chinese officials to improve working conditions and access for journalists in China.

China's treatment of US journalists has deteriorated in recent years, and Washington regularly denounces it. US has also taken steps against Chinese media operating on US soil, which has been accused of serving as propaganda organs for Beijing.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/at-514-trillion-china-overtakes-us-in-terms-of-amassing-the-biggest-net-worth-429724" hreflang="en">At $514 trillion, China overtakes US in terms of amassing the biggest net worth</a>

In 2020, China expelled Americans working for major news organizations such as the New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal.

On Tuesday, a State Department spokesman said that as a result of the Department's discussions in recent months, "some initial progress" has been made in "a few areas" that relate to the media environment.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-says-it-is-concerned-over-harassment-of-media-covering-china-floods-401617">US says it is concerned over harassment of media covering China floods</a>

"We welcome this progress but see it simply as initial steps," the State Department official said, adding that Washington would continue to push for "expanding access and improving conditions for US and other foreign media," and for broader freedom of the press in general.

The official said China had "committed to issue visas for a group of US reporters, provided they are eligible under all applicable laws and regulations."

Watch |&nbsp;Xi Jinping: China-US should advance cause for world peace

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/xi-jinping-china-us-should-advance-cause-for-world-peace-429657/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Beijing also promised to "permit US journalists already in the PRC (People's Republic of China) to freely depart and return, which they had previously been unable to do," the US official said.

The Chinese government has also announced that US journalist visas will be extended to one year. US officials said Washington would reciprocate on all measures.

According to the State Department, the measures, which were announced on Monday after US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a virtual summit, will allow US media correspondents to return to China "to continue their important work."

On Tuesday, U.S. officials said that they made progress in their talks with Chinese officials to improve working conditions and access for journalists in China. China's treatment of US journalists has deteriorated in recent years, and Washington regularly denounces it.

On Tuesday, U.S. officials said that they made progress in their talks with Chinese officials to improve working conditions and access for journalists in China. China's treatment of US journalists has deteriorated in recent years, and Washington regularly denounces it. US has also taken steps against Chinese media operating on US soil, which has been accused of serving as propaganda organs for Beijing. Also read | At $514 trillion, China overtakes US in terms of amassing the biggest net worth In 2020, China expelled Americans working for major news organizations such as the New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal. On Tuesday, a State Department spokesman said that as a result of the Department's discussions in recent months, "some initial progress" has been made in "a few areas" that relate to the media environment. Also read | US says it is concerned over harassment of media covering China floods "We welcome this progress but see it simply as initial steps," the State Department official said, adding that Washington would continue to push for "expanding access and improving conditions for US and other foreign media," and for broader freedom of the press in general. The official said China had "committed to issue visas for a group of US reporters, provided they are eligible under all applicable laws and regulations." Watch | Xi Jinping: China-US should advance cause for world peace Beijing also promised to "permit US journalists already in the PRC (People's Republic of China) to freely depart and return, which they had previously been unable to do," the US official said. The Chinese government has also announced that US journalist visas will be extended to one year. US officials said Washington would reciprocate on all measures. According to the State Department, the measures, which were announced on Monday after US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a virtual summit, will allow US media correspondents to return to China "to continue their important work."

Journalists to freely depart and return; Washington hails 'progress' for US media working in China

In 1979, two journalists got into an argument. More than four decades later, they haven’t settled it.

The subject of their disagreement was journalistic “objectivity,” a notion that goes back at least to the 1920s, when some of the more high-minded newspapers and magazines were trying to distinguish themselves from the scandal sheets and publications led by partisan and sometimes warmongering publishers.

In one corner, Alan Berger. In 1979, he was a 41-year-old media columnist for the Real Paper, an alternative weekly that had emerged from a rift at its predecessor, Boston Phoenix. Before he started watch-dogging the press, Berger had grown up in the Bronx, attended Harvard University and taught a class at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in French, on the poet Charles Baudelaire.

His target in the debate over objectivity which has come roaring back to life in the political storminess of recent years — was Tom Palmer. Back then, Palmer was a 31-year-old assistant national editor of The Boston Globe, meaning he belonged to the establishment and was thus a ripe target for the Real Paper. Palmer had grown up in a newspaper family in Kansas City, but dreamed of being a farmer before he struggled in organic chemistry and ended up in his father’s trade.

The particular topic of Berger’s column, which ran April 21, 1979, with a teaser on the Real Paper’s front page, was how the media was covering the nuclear accident at Three Mile Island. The underlying subject was something larger, the debate, within the news media industry, over when and whether reporters should tell readers what they really think about the issues and events they are writing about. To make his point, Berger went after Palmer by name, describing him as “thoughtful, honest and entirely conventional.”

Berger wrote that he was particularly struck by something the Globe editor had told him in defence of the paper’s coverage of Three Mile Island: that it was his job “to not make the situation sound any worse than it was.”

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/richest-1-per-cent-of-americans-now-own-more-wealth-than-the-entire-middle-class-419838">Also read |&nbsp;Richest 1 per cent of Americans now own more wealth than the entire middle class</a>

In a recent interview, Berger recalled that his view of the issue was influenced by the news media’s deferential coverage of the Vietnam War. The “excessive fealty to its own traditional notions of balance and objectivity,” he wrote in his column, had actually distorted reality — and Palmer’s earnest dedication to the old values, Berger wrote, was exactly what was so dangerous about him.

“By the end of this millennium, the objectivity of some very decent people in the media will make them, too, look like irresponsible fanatics,” the columnist wrote of Palmer and others like him.

The particulars have changed in the decades since, but much of Berger’s column could have been written yesterday. (And alt-weeklies did prefigure the style and tone of online journalism.) The rise of Donald Trump, and the media’s growing realization that a studied neutrality often conceals a single, dominant perspective has shaken many of the industry’s traditional assumptions.

A diverse new generation of reporters has sought to dismantle the old order, and much of the conflict was playing out, in recent years, at The Washington Post, whose top editor at the time, Martin Baron, had won Pulitzers and challenged presidents by making use of the traditional tools of newspaper journalism. But Baron also bridled at his employees expressing opinions on Twitter about the subjects they covered.

His former protégé, national correspondent Wesley Lowery, argued in a widely circulated New York Times opinion essay that objectivity mirrored the worldview of white reporters and editors, whose “selective truths have been calibrated to avoid offending the sensibilities of white readers.” Lowery, who ended up leaving The Post for CBS News, suggested that news organizations “abandon the appearance of objectivity as the aspirational journalistic standard, and for reporters instead to focus on being fair and telling the truth, as best as one can, based on the given context and available facts.”

That same argument has found an embrace at some of America’s leading journalism schools, as well.

“We focus on fairness and fact-checking and accuracy, and we don’t try to suggest to our students that opinions they have should be hidden,” said Sarah Bartlett, the dean of the City University of New York Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. “We embrace transparency.”

Steve Coll, her counterpart at Columbia Journalism School, who announced Thursday that he was stepping down in June after nine years as dean, said that Columbia tries to teach fairness and intellectual honesty — adding that the old way of thinking has morphed into something new. “The church is gone, and there’s no orthodoxy left,” he said. “There’s many journalisms, and that’s kind of liberating.”

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/jeff-bezos-shares-an-old-article-predicting-amazons-failure-elon-musk-replies-419819">Also read |&nbsp;Jeff Bezos shares an old article predicting Amazon's failure, Elon Musk replies</a>

Much of the shift has to do with the changing nature of the news business, and the decline of local newspapers, whose business often depended on taking an establishment position. The internet has also blurred for readers the lines between news and opinion, which were clear in a print newspaper.

The Globe’s liberal opinion page, in fact, hired Berger in 1982, a few years after he scolded Palmer. The two men sometimes sat down to lunch together in the cafeteria on the Globe’s top floor. The room had a view of downtown and, in those glory days of newspapers, was the frequent site of Olympian debates over the role of the press, another colleague, columnist Ellen Goodman, recalled.

Both men had the sort of long, varied careers that used to be common at big metro newspapers. Berger wrote editorials about foreign policy and a column about the foreign media before retiring in 2011. Palmer toggled between editing and reporting, covering the fall of the Berlin Wall (he brought back a chunk of it for Goodman) and the notorious Boston traffic project known as the Big Dig before a new editor, Baron, moved him to his final beat, real estate. He left The Globe in 2008 and went into public relations.

Palmer also never quite let the argument go. He appointed himself a kind of genial industry watchdog, eventually known for his persistent emails to reporters and editors he thought had allowed their liberal views to infiltrate their copy. He still sends a lot of emails, including to me. When he sent me Berger’s old column, it stuck with me, because it felt so utterly contemporary.

Needless to say, Palmer remains unpersuaded by the arguments against his cherished ideal. They “were dead wrong back then,” he emailed me, “and I believe are dead wrong even more so today.”

“Journalists are simply not smart enough and educated enough to change the world,” he continued. “They should damn well just inform the public to the best of their abilities and let the public decide.”

He also said, ruefully, that he believed his side was losing. The notion of objectivity “was declining before Trump, and that era removed it from the table completely,” he wrote. “I have doubts it will ever come back.”

Berger, in an interview, allowed that he had “to some extent” won the argument. Palmer’s conventional position, in the Trump era, “begins to look like a radical view,” he said.

This decades long argument doesn’t fit neatly onto some of the most important questions of the moment, the ones faced by the journalists who won the Nobel Peace Prize this past week, Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia. They have been persecuted, at heart, not because their governments don’t like their style of journalism, but because their governments won’t tolerate the notion of independent, truth-seeking journalism.

The original idea around the much-misused notion of objectivity, when it was introduced in the 1920s, had to do with making journalism “scientific” — that is, with the idea that reporters could test hypotheses against reality and prove their claims right. In the most generous interpretation, it was about establishing a shared public space in which facts could be arbitrated and knowing that you could also be wrong.

Indeed, one of the easiest ways to know whether you can trust a journalist, I’ve always found, is to check whether the person is capable of admitting they’ve been wrong — something that applies to just-the-facts newspaper editors and moralising columnists alike. People love to mock corrections, but they’re actually a badge of integrity.

Which brings me back to Berger’s 1979 column. Its headline, which would have done well on Twitter had it existed then, was “How the Press Blew Three Mile Island.” Its thrust was that the journalists — “privately anti-nuke,” he wrote — were keeping from their readers their own view that nuclear power was too dangerous to use.

He quoted Palmer saying that “it’s not clear&nbsp;yet&nbsp;who is right” on the big policy questions around nuclear power.

“If not now, when?” Berger asked. “Does there have to be a body count in this war, too?” That line, so soon after Vietnam, stung.

The arguments about journalistic objectivity won’t be resolved any time soon, and you can look forward to my final column in 2061 featuring Baron (107) and Lowery (71). But in the 1970s and 1980s, Berger’s side won the battle over nuclear power. The American nuclear industry never recovered from Three Mile Island, as political factors slowed and then largely stopped the construction of new reactors. It was a liberal triumph of the 1970s that is largely forgotten today.

And yet: Berger now believes he was wrong about that. The American left of that era hadn’t understood the risks of carbon emissions.

“You have to reevaluate all values, because you have to see all the particular questions in light of the danger of drastic climate change,” he told me. Nuclear power, whatever its dangers, doesn’t emit carbon.

And journalists, whichever sect we belong to, should keep in mind our potential to get it wrong.

In 1979, two journalists got into an argument. More than four decades later, they haven’t settled it. The subject of their disagreement was journalistic “objectivity,” a notion that goes back at least to the 1920s, when some of the more high-minded newspapers and magazines were trying to distinguish themselves from the scandal sheets and publications led by partisan and sometimes warmongering publishers.

In 1979, two journalists got into an argument. More than four decades later, they haven’t settled it. The subject of their disagreement was journalistic “objectivity,” a notion that goes back at least to the 1920s, when some of the more high-minded newspapers and magazines were trying to distinguish themselves from the scandal sheets and publications led by partisan and sometimes warmongering publishers. In one corner, Alan Berger. In 1979, he was a 41-year-old media columnist for the Real Paper, an alternative weekly that had emerged from a rift at its predecessor, Boston Phoenix. Before he started watch-dogging the press, Berger had grown up in the Bronx, attended Harvard University and taught a class at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in French, on the poet Charles Baudelaire. His target in the debate over objectivity which has come roaring back to life in the political storminess of recent years — was Tom Palmer. Back then, Palmer was a 31-year-old assistant national editor of The Boston Globe, meaning he belonged to the establishment and was thus a ripe target for the Real Paper. Palmer had grown up in a newspaper family in Kansas City, but dreamed of being a farmer before he struggled in organic chemistry and ended up in his father’s trade. The particular topic of Berger’s column, which ran April 21, 1979, with a teaser on the Real Paper’s front page, was how the media was covering the nuclear accident at Three Mile Island. The underlying subject was something larger, the debate, within the news media industry, over when and whether reporters should tell readers what they really think about the issues and events they are writing about. To make his point, Berger went after Palmer by name, describing him as “thoughtful, honest and entirely conventional.” Berger wrote that he was particularly struck by something the Globe editor had told him in defence of the paper’s coverage of Three Mile Island: that it was his job “to not make the situation sound any worse than it was.” Also read | Richest 1 per cent of Americans now own more wealth than the entire middle class In a recent interview, Berger recalled that his view of the issue was influenced by the news media’s deferential coverage of the Vietnam War. The “excessive fealty to its own traditional notions of balance and objectivity,” he wrote in his column, had actually distorted reality — and Palmer’s earnest dedication to the old values, Berger wrote, was exactly what was so dangerous about him. “By the end of this millennium, the objectivity of some very decent people in the media will make them, too, look like irresponsible fanatics,” the columnist wrote of Palmer and others like him. The particulars have changed in the decades since, but much of Berger’s column could have been written yesterday. (And alt-weeklies did prefigure the style and tone of online journalism.) The rise of Donald Trump, and the media’s growing realization that a studied neutrality often conceals a single, dominant perspective has shaken many of the industry’s traditional assumptions. A diverse new generation of reporters has sought to dismantle the old order, and much of the conflict was playing out, in recent years, at The Washington Post, whose top editor at the time, Martin Baron, had won Pulitzers and challenged presidents by making use of the traditional tools of newspaper journalism. But Baron also bridled at his employees expressing opinions on Twitter about the subjects they covered. His former protégé, national correspondent Wesley Lowery, argued in a widely circulated New York Times opinion essay that objectivity mirrored the worldview of white reporters and editors, whose “selective truths have been calibrated to avoid offending the sensibilities of white readers.” Lowery, who ended up leaving The Post for CBS News, suggested that news organizations “abandon the appearance of objectivity as the aspirational journalistic standard, and for reporters instead to focus on being fair and telling the truth, as best as one can, based on the given context and available facts.” That same argument has found an embrace at some of America’s leading journalism schools, as well. “We focus on fairness and fact-checking and accuracy, and we don’t try to suggest to our students that opinions they have should be hidden,” said Sarah Bartlett, the dean of the City University of New York Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. “We embrace transparency.” Steve Coll, her counterpart at Columbia Journalism School, who announced Thursday that he was stepping down in June after nine years as dean, said that Columbia tries to teach fairness and intellectual honesty — adding that the old way of thinking has morphed into something new. “The church is gone, and there’s no orthodoxy left,” he said. “There’s many journalisms, and that’s kind of liberating.” Also read | Jeff Bezos shares an old article predicting Amazon's failure, Elon Musk replies Much of the shift has to do with the changing nature of the news business, and the decline of local newspapers, whose business often depended on taking an establishment position. The internet has also blurred for readers the lines between news and opinion, which were clear in a print newspaper. The Globe’s liberal opinion page, in fact, hired Berger in 1982, a few years after he scolded Palmer. The two men sometimes sat down to lunch together in the cafeteria on the Globe’s top floor. The room had a view of downtown and, in those glory days of newspapers, was the frequent site of Olympian debates over the role of the press, another colleague, columnist Ellen Goodman, recalled. Both men had the sort of long, varied careers that used to be common at big metro newspapers. Berger wrote editorials about foreign policy and a column about the foreign media before retiring in 2011. Palmer toggled between editing and reporting, covering the fall of the Berlin Wall (he brought back a chunk of it for Goodman) and the notorious Boston traffic project known as the Big Dig before a new editor, Baron, moved him to his final beat, real estate. He left The Globe in 2008 and went into public relations. Palmer also never quite let the argument go. He appointed himself a kind of genial industry watchdog, eventually known for his persistent emails to reporters and editors he thought had allowed their liberal views to infiltrate their copy. He still sends a lot of emails, including to me. When he sent me Berger’s old column, it stuck with me, because it felt so utterly contemporary. Needless to say, Palmer remains unpersuaded by the arguments against his cherished ideal. They “were dead wrong back then,” he emailed me, “and I believe are dead wrong even more so today.” “Journalists are simply not smart enough and educated enough to change the world,” he continued. “They should damn well just inform the public to the best of their abilities and let the public decide.” He also said, ruefully, that he believed his side was losing. The notion of objectivity “was declining before Trump, and that era removed it from the table completely,” he wrote. “I have doubts it will ever come back.” Berger, in an interview, allowed that he had “to some extent” won the argument. Palmer’s conventional position, in the Trump era, “begins to look like a radical view,” he said. This decades long argument doesn’t fit neatly onto some of the most important questions of the moment, the ones faced by the journalists who won the Nobel Peace Prize this past week, Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia. They have been persecuted, at heart, not because their governments don’t like their style of journalism, but because their governments won’t tolerate the notion of independent, truth-seeking journalism. The original idea around the much-misused notion of objectivity, when it was introduced in the 1920s, had to do with making journalism “scientific” — that is, with the idea that reporters could test hypotheses against reality and prove their claims right. In the most generous interpretation, it was about establishing a shared public space in which facts could be arbitrated and knowing that you could also be wrong. Indeed, one of the easiest ways to know whether you can trust a journalist, I’ve always found, is to check whether the person is capable of admitting they’ve been wrong — something that applies to just-the-facts newspaper editors and moralising columnists alike. People love to mock corrections, but they’re actually a badge of integrity. Which brings me back to Berger’s 1979 column. Its headline, which would have done well on Twitter had it existed then, was “How the Press Blew Three Mile Island.” Its thrust was that the journalists — “privately anti-nuke,” he wrote — were keeping from their readers their own view that nuclear power was too dangerous to use. He quoted Palmer saying that “it’s not clear yet who is right” on the big policy questions around nuclear power. “If not now, when?” Berger asked. “Does there have to be a body count in this war, too?” That line, so soon after Vietnam, stung. The arguments about journalistic objectivity won’t be resolved any time soon, and you can look forward to my final column in 2061 featuring Baron (107) and Lowery (71). But in the 1970s and 1980s, Berger’s side won the battle over nuclear power. The American nuclear industry never recovered from Three Mile Island, as political factors slowed and then largely stopped the construction of new reactors. It was a liberal triumph of the 1970s that is largely forgotten today. And yet: Berger now believes he was wrong about that. The American left of that era hadn’t understood the risks of carbon emissions. “You have to reevaluate all values, because you have to see all the particular questions in light of the danger of drastic climate change,” he told me. Nuclear power, whatever its dangers, doesn’t emit carbon. And journalists, whichever sect we belong to, should keep in mind our potential to get it wrong.

Two journalists started an argument in Boston in 1979. It’s not over yet.

As the Russian&nbsp;independent editor Dmitry Muratov&nbsp;was awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize 2021, Russia’s authorities labelled few journalists and publications as 'foreign agents'.<o:p></o:p>

A few hours after the world celebrated Russia’s investigative journalist, the Russian authorities labelled an investigative news outlet, Bellingcat, as a ‘foreign agent’. Along with the media firm, nine other journalists and two other media houses were also treated the same way.<o:p></o:p>

This action by the Russian authorities is being understood as a trial of hampering the work carried out by these journalists and media houses, which is also a lot of times against the ruling government.

<o:p>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nobel-peace-prize-awarded-to-journalists-maria-ressa-and-dmitry-muratov-419104">Nobel Peace Prize awarded to journalists Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov</a></o:p>

However, the Kremlin has denied these allegations, but has maintained that three companies and nine journalists are acting as foreign agents.<o:p></o:p>

The decision by Kremlin was not supported by the Nobel Peace Prize winner, who tweeted, "we will try to help people who have been designated as [foreign] agents, who are being hounded and forced out of Russia."<o:p></o:p>

Bellingcat is known for revealing Russia agents who had been accused of carrying out the Novichok nerve agent attack in Salisbury in 2018.<o:p></o:p>

The news did not come as a shock for the investigative journalism firm.<o:p></o:p>

"What took you so long?" tweeted Christo Grozev, an investigator for Bellingcat.<o:p></o:p>

"Bellingcat has been deemed such a threat to Russia that we've been declared a foreign agent," said Eliot Higgins, Bellingcat’s founder. “I guess this is the Russian Nobel prize?”<o:p></o:p>

Meanwhile, US-registered MNews.world and the Caucasus Knot website have also been included in this list of 'foreign agents'.<o:p></o:p>

Any individual or company that has been labelled as a 'foreign agent' by the Russian government is supposed to register with the authorities and report all activities and finances every six months. In addition to this, all their exchanges, including text messages, are to come with a disclaimer that reads that the concerned person is a foreign agent.<o:p></o:p>

As the Russian independent editor Dmitry Muratov was awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize 2021, Russia’s authorities labelled few journalists and publications as 'foreign agents'.

As the Russian independent editor Dmitry Muratov was awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize 2021, Russia’s authorities labelled few journalists and publications as 'foreign agents'. A few hours after the world celebrated Russia’s investigative journalist, the Russian authorities labelled an investigative news outlet, Bellingcat, as a ‘foreign agent’. Along with the media firm, nine other journalists and two other media houses were also treated the same way. This action by the Russian authorities is being understood as a trial of hampering the work carried out by these journalists and media houses, which is also a lot of times against the ruling government. Also read | Nobel Peace Prize awarded to journalists Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov However, the Kremlin has denied these allegations, but has maintained that three companies and nine journalists are acting as foreign agents. The decision by Kremlin was not supported by the Nobel Peace Prize winner, who tweeted, "we will try to help people who have been designated as [foreign] agents, who are being hounded and forced out of Russia." Bellingcat is known for revealing Russia agents who had been accused of carrying out the Novichok nerve agent attack in Salisbury in 2018. The news did not come as a shock for the investigative journalism firm. "What took you so long?" tweeted Christo Grozev, an investigator for Bellingcat. "Bellingcat has been deemed such a threat to Russia that we've been declared a foreign agent," said Eliot Higgins, Bellingcat’s founder. “I guess this is the Russian Nobel prize?” Meanwhile, US-registered MNews.world and the Caucasus Knot website have also been included in this list of 'foreign agents'. Any individual or company that has been labelled as a 'foreign agent' by the Russian government is supposed to register with the authorities and report all activities and finances every six months. In addition to this, all their exchanges, including text messages, are to come with a disclaimer that reads that the concerned person is a foreign agent.

'Russian Nobel Prize?': Russia labels Bellingcat and other journalists as 'foreign agents'

In a sign that the Taliban may not be in a mood to allow vibrant,&nbsp;free media to flourish, horrific images of Afghan journalists beaten up and tortured by Taliban fighters have surfaced. Afghan newspaper Etilaat Roz has identified these journalists to be their employees.

Nematullah Naqdi and Taqi Daryabi, the journalists were reportedly targetted for covering anti-Taliban march organised by women in Kabul.

The images are disturbing. In one of the photos, the journalists have been clicked stripped down to their innerwear, their bodies showing scars and bruises.

<img alt="Afghan journalists torture" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="6ffc6ed6-9acc-4240-b83f-3d7fc7f57482" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/000_9MG28C.jpg" />

(Image source: AFP)

Etilaat Roz said that the journalists were covering the women's protest when they were abducted, taken to different rooms, beaten up and tortured.

The LA Times said that three other journalists including local head of Euronews, a pan-European news network were also abducted. Several other journalists were arrested.

Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/taliban-beat-protesting-women-with-whip-order-internet-shutdown-in-some-areas-411825">Taliban beat protesting women with whip, order internet shutdown in some areas</a>

After seizing power in the country last month, Taliban has maintained that it would grant freedom of press but their actions have not been reflective of their words.

Lats month, a Tolo news reporter Ziar Yaad Khan was believed to have been killed. Later it was revealed that he was held at gunpoint and assaulted by the Taliban.

A number of media personalities and journalists, including women journalists have been killed in Afghanistan ever since US pullout was declared.

In a sign that the Taliban may not be in a mood to allow vibrant, free media to flourish, horrific images of Afghan journalists beaten up and tortured by Taliban fighters have surfaced.

In a sign that the Taliban may not be in a mood to allow vibrant, free media to flourish, horrific images of Afghan journalists beaten up and tortured by Taliban fighters have surfaced. Afghan newspaper Etilaat Roz has identified these journalists to be their employees. Nematullah Naqdi and Taqi Daryabi, the journalists were reportedly targetted for covering anti-Taliban march organised by women in Kabul. The images are disturbing. In one of the photos, the journalists have been clicked stripped down to their innerwear, their bodies showing scars and bruises. (Image source: AFP) Etilaat Roz said that the journalists were covering the women's protest when they were abducted, taken to different rooms, beaten up and tortured. The LA Times said that three other journalists including local head of Euronews, a pan-European news network were also abducted. Several other journalists were arrested. Also Read: Taliban beat protesting women with whip, order internet shutdown in some areas After seizing power in the country last month, Taliban has maintained that it would grant freedom of press but their actions have not been reflective of their words. Lats month, a Tolo news reporter Ziar Yaad Khan was believed to have been killed. Later it was revealed that he was held at gunpoint and assaulted by the Taliban. A number of media personalities and journalists, including women journalists have been killed in Afghanistan ever since US pullout was declared.

Taliban brutally flog and torture Afghan journalists for covering women's protests

According to a tweet from Afghanistan network Tolo News on Wednesday, the Taliban have arrested five Afghan journalists from Etilaatroz, a Kabul daily.

Five journalists from Etilaatroz, a daily newspaper in Kabul, have been arrested by the Taliban, Zaki Daryabi, the editor in chief of the newspaper, said today, tweets Tolo News.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Five journalists from Etilaatroz, a daily newspaper in Kabul, have been arrested by Taliban, Zaki Daryabi, the editor in chief of the newspaper, said today.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TOLOnews?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TOLOnews</a> <a href="https://t.co/TdyxCPyWhO">pic.twitter.com/TdyxCPyWhO</a>
— TOLOnews (@TOLOnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/TOLOnews/status/1435528508533530626?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Despite the Taliban's assurances to international organisations that it will protect journalists' rights and change its stance on women, many Afghans are said to be sceptical.&nbsp;

The arrest of five journalists comes just one day after the Taliban declared the formation of a new caretaker administration in Afghanistan, led by Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund.&nbsp; 
 
In a another incident, Waheed Ahmadi, a Tolo News journalist, was detained for three hours on Tuesday while covering anti-Pakistan protests in Kabul.

Ahmadi and a dozen other journalists were detained by the Taliban.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Our colleague Waheed Ahmady, who has covered many frontlines over the years, is arrested by the Taliban in Kabul for filming Afghan women's protest. I call on the Taliban to release our colleague asap. <a href="https://t.co/Ab0oETTWfX">https://t.co/Ab0oETTWfX</a>
— Lotfullah Najafizada (@LNajafizada) <a href="https://twitter.com/LNajafizada/status/1435172191394467840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 7, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Meanwhile, the Taliban appointed several hardliners in its new government who oversaw the 20-year fight against the US-led military coalition.

The list announced by chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid was dominated by members of the group's old guard.

Mullah Muhammad Hassan Akhund has been appointed prime minister with two deputies, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and Molavi Abdul Salam Hanafi.

(With inputs from agencies)

According to a tweet from Afghanistan network Tolo News on Wednesday, the Taliban have arrested five Afghan journalists from Etilaatroz, a Kabul daily. Five journalists from Etilaatroz, a daily newspaper in Kabul, have been arrested by the Taliban, Zaki Daryabi, the editor in chief of the newspaper, said today, tweets Tolo News.

According to a tweet from Afghanistan network Tolo News on Wednesday, the Taliban have arrested five Afghan journalists from Etilaatroz, a Kabul daily. Five journalists from Etilaatroz, a daily newspaper in Kabul, have been arrested by the Taliban, Zaki Daryabi, the editor in chief of the newspaper, said today, tweets Tolo News. Five journalists from Etilaatroz, a daily newspaper in Kabul, have been arrested by Taliban, Zaki Daryabi, the editor in chief of the newspaper, said today.#TOLOnews pic.twitter.com/TdyxCPyWhO — TOLOnews (@TOLOnews) September 8, 2021 × Despite the Taliban's assurances to international organisations that it will protect journalists' rights and change its stance on women, many Afghans are said to be sceptical. The arrest of five journalists comes just one day after the Taliban declared the formation of a new caretaker administration in Afghanistan, led by Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund. In a another incident, Waheed Ahmadi, a Tolo News journalist, was detained for three hours on Tuesday while covering anti-Pakistan protests in Kabul. Ahmadi and a dozen other journalists were detained by the Taliban. Our colleague Waheed Ahmady, who has covered many frontlines over the years, is arrested by the Taliban in Kabul for filming Afghan women's protest. I call on the Taliban to release our colleague asap. https://t.co/Ab0oETTWfX — Lotfullah Najafizada (@LNajafizada) September 7, 2021 × Meanwhile, the Taliban appointed several hardliners in its new government who oversaw the 20-year fight against the US-led military coalition. The list announced by chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid was dominated by members of the group's old guard. Mullah Muhammad Hassan Akhund has been appointed prime minister with two deputies, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and Molavi Abdul Salam Hanafi. (With inputs from agencies)

Taliban arrest five journalists of a Kabul newspaper day after forming caretaker govt

The collapse of Afghanistan government and Taliban's return to power has sent shockwaves throughout the world. But the forcible change in government means a lot of things for Afghan people. There is a lot of apprehension about what will happen next within the country.

The Taliban are hardline Islamists who have extreme ideas about number of social matters like gender equality. During their previous reign in late 90s, Taliban had imposed harsh, oppressive restrictions on women and brutally punished, even killed those who appeared to 'violate' their diktat by slightest of margins.

Women journalists now fear retribution by the Taliban. They already have been receiving death threats from Taliban and those against gender equality. Now these women journalists are trying to destroy their online footprint as well as keep a low profile.

“In the last 24 hours, our lives have changed and we have been confined to our homes, and death threatens us at every moment...We see silence filled with fear of the Taliban around us,” The Guardian quoted a woman journalist as saying.

There are reports of Taliban already establishing harsh rule against women. There are also reports of women and girls forcibly being taken as wives or sexually exploited by Taliban fighters.

The collapse of Afghanistan government and Taliban's return to power has sent shockwaves throughout the world. But the forcible change in government means a lot of things for Afghan people.

The collapse of Afghanistan government and Taliban's return to power has sent shockwaves throughout the world. But the forcible change in government means a lot of things for Afghan people. There is a lot of apprehension about what will happen next within the country. The Taliban are hardline Islamists who have extreme ideas about number of social matters like gender equality. During their previous reign in late 90s, Taliban had imposed harsh, oppressive restrictions on women and brutally punished, even killed those who appeared to 'violate' their diktat by slightest of margins. Women journalists now fear retribution by the Taliban. They already have been receiving death threats from Taliban and those against gender equality. Now these women journalists are trying to destroy their online footprint as well as keep a low profile. “In the last 24 hours, our lives have changed and we have been confined to our homes, and death threatens us at every moment...We see silence filled with fear of the Taliban around us,” The Guardian quoted a woman journalist as saying. There are reports of Taliban already establishing harsh rule against women. There are also reports of women and girls forcibly being taken as wives or sexually exploited by Taliban fighters.

Women journalists fear for life in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan

Pakistans Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has taken journalists Amir Mir and Imran Shafqat into custody, Geo News reported. 
 
Mir was picked up by the FIA`s cybercrime cell earlier on Saturday when he left his home for office. Sources said that the FIA personnel took the journalist and his car. Mir runs a web channel nowadays. 
 
It is not yet clear on what charges Mir and Shafqat have been arrested by the cyber crime wing. 
 
Meanwhile, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto has strongly condemned the arrest of Mir and Shafqat, and demanded their release. 
 
"Imran Khan continues the victimisation of political opponents and media critics to hide his incompetence and failures," the PPP leader said in a statement on Twitter. 
 
Shafqat`s detention is part of a media clampdown in Pakistan by the Imran Khan government. Shafqat`s shows were critical of the Pakistan Prime Minister and the establishment.

Pakistans Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has taken journalists Amir Mir and Imran Shafqat into custody, Geo News reported. Mir was picked up by the FIA`s cybercrime cell earlier on Saturday when he left his home for office.

Pakistans Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has taken journalists Amir Mir and Imran Shafqat into custody, Geo News reported. Mir was picked up by the FIA`s cybercrime cell earlier on Saturday when he left his home for office. Sources said that the FIA personnel took the journalist and his car. Mir runs a web channel nowadays. It is not yet clear on what charges Mir and Shafqat have been arrested by the cyber crime wing. Meanwhile, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto has strongly condemned the arrest of Mir and Shafqat, and demanded their release. "Imran Khan continues the victimisation of political opponents and media critics to hide his incompetence and failures," the PPP leader said in a statement on Twitter. Shafqat`s detention is part of a media clampdown in Pakistan by the Imran Khan government. Shafqat`s shows were critical of the Pakistan Prime Minister and the establishment.

Imran Khan clamps down on Pakistan media, 2 journalists detained

Committee to Protect Journalists said on Saturday that sentencing of Iraqi Kurdish journalists Sherwan Sherwani and Guhdar Zebari to six years in jail "for jeopardising Kurdish national security" was "unfair and disproportionate".

The journalists were arrested in Kurdish region of Iraq last year after their coverage of anti-government protests in Duhok, a province controlled by ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party, reported Al-Jazeera. The freelance journalists were found guilty on February 16 by a court in Erbil that held them guilty for putting Kurdish national security at risk.

They cited social media exchanges wherein they had criticised the government. According to a report by Voice of America (VOA), Sherwani`s lawyer said journalistic materials were presented as evidence of spying, and others pointed out that the region`s prime minister had described the journalists as spies in a press conference a week before the trial.

"With this verdict, the Kurdish authorities are sending a clear message: the press freedom that they claim to defend and to uphold and to respect is not being respected," Ignacio Miguel Delgado, the CPJ Middle East and North Africa representative, told Al Jazeera.

"Iraqi Kurdistan keeps claiming that it`s the only democracy [in the region] and it takes pride in that...But what we have witnessed throughout 2020 and into this new year is the exact opposite, at least as far as press freedom goes," said Delgado.

Meanwhile, the VOA has reported Sherwani as saying that he was tortured both mentally and physically during the investigation."While I was under investigation, I was not allowed to see my lawyers, I got tortured physically and mentally, they threatened me of raping my wife," Sherwani told the court.

(With ANI inputs)

Committee to Protect Journalists said on Saturday that sentencing of Iraqi Kurdish journalists Sherwan Sherwani and Guhdar Zebari to six years in jail "for jeopardising Kurdish national security" was "unfair and disproportionate".

Committee to Protect Journalists said on Saturday that sentencing of Iraqi Kurdish journalists Sherwan Sherwani and Guhdar Zebari to six years in jail "for jeopardising Kurdish national security" was "unfair and disproportionate". The journalists were arrested in Kurdish region of Iraq last year after their coverage of anti-government protests in Duhok, a province controlled by ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party, reported Al-Jazeera. The freelance journalists were found guilty on February 16 by a court in Erbil that held them guilty for putting Kurdish national security at risk. They cited social media exchanges wherein they had criticised the government. According to a report by Voice of America (VOA), Sherwani`s lawyer said journalistic materials were presented as evidence of spying, and others pointed out that the region`s prime minister had described the journalists as spies in a press conference a week before the trial. "With this verdict, the Kurdish authorities are sending a clear message: the press freedom that they claim to defend and to uphold and to respect is not being respected," Ignacio Miguel Delgado, the CPJ Middle East and North Africa representative, told Al Jazeera. "Iraqi Kurdistan keeps claiming that it`s the only democracy [in the region] and it takes pride in that...But what we have witnessed throughout 2020 and into this new year is the exact opposite, at least as far as press freedom goes," said Delgado. Meanwhile, the VOA has reported Sherwani as saying that he was tortured both mentally and physically during the investigation."While I was under investigation, I was not allowed to see my lawyers, I got tortured physically and mentally, they threatened me of raping my wife," Sherwani told the court. (With ANI inputs)

6-year jail for Iraqi Kurdish journalists unfair, says Committee to Protect Journalists

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