Philip Jacobsen, 30, is an award winning young journalist who has been critical of environmental degradation and reported on alleged corruption in Indonesia. Jacobsen’s passport was confiscated in December in Palangkaraya, and on January 21 he was detained under the suspicion of committing a visa violation against the 2011 immigration law. This means he could face a sentence of up…
Luanda Leaks, a recent investigation by the ICIJ (International Consortium of Investigative Journalists) and 36 media partners, reveals twenty years worth of corruption that has made Isabel dos Santos Africa’s wealthiest woman and left Angola as one of the poorest countries in the world. Luanda Leaks provides yet another example of a collaborative, global journalism network successfully managing to expose…
Global organisation Human Rights Watch has criticised Australia’s poorly defined national security laws and critical lack of press freedom legislation in their recent annual report. The Age describe this in a recent article, which can be read here. Australia begins 2020 in 21st position on RSF’s World Press Freedom Index, having slipped two places since 2018. Recommendations from the two…
China, sitting at 177 of 180 on RSF’s global press freedom index, is not known for its liberal treatment of journalists. Major news organisations are creating specific roles for covering China remotely. Further details in Axios here.
The CPJ have released their report on journalists imprisoned, missing and killed around the world in 2019. China tops the list this year, eclipsing Turkey, with 48 journalists detained throughout the year. Read the Forbes article here.
The CIVICUS Monitor, a global assessor of democratic freedoms made up of various human rights centres, recently published findings about the downgrading of Australia’s democracy, from ‘open’ to ‘narrowed’ after raids on journalists, prosecution of whistleblowers and other civil freedom issues that have come to the fore this year. Australia needs a Media Freedom Act to ensure we can strengthen…
Saving regional and rural media is going to be a growing conversation in Australia. Here is one example… Photo credit: Unsplash
The New York Times published a piece by Mark Zuckerberg this week, in which he reinforces the critical role journalism plays in a healthy democracy. “I believe deeply in the social good that journalism provides. Today, it’s more important than ever: We need the news to scrutinize the powerful, reliably document major events and uncover new truths. This makes our…
Larry King has called on the Morrison government to bring in legislative reforms in line with the AJF’s call for a Media Freedom Act, in a recent interview with The Australian. “A strong media is essential to the progress of a country and the wellbeing of a country.” King said. King, who is a titan of the US Media Industry,…
21 October 2019 AJF Media Release: We Need a Meeting of Minds The AJF welcomes the Australia’s Right to Know Coalition (ARTK) campaign for media freedom, which calls on the government to immediately address the lack of transparency damaging our democracy. We support all its campaign aims. This is a critical moment for both the media, the security services, and…