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Feature

In Feature, News

Record number of journalists jailed in 2020

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) have released their end of year report, revealing a record number of journalists were jailed in 2020, as governments cracked down on freedoms during the Covid-19 pandemic, and dealt with economic and political instabilities. The AJF is not surprised by these global figures. In 2020 we begun our Asia–Pacific Press Freedom Landscape Mapping (PFLM)...
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In Feature, News

Bloomberg journalist latest to be detained in China

Haze Fan, a Bloomberg correspondent in their Beijing bureau, has been arrested by Chinese officials under suspicion of endangering national security. In the last year, Chinese officials have detained 17 foreign journalists and placed restrictions on the visas of at least 12 others. Cheng Lei, an Australian television anchor based in China, has been detained since August. In the wake...
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In Advocacy & Action, Feature, News

AJF seeks to resolve press freedom issue in NT

The AJF has offered to help resolve the escalating issue between the NT Government and local digital publication the NT Independent. Banning legitimate news publishers from press conferences is a contradiction to the tenets of a liberal democracy. The Government's concerns about the legitimacy of he publication lie with its owner, not its journalism, and so the AJF seeks a...
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In Feature, News

Maria Ressa faces second cyber libel charge

Maria Ressa is now facing a second charge of cyber libel after tweeting a screenshot of a supposedly libellous article. The Alliance for Journalists' Freedom urges the Duterte regime to drop these charges. Ressa filed a motion to quash the recent charge, citing that a journalist should be responsible for the caption accompanying the shared  screenshot, not the screenshot itself....
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In Advocacy & Action, Feature, News

Journalist Ronnie Villamor killed in Philippines

Filipino journalist Ronnie Villamor has been shot dead at a check point in Central Philippines. Villamor was a contributor to the local independent Dos Kantos Balita weekly tabloid. This is the second shooting of a journalist within the last two weeks, after the shooting of Virgilio Maganes on November 10th. The Philippines is 7th on the CPJ's Global Impunity Index, which...
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In Advocacy & Action, Feature, News

Ita Buttrose joins AJF’s call for MFA

Ita Buttrose has joined AJF's call for a Media Freedom Act (MFA). Buttrose, in a speech to the Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation, noted the need for a MFA to strengthen our democracy and balance our national security laws with the public's right to know. The AJF has been calling for a MFA since we released our White Paper, three...
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In Advocacy & Action, Feature, News

Journalist Virgilio Maganes killed in Philippines

Filipino journalist Virgilio Maganes has been shot dead, in the second attempt on his life. Maganes was a commentator for DWPR radio station, and was 62 years old. The Philippines is 7th on the CPJ's Global Impunity Index, which calculates the number of unsolved journalist murders as a percentage of each country’s population. The Guardian published an article on Maganes'...
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In Advocacy & Action, Feature, Media Releases, News

Media Release: AJF calls for Voluntary Certification Program for Journalists

The Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom has called for a voluntary certification program for Australian journalists as an essential step towards building trust in journalism, and distinguishing journalists from what can be false and misleading commentary on social and digital channels. Professor Peter Greste, AJF spokesperson, says: “We believe that a voluntary certification program is needed now. As journalism and the...
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In Advocacy & Action, Feature, News

Government ban on NT Independent sets dangerous precedent

The NT's Government blacklisting of news outlet NT Independent seems to be based on personal relationships, rather than concerns about the journalism practiced by the outlet. The AJF commented, saying that the NT Government should reverse its position on the NT Independent immediately. "We can't imagine any Australian government — state or federal — would knowingly restrict press freedom. News...
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