Folha.com, the online site of Brazil's largest circulating newspaper, has begun to host the blog The Wall ("Mural"), the start of a news agency for communities in Greater São Paulo. The project was created by journalist Bruno Garcez as part of a Knight International Journalism Fellowship offered through the International Center for Journalists. Mural will be produced by a network of more than 50 community correspondents, who participated in training workshops about citizen journalism.
In his first news conference held exclusively for bloggers, outgoing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva strongly criticized traditional media, saying he had quit reading the opposition press, O Estado de S. Paulo newspaper reports. Among his plans after leaving office Jan. 1, Lula says he’ll blog and tweet, Spain’s El País says.
Luis Horacio Nájera, who won asylum in Canada two years ago, was honored last week in Toronto by Canadian Journalists for Free Expression, for his reporting in the violent border city Ciudad Juárez. His Mexican colleague Emilio Gutiérrez Soto and three journalists from Cameroon were also awarded prizes, The Toronto Star reports.
The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) has praised Peru's decision to create a special jurisdiction to prosecute serious crimes against journalists, calling it "of far-reaching importance for the battle against impunity.” Starting this month, the new jurisdiction will try cases of assassination, serious injuries, kidnapping, and extortion of journalists.
Since the Law Against Racism and All Forms of Discrimination took effect in Bolivia Oct. 8, La Patria newspaper of Oruro has published the following disclaimer on Page 3: “We reserve the right to publish or reject any announcement, information, and/or opinion text that could harm our newspaper. As a consequence, one can not accuse this newspaper of discrimination, partiality, self-censorship, or any other abuse of the right to free expression."
Brazilian photojournalist Paulo Whitaker, who works for the Reuters news agency, was shot in the left shoulder Friday (Nov. 26) while covering the third day of gun battles in Rio de Janeiro, The Guardian reports. His injury was not life-threatening, and he was recovering quickly, Reuters says.
Columnist and satirist Laureano Márquez won the International Press Freedom Award from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) for his independent commentary while under constant harassment from the government of President Hugo Chávez.
The Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Catalina Botero, said access to public information in Brazil is an important tool for understanding what happened during the military dictatorship (1964-1985). She argued that the release of such documents, however, cannot be accompanied by any type of rules on the use of the documents by journalists or other members of the public. "Media outlets have the responsibility to manage news, but beyond guaranteeing access, the law cannot
At least four journalists have disappeared in the Mexican state of Michoacán since 2006 - an epicenter of the government’s offensive against drug trafficking - and there have not been any concrete developments in the investigations by the federal and state authorities, Reporters without Borders (RWB) reports.
The Venezuelan government issued a decree prohibiting the unauthorized use of the “name, image, or figure” of President Hugo Chávez for public works, political and social organizations, or ad campaigns, EFE and AFP report.