After the Colombian Association of Newspaper Editors and Media (Andiarios) decided to run the opinion column that prompted the libel lawsuit by Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa, newspapers all over Latin America decided to follow suit on Thursday, Feb. 23, reported the Ecuadorian newspaper El Universo, the daily being sued by Correa.
The journalist Claudia Julieta Duque filed a complaint against the Colombian ex-president Álvaro Uribe for libel and defamation for associating her with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), reported Caracol Radio.
A group of Ecuadorian government supporters, known as correistas.com, has launched a campaign against all news publications that have recently criticized Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa for his multiple attacks on press freedom and freedom of expression, explained the organization Fundamedios.
A coalition of 29 news outlets and organizations has filed a brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals asking the court to uphold a lower-court's decision blocking prosecutors from forcing New York Times reporter James Risen to reveal his sources, reported Politico. The amicus brief, filed on behalf of the news groups on Tuesday, Feb. 21, argues that "the confidentiality of journalists’ communications with their sources has been vital to ensuring that the press effectively performs its constitutionally protected role of disse
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has called on the Ecuadorian government to suspend the controversial defamation sentence against the newspaper El Universo, its owners, and the former opinion page editor Emilio Palacio, who are facing three years in prison and $40 million in fines, according to BBC Mundo.
Venezuelan sports journalist Walter Obregón denounced on Twitter that he was threatened by Zamora Football Club fans on Friday, Feb. 15, in the Venezuelan state of Barinas, reported the NGO Espacio Público.
Around the world, at least 46 journalists were killed for their work in 2011, and another 35 deaths are being investigated to determine whether they were journalism related, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists' (CPJ) annual report documenting attacks on the press, reported the news agency AFP. For the second year in a row, the CPJ report named Pakistan as the deadliest country for journalists, said Radio Free Europe, and CPJ said Mexico is first worldwide for retaliation against reporting done via social m
An Italian journalist criticized Honduran soldiers for intimidating and threatening foreign press members who were covering the International Gathering for Human Rights, held in the Lower Aguán, a valley in northern Honduras where farm workers seeking to reclaim their lands have suffered repression and abuse, reported the organization C-Libre.
The president of Panama, Ricardo Martinelli, offered asylum to Ecuadoran journalist Carlos Pérez Barriga, one of the owners of the El Universo newspaper who, along with his two brothers, was just sentenced to three years in prison and $40 million in fines for defaming Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa, according to the non-governmental organization Fundamedios. Martinelli made the announcement via his Twitter account on Thursday, Feb. 16.
A racist headline and offensive commentary about Asian-American basketball Player Jeremy Lin have resulted in the firing of an ESPN employee and the suspension of an anchor, ESPN itself reported on Sunday, Feb. 19. The personnel actions follow apologies the sports cable network issued on Saturday, Feb. 18.
After speaking with the victim's friends and relatives, investigators into the death of Brazilian journalist Paulo Roberto Cardoso Rodrigues have found stronger evidence that the reporter was killed because of his journalistic activities, explained the news website Midiamax. Paraguayan reporter Cándido Figueiredo said he was warned by the Brazilian police of a plan to kill the journalist, known as Paulo Rocaro, because of his coverage of drug trafficking on the border between the two nations.
Two Argentine journalists were threatened at gunpoint on Monday, Feb. 13, in La Plata, in the province of Buenos Aires, reported the Argentine Journalism Forum (FOPEA in Spanish).