Tangled in an everlasting battle against the Ecuadorian press, the Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa attacked and discredited the work of journalists once again during an interview with the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, in the program “The World Tomorrow,” on Tuesday, May 22, reported the news outlet Europa Press.
Beyond recognizing the serious crisis of safety and security for journalists in Latin America and the Caribbean, the 10th annual Austin Forum on Journalism in the Americas, held May 20-22 in Austin, Texas, served as a platform to launch ideas about how to solve the problem of insecurity. The largest ever Forum, with more than 70 participants representing the Caribbean and most countries in the Americas, was themed "Safety and Protection for Journalists, Bloggers, and Citizen Journalists."
Journalist organizations condemned a court order that forces a Puerto Rican journalist to reveal the identity of a confidential source, reported the newspaper El Nuevo Día.
In the annual Amnesty International 2012 report presented in London on Wednesday, May 23, the group said that there "were new restrictions" to freedom of expression in Venezuela, with journalists facing fines and myriad accusations, reported the newspaper El Universal and the news agency EFE.
During the last day of the 10th Austin Forum on Journalism in the Americas, held May 20-22, the participants gathered into four groups to discuss different and important topics about this year's theme: "Security and Protection for Journalists, Blogger, and Citizen Journalists."
The emotional consequences of chronic stress impact freedom of expression, said Bruce Shapiro, executive director of the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma during the opening session of the second day of the 10th annual Austin Forum on Journalism in the Americas. “Exhaustion and emotional crisis are as effective forms of censorship for silencing a journalist as jail sentences or a bullet," Shapiro said.
“I need a gun,” is what a journalist requested as a safety measure to work in Veracruz, one of the most dangerous places for the Mexican press. After the request, Daniela Pastrana, of the Mexican organizationJournalists on Foot (Periodistas a Pie) responded to that journalist that a fire arm was not the solution, but her colleague from Veracruz insisted: “I don't want the gun to defend myself, but to make sure they don't catch me alive." The reporter's response came after five Mexican journalists were found dead with signs of torture in the last 30 days.
Highlighting the need to celebrate journalists' work as way of creating a country- and world-wide atmosphere respecting freedom of expression, Guy Berger, director of UNESCO's Division of Freedom of Expression and media development, briefly outlined the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity during the first day of the 10th annual Austin Forum on Journalism in the Americas.
During the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas' 10th annual Austin Forum on Journalism in the Americas, a panel of experts moderated by renowned Peruvian journalist Gustavo Gorriti, director of IDL-Reporteros, warned that while the Internet is an invaluable resource for journalists, it can also become a powerful tool that can be used against them if proper precautions are not taken. The panel, "Safety and Protection on Cyberspace: Threats and Vulnerabilities Facing Journalists and Online Media," was held Monday, May 21, as part of the Forum, which continues through May 22 in Austin, Texas.
“Protecting journalists is not a recommendation but an institutional obligation of the state," said the special rapporteur for freedom of expression of the Organization of American States, Catalina Botero, during her presentation at the 10th annual Austin Forum on Journalism in the Americas addressing Security and Protection for Journalists, held May 20-22 in Austin, Texas.
Latin American journalists increasingly are facing legal threats to freedom of expression, according to experts on the panel "The Legal Threats to Press Freedom: From the Old Criminal Defamation Laws to the Newest Attempts to Regulate the Internet," during the 10th annual Austin Forum on Journalism in the Americas organized by the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas and the Open Society Fondations, held May 20-22 in Austin, Texas.
The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) has called on the Venezuelan government to end its defamation campaign against the newspaper Notitarde, IAPA announced on its website on Friday, May 18. According to IAPA, the campaign is a "a malicious discrediting maneuver" initiated by federal and state legislators of the ruling party.