Free expression

Samson Wire, a photographer and Boniface Okendo, a videographer at Standard Group, a leading multi-media house in Kenya. Kenyan journalists are warning of escalating tensions and violence amid rising threats to press freedom © Francis Odee

Press Freedom Struggles in Kenya

Cases of harassment have mounted amid a surge in police brutality as well as overt government antagonism.

3 May 24

A news anchor waits for a broadcast as another 13 Israeli hostages are released from Gaza and brought back to Israel, during the third day of the temporary truce, outside The Museum of Modern Art known as the 'The Hostages and Missing Square' on November 25, 2023 in Tel Aviv, Israel. © Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images

Israel’s Media Blindness Over Gaza

Why there’s such a gap between what Israelis and the rest of the world see on their TV screens and social media feeds.

2 May 24

A TV journalist prepares to do a piece to camera in front of an armoured personnel carrier on the frontline between Ukrainian forces and pro Russian separatists near the eastern Ukrainian city of Debaltseve, in the Donetsk region on 24, 2014. © SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images

Ukraine’s Information Vacuum

Those living under occupation can only get their news from Russian media and social networks.

1 May 24

Moldova blocked access to more than 20 Russian media websites in October of last year, including Russia Today, saying they had been used as part of an information war against the country. © Misha Friedman/Getty Images

Moldova Struggles to Balance Security and Free Speech

Opinion remains divided on how effective bans on pro-Kremlin outlets have been in protecting country’s information space.

1 May 24

Under Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, criminal cases have been initiated in which journalists and bloggers have been imprisoned. © Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Kyrgyz Media Under Pressure

Criminal cases decried as attempts to intimidate and impose censorship.

23 Jan 24

On September 13 Belarus' opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya presented the project of the new "alternative" Belarusian passport to the European Parliament. A new decree requires Belarusians to return to their home country to obtain or renew key documents, leaving opposition politicians and human rights activists in exile at risk. © tsikhanouskaya.org

Belarusians Abroad Face Document Limbo

A new decree requires citizens to renew passports in-country, putting exiled government critics at risk.

3 Oct 23

Vladislav Yesypenko in court. © Crimea.Realities/Radio Free Europe

Crimea: Tortured into Confession

The detention and sham trial of a reporter illustrates how the Russian-controlled authorities treat independent media on the peninsula.

10 Jul 23

The Kyrgyz authorities are seeking to introduce controls over the screening of audio-visual materials during festivals, conferences and trainings, in a move that rights’ groups consider a further restriction of basic freedoms. © Aneta Pawlik/Unsplash

Kyrgyzstan Mulls Mandatory Licenses for all Video Content

Warning that draft resolution that foresees the introduction of blanket oversight could violate country’s constitution.

10 May 23

A journalist runs as smoke rises behind after a bombardment in Bakhmut, Eastern Ukraine. © Bulent Kilic/AFP via Getty Images

Celebrating Achievements, Recognising Threats and Recommitting to the Effort

The free and healthy function of the media has never been more important, or hard fought for.

3 May 23

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and close collaborators meet on February 26, 2022 in front of a large screen tuned on United News, the joint information telethon, which was launched at the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. © Volodymy Zelensky’s official Facebook

Has Ukraine’s News Telethon Impacted Media Freedom?

Since the start of the war, TV stations have combined forces to produce a single informational resource.