TURKEY
Journalist Arrests Spark Democracy Fears
AFP’s Yasin Akgul arrested after covering protests over Erdogan rival Imamoglu’s jailing.
Akgul: The aim of the arrests is to send a message to journalists — “don’t film, don’t speak, don’t publish.”
7 journalists detained; 2,000 protest-related arrests since March 19.
BBC’s Mark Lowen deported; legal crackdown extends even to lawyers.
@Sheril That's the fascist fight against #pressfreedom
"Signalgate is an embarrassing exercise in ‘Mother, may I?’ journalism, revealing how the government’s convoluted system of secrecy has confused the press about what it can or should publish. The real victim here is the public.
No one involved in the Signal text affair comes out looking good. Not Trump’s top national security officials discussing an imminent U.S. military strike on a public app, outside of the secure channels that taxpayers shelled out billions to set up.
Not the rest of the government (including Congress) that can’t seem to explain or even understand the basic rules of the secrecy regime it put in place and is supposed to oversee.
Not Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg, who explicitly waited for President Trump’s permission to report on the texts, even though the attack on the Houthis had already taken place over a week prior.
And not the news media overall that showered Goldberg with praise for deferring to the government while propagating the falsehood that publishing what the government deems “classified” is illegal.
This is how our democracy dies: in deference.
Goldberg has said he decided not to publish the actual text messages he received until Trump and his flunkies claimed they weren’t “classified.” In basing his decision on the government’s stamp of approval rather than on clear public interest, Goldberg smells more like a bureaucrat than a journalist."
https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/signalgates-classified-texts-stump
"The war in Gaza has, since October 7, 2023, killed more journalists than the U.S. Civil War, World Wars I and II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War (including the conflicts in Cambodia and Laos), the wars in Yugoslavia in the 1990s and 2000s, and the post-9/11 war in Afghanistan, combined. It is, quite simply, the worst ever conflict for reporters."
@StillIRise1963 nodds in agreement
Legality ("#PressFreedom does not unbind one¶from loyality to the #Constitution [and its values].") aside, it is #unethical and a violation of journalistic principles!
Shoot the Messenger, Sunday Edition: Reporting on a leak is not unethical, Hamilton County
See the Chattanooga Times Free Press's full OpEd at: https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2025/mar/30/opinion-reporting-on-a-leak-is-not-unethical/
I watched "The Trust Fall", a documentary on Julian Assange. I followed his story closely, but it's still scary how his ordeal is an attack on freedom of speech, on whistelblowers, on our so called free democracies and on #pressfreedom.
It just does not exist.
I hope all of you will watch:
"The Trust Fall".
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt30419970/reviews/?ref_=tt_ururv_sm
Posting in my personal capacity: Judge temporarily blocks dismantling of #VOA 
https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5221195-judge-blocks-voice-of-america-dismantling/amp/ #voiceofamerica #usagm #pressfreedom #Congress #US #saveVOA
TURKEY | 
SWEDEN Swedish Journalist Jailed in Turkey
Kaj Joakim Medin jailed for “terror links” & “insulting Erdogan.”
He was covering protests over Erdogan rival Imamoglu’s arrest.
Sweden demands consular access, says he’s punished for reporting.
Past warzone reporting also cited in charges.
ICYMI: Amnesty International Condemns Harassment and Intimidation of Journalists in Kano State https://www.rainsmediaradio.com/2025/03/amnesty-international-condemns.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon Follow, Like & Share #PressFreedom #JournalismMatters #AmnestyInternational #HumanRights #MediaSafety
Idaho passes a bill to protect journalists.
https://idahocapitalsun.com/briefs/idaho-will-have-journalism-shield-law-after-gov-little-signs-bill/
Showing that #PressFreedom is not a partisan issue. It is not the Democrats or the Republicans who want to silence the press, it is Autocrats.
TURKEY Swedish Journalist Detained in Istanbul
Joakim Medin detained after reporting protests over Erdogan’s rival Imamoglu’s arrest.
Sweden demands answers, calls it a threat to press freedom.
BBC’s Mark Lowen deported earlier this week under “public order threat.”
1800+ detained including 11 journalists in nationwide protests.
Silence the press, and you silence the people.
#press #news #presse #aktuell #recht #politik #politics #germany #democracy #pressfreedom #ifg
" CDU &CSU wollen unter Verhandlungsvorsitz Amthors das Informationsfreiheitsgesetz (IFG) abschaffen. Dieses garantiert Bürger*innen den Anspruch auf Zugang zu amtlichen Informationen & ist zentral für #Demokratie & #Pressefreiheit in #Deutschland . Es ist eines der wenigen Gesetze, die Regierungsverantwortliche in die Rechenschaft vor uns zwingen & sie kontrollierbar machen"
Amnesty International Condemns Harassment and Intimidation of Journalists in Kano State https://www.rainsmediaradio.com/2025/03/amnesty-international-condemns.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon Follow, Like & Share #PressFreedom #JournalismMatters #AmnestyInternational #MediaRights #HumanRights
The Associated Press and Trump administration are due back in court in their fight over White House access.
“It’s really about whether the government can control what you say.”
TURKEY AFP Journalist Jailed Over Protest Coverage
Yasin Akgul detained pending trial for “joining illegal gatherings.” AFP says Akgul was covering, not participating in, protests. 1,400+ people detained in protests over Mayor Imamoglu’s jailing. Gov’t faces continued defiance after 6 nights of unrest.
"As readers of this newsletter know, I think people are mature enough to handle difficult truths. That’s why I’ve published documents other outlets refused to, from the JD Vance Dossier to the Luigi Mangione manifesto. I was vilified for facilitating copycat murders that never materialized, foreign influence operations that didn’t work (Vance is now Vice President), and for being generally “irresponsible.”
To me, what’s irresponsible is the national security state’s gradual creep into civic life — including, apparently, journalism. Obvious as that seems, I’ve paid a personal price for acting on my belief that my primary duty as a journalist is to inform the public. I’m never going to appear in a top White House official’s contacts list like Goldberg did, or score an exclusive interview with one of them or an invite to a black tie event. So I get why people like Goldberg do what they do. But we shouldn’t pretend it’s about protecting our national security.
Here’s what happens whenever a leak not authorized by the government hits the desk of some national security auxiliary. The normal standard for publication — is it newsworthy? — goes out the window as the reporter or their outlet scrambles to find out how the story might affect their own interests. Would publication piss off someone in power or otherwise jeopardize access to officialdom? Could it aid some nefarious actor somewhere? Could it contradict our previous reporting?"
https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/trump-admin-caught-making-war-by
"Shortly after senior Trump administration officials discussed and celebrated the bombing of Yemen in an encrypted group chat that, unbeknownst to them, included the editor-in-chief of the Atlantic, a subset of the group feasted at an opulent, secret dinner featuring the president where guests were asked to pay $1 million apiece to snag a seat.
The date was Saturday, March 15. President Donald Trump was at his Mar-a-Lago estate attending a “candlelight” dinner that wasn’t on his public calendar. On the lawn outside, luxury cars were on display: a Rolls Royce was parked near a Bugatti and Lamborghini. Guests milled about, taking photographs of each other and the vehicles. Earlier that day, the United States had bombed Yemen, targeting Houthi leadership. At least 53 people, including children, were killed.
Trump flew to the event on Air Force One with Elon Musk and Musk’s four year old son X, according to photos and videos viewed by WIRED. Throughout the weekend, Musk was in close contact with Trump and at least one member of the president’s brain trust who was participating in a Signal group chat where highly sensitive details of the planned operation were being shared. Experts say the conversation appears to have violated government protocols on information sharing."
https://www.wired.com/story/trump-officials-signal-chat-candlelight-dinner-mar-a-lago-yemen/
ICYMI: Nigerian Inspector-General and Attorney-General Sued Over Alleged Arbitrary Arrests of Journalists https://www.rainsmediaradio.com/2025/03/nigerian-inspector-general-and-attorney.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon Follow, Like & Share #PressFreedom #JournalismMatters #Nigeria #HumanRights #MediaJustice
Cath 
