Global Censorship of News Reaches New Levels of Complexity

Despite the promise of new information technologies, governments, non-state actors, and corporations worldwide are censoring vast amounts of information using complex and sophisticated tactics.

The 2017 edition of Attacks on the Press, published last week by The Committee to Protect Journalists, chronicles singular methods of controlling the flow of information, including financial pressure on journalists and news outlets, exploitation of legal loopholes to avoid disclosure, and wielding copyright laws and social media bots to curb criticism.

The book, subtitled “The New Face of Censorship,” features articles by Christiane Amanpour, Rukmini Callimachi, Jason Leopold , Alan Rusbridger, and other leading journalists. It features an essay by David Kaye, UN special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, looking at the laws and institutions that are fighting to protect free expression. Chapters spotlight the media environment in countries including China, Egypt, Mexico, North Korea, Russia, Syria, Turkey, and the United States.

“Following the election of Donald Trump, the rise of fake news and the hostile environment for journalists created by Trump’s rhetoric has raised concerns in the United States. But around the world the trends are deeper, more enduring, and more troubling,” said Joel Simon, CPJ’s Executive Director. “While we are awash in information, there are tremendous gaps in our knowledge of the world—gaps that are growing because of violent attacks on the media, new government systems of information control, and the power of technology to censor and surveil.”

(Source: Committee to Protect Journalists)