Press Freedom
Press Club criticizes harsh sentences of Al Jazeera English journalists
June 24, 2014
The National Press Club on Tuesday strongly protested the sentencing of three Al Jazeera reporters by an Egyptian court and renewed its urging for their prompt release. "The judicial treatment that these three journalists have received is horrendous and their sentencing is completely draconian and…
Read MorePress Club lauds release of jailed journalist in Egypt, urges court to free others
June 17, 2014
The National Press Club expressed relief that an al Jazeera reporter has been released from jail in Egypt, but the Club called on authorities there also to release other journalists held prisoner for doing their jobs. Abdullah Elshamy, an Al-Jazeera correspondent, had been held without formal…
Read MoreNational Press Club Announces Winners of Annual Press Freedom Award
June 12, 2014
An Illinois reporter fighting prosecutorial pressure to disclose the identity of a confidential source and a Bahraini photographer sentenced to a decade in jail effectively because he did his job--these are the winners of the National Press Club's 2014 John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award. Each year,…
Read MoreNational Press Club to Russian Authorities: Find Those Who Ordered Journalist's Murder
June 11, 2014
Following the sentencing this week of five men convicted of murdering a Russian investigative reporter in 2006, the National Press Club urged authorities in Russia to go further and uncover the individuals who ordered the contract killing. Anna Politkovskaya, known for her hard-hitting reporting…
Read MoreNational Press Club: Pressure on reporter shows need for shield law
June 4, 2014
In the wake of a court decision that could spell trouble for a New York Times reporter who is trying to protect the identity of a confidential source, the National Press Club urged Congress to quickly pass legislation that would enable journalists to protect their sources. The Supreme Court…
Read MoreAfghan radio broadcaster undercuts Pentagon account of U.S. military assault on his station
May 15, 2014
An Afghan journalist who says he was detained and beaten by U.S. military personnel one night last February cast doubt this week on a senior U.S. military official's written defense of the actions of American commandos during the incident. Last March, the New York Times reported that U.S. special…
Read MoreMore questions raised about U.S. commandos' alleged beating of Afghan journalist
May 14, 2014
The Pentagon and a New York Times reporter gave conflicting accounts this week of whether U.S. special forces beat and threatened to kill an Afghan journalist in late February. The Times reported on March 1 that U.S. special forces had raided a radio station south of Kabul, Radio Paighame Milli,…
Read MoreNational Press Club urges all sides in Ukraine to respect press freedom
May 5, 2014
The National Press Club voiced strong concern May 5 over a spate of recent physical attacks and kidnappings affecting journalists covering the conflict in eastern Ukraine. The rash of recent kidnappings includes the brief detainment and interrogation on May 2 of BuzzFeed correspondent Mike Giglio,…
Read MoreNational Press Club mourns remarkable photojournalist killed in Afghanistan
April 4, 2014
The National Press Club joins with journalists around the world as we mourn the death in Afghanistan of veteran Associated Press photographer Anja Niedringhaus, 48, an internationally acclaimed and Pulitzer Prize-winning German photographer. Niedringhaus was shot to death and AP reporter Kathy…
Read MoreClub urges Saudi government to allow reporter to cover Obama visit
March 26, 2014
The National Press Club is urging the government of Saudi Arabia to grant a visa to the Washington bureau chief of the Jerusalem Post so he can cover President Obama's visit to Saudi Arabia this week. The journalist, Michael Wilner, is reportedly the only member of the press corps seeking to cover…
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