Whether you're already in-country or preparing for your overseas assignment, keeping up-to-date on important news that affects reporters, correspondents, writers and other information gatherers is vital. In this section, we outline important stories relating to safety and security of reporters, writers and others. We also list important developments in our industry and the passing of key individuals within the community.

Other good places to look for news about missing, detained, imprisoned, tortured or murdered reporters are the Paris-based Reporters Sans Frontiers (Reporters Without Borders) and the New York-based, Committee to Protect Journalists.

Please note that all stories are listed in reverse chronological order within each year as indicated. That is, the most recent stories are listed first within each year and as stories are added, older reports are "pushed down" toward the bottom of this page. If you want to add a story, please contact us using the feedback address on our Terms of Service page. If you wish to remain confidential, we suggest using a Hotmail or Yahoo account to send us your tip.

You can also read news stories from other years by clicking on the applicable link in the menu on the left.

Please note current news items are sent out via Twitter and are archived here.

Click here to join us on Twitter

December 30, 2009 – Herald reporter dies in Kandahar
Afghanistan/Kandahar: Ms. Michelle Lang, a 34-year-old health reporter with the Calgary Herald, first Canadian journo to die in Afghanistan.

December 30, 2009 – Cops call on bloggers
US/Washington: AP reports bloggers who wrote about an air security directive after Friday's NWA incident have received subpoenas from the TSA.

December 26, 2009 – Update on inbound US travel
We have been told that all inbound air travel to US now restricted to just one-carry on bag due to NWA incident.

December 26, 2009 – First TV weatherman dies
UK/London: Mr. George Cowling, BBC's first TV weatherman has died at age 89. First on-air in January 1954, he was also an instructor at the Met Office.

December 24, 2009 – Radio France reporter freed on bail
France/Paris: AFP says Iran has bailed Ms. Fariba Pajoo, a local Radio France International correspondent, after 124 days in Evin prison.

December 23, 2009 – Canadian court affirms journalistic defense
Canada/Ottawa: Supreme Court rules reporters, other journos can defend themselves against libel by using "responsible journalism" defense.

December 18, 2009 – US Web giant found guilty of copyright theft
France/Paris: Google found guilty of copyright infringement over online publication of French books; company must pay €300,000 damages.

December 16, 2009 – Another traffic copter incident
Canada/Montreal: Traffic reporter and pilot injured as helicopter used by Montreal's TVA network makes emergency landing this morning.

December 14, 2009 – Female reporter jailed for incitement to murder
Rwanda/Kigali: Ms. Valerie Bemeriki, a Rwandan journalist, jailed for life after encouraging Hutus to slaughter Tutsis during 1994 Genocide.

December 6, 2009 – Warning to journos, bloggers in Iran
France/Paris: RSF says 28 journos, bloggers held by security forces in Iran. Next three days especially dangerous for media due to rallies.

December 2, 2009 – Australian magnate wants to buy more US media
US/Washington: Rupert Murdoch calls for further relaxation of US media ownership rules; continues to attack online news aggregators.

November 26, 2009 – Yet another Mexican journalist murdered
Mexico/Guadalajara: RSF reports Mr. José Galindo Robles, the head of Radio Universidad de Guadalajara, has been found murdered.

November 25, 2009 – Lindhout and Brennan giving interviews
Somalia/Mogadishu: Canadian journo Amanda Lindhout, Australian photog Nigel Brennan giving interviews after 15 months of captivity.

November 25, 2009 – Don't let the job kill you
Safety Wednesdays: What things can you and your crew do to help get you back from the story safely? Drive slower? Wear your vest?

November 24, 2009 – Post to close three bureaux
US/Washington: The Washington Post says it will close its bureaus in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York; six journos reassigned.

November 24, 2009 – Philippines site of mass reporter murders
Philippines/Manila: Two provinces under emergency rule after at least 46 people, including 23 journalists, found dead in election violence. This is the most number of reporters and journos killed a single event since World War II.

November 20, 2009 – Female reporter missing in Mexico
Mexico/Zamora: RSF says Ms. Maria Aguilar Camcinden, a local crime reporter, now missing for one week after receiving mysterious phone call.

November 17, 2009 – Zambian reporter freed after trial
Zambia/Lusaka: Journo Ms. Chansa Kabwela acquitted of porn charges after sending officials pics of parking lot birth during hospital strike.

November 16, 2006 – RSF update on conditions in Honduras
France/Paris: RSF interviews Mr. Geovanny Domínguez, editor of Diario Tiempo, during recent visit to Honduras: http://bit.ly/2PQsYY

November 13, 2009 – Murdoch moves to block Google
Australia/Sydney: Rupert Murdoch says he will try to block Google from using news content from his outlets. Interview hosted by YouTube/Google: http://bit.ly/4saMm7

November 6, 2009 – Danish J-student held in Iran
UK/London: Guardian reports Iranian police said to be holding Danish journalism student, Mr. Niels Krogsgaard; arrested at anti-US rally.

November 6, 2009 – AFP reporter Pouladi arrested in Teheran
France/Paris: AFP says Iranian security forces have detained its reporter, Mr. Farhad Pouladi, during rally marking 1979 US embassy siege.

October 30, 2009 – BBC guide killed by wild animal
UK/London: Anton Turner, a 38-year-old Briton working as a BBC expedition guide, dies after being charged by an elephant in Tanzania.

October 24, 2009 – Journalist sentenced to 60 lashes
Saudi Arabia/Riyadh: BBC says female journo sentenced to 60 lashes for role in TV show in which man bragged about his extramarital sex life.

October 6, 2009 – Bahari released on bail
US/New York: Newsweek reports Mr. Maziar Bahari bailed after spending four months in a Tehran jail for covering post-election protests.

October 6, 2009 – CanWest Global gets creditor protection
Canada/Winnipeg: Media giant CanWest Global Communications' parent granted bankruptcy protection from creditors, tries to restructure debts.

September 28, 2009 – Radio Globo, Cholusat Sur TV shut down by government
Honduras/Tegucigalpa: Two media outlets critical of the country's coup government shut down by army troops: Radio Globo, Cholusat Sur TV.

September 27, 2009 – William Safire dies
US/New York: Mr. William Safire, a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and White House speechwriter, dies today from Cancer. He was 79.

September 26, 2009 – Another journo murdered in Mexico
Mexico/Chihuahua: We have been informed freelance photographer Mr. Jaime Omar Gándara San Martín was stabbed to death, Monday, September 21.

September 25, 2009 – RSF says journalists killed in Mexico now 55 since 2000
France/Paris: RSF reports Mr. Norberto Miranda Madrid's murder this week brings to 55 the number of journalists killed in Mexico since 2000.

September 25, 2009 – Norberto Miranda murdered
Mexico/Nuevo Casas Grandes: Mr. Norberto Miranda Madrid, editor of Radio Visión's website, is murdered in his office by three masked gunmen.

September 21, 2009 – Book review of Crimes Against Logic
Review Mondays: Crimes Against Logic should be on every first year J-school course list. #RW: http://bit.ly/eHoB8

September 18, 2009 – Work stress
From @FamilyDoctorMag: Covering tragedy can take serious emotional toll on photographers, says Poynter story. Tips: http://snurl.com/ryyvi

September 14, 2009 – Book review Writing Nonfiction
Review Mondays: 265 Troubleshooting Strategies for Writing Nonfiction, the title says it all. #RW: http://bit.ly/KjrTR

September 12, 2009 – French photographer Ronis dies
France/Paris: Mr. Willy Ronis, the renowned French photographer who documented post-war Paris in the 1940s and 1950s, has died. He was 99.

September 9, 2009 – Frank Batten Sr. dies
US/Norfolk: Mr. Frank Batten Sr., who built a media empire including newspapers, cable TV and The Weather Channel, died today. He was 82.

September 9, 2009 – Four arrested in case of murdered journo
El Salvador/San Salvador: Four suspects, including a cop, arrested over last week's assassination of journalist Mr. Christian Poveda.

September 9, 2009 – Investigation into murders of Aussie journalists launches
Australia/Canberra: Police launch war crimes inquiry into 1975 killing of five Australian-based journos by Indonesian forces in East Timor.

September 9, 2009 – Local interpreter killed during journo rescue
Afghanistan/Kabul: Mr. Sultan Munadi, working as an interpreter for freed NY Times reporter Stephen Farrell, killed during rescue attempt.

September 9, 2009 – Variety columnist Archerd dies
US/Los Angeles: Mr. Army Archerd, a veteran columnist for the entertainment trade pub Daily Variety, has died of mesothelioma. He was 87.

September 9, 2009 – NYT reporter Farrell released after commando raid
Afghanistan/Kabul: New York Times reporter Mr. Stephen Farrell, held since Saturday with his guide, freed by NATO troops in a pre-dawn raid.

September 7, 2009 - Female journo fined for pants
Sudan/Khartoum: Female journalist fined heavily for wearing trousers. Ms. Lubna Ahmed al-Hussein could have faced 40 lashes under law.

September 1, 2009 – Police link shooting target to work as journo
Mexico/Salina Cruz: Police confirm shooting attack on home of Guillermo Soto Bejarano, Nuevo Milenio's editor, linked to his reporting.

September 1, 2009 – Mexico wins dubious distinction of most dangerous place for journos
France/Paris: With a total of 50 journalists killed since 2000, RSF says Mexico is the western world's most dangerous country for media.

August 31, 2009 – Iraqi Phrasebook
RW Review Mondays: This week we look at The Iraqi Phrasebook, ideal for new reporters to the region, especially Baghdad: http://bit.ly/xeb4h

August 31, 2009 – Tamil journalist sentenced
Sri Lanka/Colombo: Court sentences prominent Tamil journo, Mr. J.S. Tissainayagam, to 20 years in prison under country's anti-terrorism laws.

August 30, 2009 – ENG staff at Mount Wilson fire site safe
US/Los Angeles: ABC reports all TV/radio techs normally stationed at Mount Wilson broadcast facility are safely evacuated.

August 30, 2009 – Fire update for Mount WIlson, CA
US/Los Angeles: LAFD says raging wildfires near Los Angeles may reach Mount Wilson, destroying major TV and radio antennas for city.

August 30, 2009 – Cami McCormick injured in IAD attack
Afghanistan/Kabul: US Army says CBS Radio journo, Ms. Cami McCormick, med-evaced to Germany after her vehicle hit by IED. Unknown injuries.

August 29, 2009 – Pentagon war coverage
RT @nprnews: Is Pentagon Trying To Shape War Coverage? http://su.pr/1vR96n ==> Are we surprised? Every journo should expect this practice.

August 28, 2008 – Update to Mac OS X
US/Cupertino: Apple releases OS 10.6 (Snow Leopard). Besides a host of tweaks, the new OS supports MS Exchange Server.

August 26, 2009 – Writer Dominick Dunne dies
US/New York: Prolific writer Dominick Dunne, who specialized in "high society" crimes and championed victims' rights, has died. He was 83.

August 24, 2009 – Lexmark c543dn color laser review
RW Review Mondays: We've just posted a review of the Lexmark c543dn color laser printer. Good for small bureaus: http://bit.ly/vWw8P

August 24, 2009 – Another journalist shot dead in Pakistan
Pakistan/Islamabad: Mr. Janullah Hashimzada, Peshawar bureau chief for Afghanistan's Shamshad TV, is shot and killed near Jamrud. He was 40.

August 23, 2009 – Lindhout and Brennan kidnapping anniversary
Somalia/Mogadishu: Canadian freelancer, Amanda Lindhout, and Australian reporter, Nigel Brennan, held captive in Somalia for one year today.

August 19, 2009 – Update on today's Baghdad bombing
Iraq/Baghdad: Interior Ministry now says 95 people dead, over 563 injured, as a result of this morning's truck bomb attack near Green Zone.

August 19, 2009 – Don Hewitt dies
US/New York: CBS News reports Don Hewitt, founder and executive producer of 60 Minutes, has died. He was 86. Hewitt joined CBS News in 1948.

August 19, 2009 – Another Green Zone truck bombing
Iraq/Baghdad: Truck bomb explodes near Green Zone, killing at least 86. Reporters should use extreme caution; risk of follow-up blasts.

August 18, 2009 – Robert Novak of CNN dies
US/Washington: Controversial political columnist and CNN personality, Mr. Robert Novak, dies after a battle with brain cancer. He was 78.

August 15, 2009 – Journalists, writers protest Iraqi censorship laws
Iraq/Baghdad: Over 200 Iraqi journalists, writers and publishers protest new government censorship laws, plans to block some Web sites.

August 15, 2009 – Another reminder to reporters about safely risks with being in-country
Afghanistan/Kabul: Reporters in-country are urged to be extremely cautious after suicide bomb this morning kills at least seven, injures 91.

August 15, 2009 – Update on today's bomb blast in Kabul
Afghanistan/Kabul: BBC reports massive bomb blast that rocked the capital two hours ago killed at least three people, wounded more than 70.

August 12, 2009 – AP staffers seriously wounded
Afghanistan/Kabul: AP photog Emilio Morenatti and AP videographer Andi Jatmiko seriously wounded while with US patrol; evacuated to Dubai.

August 12, 2009 – Brazilian police charge TV host with ordering murders
Brazil/Sao Paulo: Police charge Wallace Souza, a Canal Livre TV show host, with ordering the very murders his show covered to boost ratings.

August 9, 2009 – Saudi government closes LBC TV
Saudi Arabia/Jeddah: Government shuts down Lebanon-based LBC TV after station broadcasts Saudi man boasting about his sexual triumphs.

August 6, 2009 – Reminder that no electronic media is unhackable
RW Safety Tip: This morning's Twitter attacks, recent Facebook breaches should remind all journos to reevaluate security and communications.

August 6, 2009 – NPR reports John Hughes dies
US/New York: NPR reports that film director John Hughes died this afternoon while walking in Manhattan. He was 59.

August 6, 2009 – Arifa Farooq released
UK/Glasgow: Ms. Arifa Farooq, an undercover BBC journalist who exposed huge problems in elder care, arrested, jailed then released by police.

August 6, 2009 – Apple update OS software
US/Cupertino: Apple posts v10.5.8 Mac OS X update; includes fixes and slight improvements in the OS, Safari, AirPort and Bluetooth support.

August 5, 2009 – Journo, pilot killed in crash
Canada/Montreal: CTV cameraman Hugh Haugland, helicopter pilot Roger Belanger die when chopper crashes while filming near Mont-Laurier.

August 5, 2009 – Politkovskaya murder investigation delayed
Politkovskaya re-trial delayed after formal request by her relatives for a new investigation to be launched into 2006 murder.

August 5, 2009 – Politkovskaya murder investigation rattles on
Russia/Moscow: Retrial over assassination of investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya begins today; two defendants previously acquitted.

August 5, 2009 – Laura Ling and Euna Lee arrive on US soil
US/Los Angeles: Laura Ling and Euna Lee, two US journalists held by North Korea for over four months, have arrived in Burbank, California.

August 4, 2009 - American journalists releases from North Korea
North Korea/Pyongyang: Former President Bill Clinton appears to have secured the release of two American journos, Laura Ling and Euna Lee.

August 2, 2009 – Chavez shuts down nearly three dozen radio outlets
Venezuela/Caracas: President Hugo Chavez takes 34 independent radio stations off air under pretext that licensing paperwork not completed.

July 26, 2009 – Gabriel dedicates Biko to murdered blogger
UK/Wiltshire: Peter Gabriel dedicates his performance of "Biko" to murdered Chechen human rights worker Natalia Estemirova at WOMAD concert.

July 24, 2009 –  Lynn Harrs dies in Los Angeles
US/Los Angeles: E. Lynn Harris, a one-time computer executive who rose from self-publishing to best-selling status, has died. He was 54.

July 24, 2009 – RSF concerned over Cuban writer and human rights worker
France/Paris: Reporters Without Borders worried over July 21 detention of Dr. Darsi Ferrer, head of a Cuban health and human rights center.

July 23, 2009 - General Pukach reportedly confesses
Ukraine/Kiev: BBC reports that former General Pukach, long suspected of murdering journalist Georgiy Gongadze, has reportedly confessed to the crime.

July 23, 2009 – Walter Cronkite ceremony
US/New York: Private ceremony for Walter Cronkite this afternoon at Manhattan's St. Bartholomew's Church; public memorial to be held later.

Please note all updates will now be given using our Twitter account @ReporterWorld.
Why not follow us today?

May 15, 2009 – Dutch photojournalist, Hugh Van Es, dies in Hong Kong
HONG KONG, PRC – Mr. Hugh Van Es, a Dutch photojournalist who became famous for his work during the Vietnam War, died today, his wife said.

Mr. Van Es shot the now-ubiquitous image of a group of people scrambling up a ladder to board an American helicopter hovering over the rooftop of what was thought to be the US embassy in Saigon. The image was later used – without his permission nor payment – by the producers of the musical Miss Saigon.

After joining the South China Morning Post as chief photographer, Mr. Van Es went to Vietnam as a soundman for NBC News. He joined the AP photo staff based in Saigon from 1969 to 1972, and later moved to UPI for three years after that.

Long before the famous Saigon evacuation photo, Mr. Van Es successfully captured the pain and sacrifice of a wounded soldier with a small cross gleaming against a dark background. The picture became known for symbolizing the struggles made by American troops during the fierce battle of Hamburger Hill.

April 13, 2009 – Fiji military clamps down on local media
SUVA, Fiji – The new military-backed government is strictly censoring how and what the media covers and presents to Fijian citizens.

Under a newly proclaimed 30-day State of Emergency, newspapers, broadcasters and other outlets are not permitted to run stories critical of the Army's seizure of power in the country. Journalists must now submit any potentially inflammatory stories to government officials for prior approval. Outlets failing to do so run the risk of being summarily closed.

The Fiji Times protested the censorship by intentionally printing one blank newspaper page except for a small message blaming the government's new law for the lapse in news coverage. The country's evening TV news show was also cancelled. Instead, the station ran an old fishing show.

March 11, 2009 – Media fixer shot dead
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan – Mr. Javed Yazamy, also known as Javed Ahmad, has been shot dead in Kandahar city. He was 23 years old.

Mr. Yazamy was a well-known fixer and used by various Western journalists as a "go-to" guy for both safe navigation around the always-difficult Kandahar area but also as a security escort who knew the safer districts to visit for news stories.

Details about Mr. Yazamy's murder are sketchy, not surprising given the conditions in the region and the circumstances under which he worked. Local police told journalists they were looking for at least one gunman and one driver. The description of the getaway vehicle is even more unlikely to aid in the apprehension of Yazamy's murderers: a white Toyota Corolla, a very common vehicle in Afghanistan.

March 11, 2009 – CP photojournalist Tom Hanson dies
OTTAWA, Canada – Mr. Tom Hanson, an award-winning Canadian Press photographer died suddenly Tuesday after collapsing while playing hockey. He was 41.

Mr. Hanson lived and worked in Ottawa but filed stories from Afghanistan, Lebanon, Haiti and many other dangerous locales.

Back at home, Mr. Hanson took on Canadian politics and its Parliament Hill denizens with his ever-present camera. Mr. Hanson was often complimented as an artist who could make even humdrum subjects come alive under the watchful and creative eye of his viewfinder. His winning the coveted Photographer of the Year award in 2002 attested to both his photographic skills and the respect he had garnered from his colleagues.

February 19, 2009 – Men acquitted in murder trial of journalist Politkovskaya
MOSCOW, Russia – A jury today acquitted three men in the killing of journalist Ms. Anna Politkovskaya, removing further hope of solving her 2006 murder. A jury acquitted two Chechen brothers and a former Russian police officer in their involvement in the affair but the actual assassin has never been arrested.

Ms. Politkovskaya was shot five times in the elevator of her central Moscow apartment building on Oct. 7, 2006. Coincidentally, it was the birthday of former Russian President (and current Prime Minister) Vladimir Putin, a man about whom Ms. Politkovskaya often wrote in connection with her work.

Journalists at Novaya Gazeta, the newspaper at which Ms. Politkovskaya worked, have been frequent targets of intimidation and murder. Although its circulation is a healthy 270,000, this number is far less than its state-run or pro-Kremlin counterparts that shy away from any uncomfortable stories involving government corruption and the ongoing Chechen situation.

February 16, 2009 – Two Mexican reporters gunned down, one dies
IGUALA, Mexico – Photographer Mr. Jean Paul Ibarra of the local daily El Correo was killed and reporter Ms. Jenny Luliana Marchán of the regional daily Diario 21 seriously injured in a shooting attack this past Friday, February 13. Both worked the crime beat for their respective newspapers.

Mr. Ibarra, 33, and Ms. Marchán, 22, had been sent by their newspapers to the city's medical centre to cover a breaking story. Ms. Marchán was on the back of Mr. Ibarra's motorcycle when five shots were fired at them as another motorcycle drew alongside.

It is not known if the gunman targeted the couple due to their current assignments or as retribution for a previous story that one or both were involved with covering. According to the Paris-based press freedom organization, Reporters Without Borders, Mr. Ibarra's death brings to 46 the number of journalists murdered in Mexico since 2000.

January 31, 2009 – Russian reporter murdered in crossfire
MOSCOW, Russia – Ms. Anastasia Baburova, a 25-year-old reporter for the Novaya Gazeta newspaper as well as a human rights lawyer with whom she was walking were shot in an execution-style hit a few blocks from the Kremlin.

At least 16 journalists have been murdered in Russia since Mr. Vladimir Putin became president in 2000. Hundreds more have been assaulted, roughed up and threatened with further injury or death. Under Mr. Putin's regime, most TV networks and newspapers have been taken over by the Russian government and their daily news coverage made noticeably pro-government. Many other outlets have been shuttered.

Murder is no stranger to Novaya Gazeta. Ms. Anna Politkovskaya, a reporter whose stories angered the Kremlin both for its conduct on Russia's war with Chechen separatists as well as its handling of internal dissent, was assassinated outside her Moscow apartment in 2006. Nobody was been convicted in the case.

January 19, 2009 – Australian writer jailed for insulting Thai monarchy
BANGKOK, Thailand – Mr. Harry Nicolaides, an Australian writer arrested by Thai border police as he was leaving the country last August, has been sentenced to three years for the crime of insulting the Thai monarchy.

Mr. Nicolaides wrote and self-published the novel, Verisimilitude, four years ago. According to court documents, the book sold just seven copies but contained a brief passage referring to an unnamed crown prince.  Thailand's monarchy is sheltered from public debate by some of the world's most stringent "lese-majeste" laws. Criticism of the royal family is dealt with most harshly.

Mr. Nicolaides had earlier admitted the charge of insulting the royal family, but said he was unaware he was committing a crime when he wrote his book. The court initially sentenced him to six years in jail, but cut his sentence in half because of his guilty plea. It will now be up to the Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej if any pardon is granted.

January 4, 2009 – Two foreign journalists released after kidnapping
MOGADISHU, Somalia – Two journalists kidnapped while researching a story into high seas piracy have been released after nearly six weeks in captivity.

Mr. Colin Freeman, a reporter for Britain's Sunday Telegraph and Spanish freelance photographer, Mr. Jose Cendon, were working on a piracy story when they were kidnapped on November 26. Somali officials said the men were kidnapped as they left their hotel for the airport on their way out of the country, likely by local gunmen or other opportunists.

Foreigners, journalists and aid workers are frequently subjects of extortion or are abducted for ransom in this region. Two freelance journalists, an Australian and a Canadian as well as a local photojournalist who doubled as the pair's translator, were kidnapped on August 23 last year near the Somali capital and are still being held.

End of the 2009 News page. For other years, please choose from the menu on the left.