CPJ report: increase in number of jailed journalists fuelled by internet

A new report from the Committee to Protect Journalists has found that the rise in Internet journalism has fuelled an increase in the number of journalists imprisoned around the world. According to the group’s new census, 134 journalists are now in prison worldwide, and one in three jailed journalists is now a blogger, online editor or web-based reporter. The annual study found that China, Cuba, Eritrea, and Ethiopia are currently the top four jailers among the 24 nations who imprison journalists. The most common charges against journalists are allegations of ‘antistate’ crimes such as subversion, divulging state secrets, and acting against the interests of the state. The largest professional category in the study continues to be print journalists, with 67 cases of imprisonment this year, but the second largest category is now that of online journalists, with 49 cases. The number of web-based journalists imprisoned has increased every year since the study recorded the first case in 1997. US video blogger Joshua Wolf is among those counted in the survey. (Editor and Publisher,December 08, 2006)

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