Press freedom

Journalists gather outside the Ankara courthouse on March 10, 2020 behind a banner reading in Turkish "journalism is not crime," to protest over jailing of journalists, sparked by the recent arrest of OdaTV's news director and a journalist's report on the funeral of a Turkish intelligence officer apparently killed in Libya.

Journalist who investigated Erdogan’s son jailed on 'disinformation' charges in Turkey

Human rights organizations warn Ari’s detention signals a broader campaign against journalists probing government corruption and elite networks.

Traffic rolls along a main throughfare under a banner with images of past and present leaders that reads in Farsi, "Domino fall", as daily life returns to the streets following nationwide protests, in the Iranian capital Tehran on January 19, 2026. Demonstrations sparked in late December by anger over economic hardship exploded into protests widely seen as the biggest challenge to the Iranian leadership in years. Limited internet access briefly returned in Iran before dropping again, a monitor said January

Analysis

Iran’s longest-ever internet blackout leaves 99% offline: What to know

Facing a historic internet blackout, Iranians are locked in a struggle with authorities to find loopholes to get around this communications crackdown, leading to "shutdowns within a shutdown."

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

This picture taken on August 11, 2025, shows the headquarters of the Qatari state-funded news television network Al Jazeera in the capital Doha. (Photo by Karim JAAFAR / AFP) (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images)

Qatar-based Al Jazeera commentators go dark on social media: What to know

Saeed Ziad, who offered a pro-Iran perspective on the war, has not posted on X in days, and the account of Fatima al-Smadi was deleted, though their exact status is not known.

Israeli state aircraft Wing of Zion, which flew to Greece from Ben Gurion Airport, is seen at International Airport in Athens on June 13, 2025, in Athens, Greece.

Israeli-Russian journalist removed from Netanyahu’s US flight: What to know

Israeli-Russian journalist Nick Kolyohin was removed from the official Israeli Wing of Zion plane just before its departure for Washington, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet President Donald Trump.

Latest News

Washington Post cuts 30% of staff, guts foreign desk, Mideast team: What to know

A man exits the Washington Post office building in Washington, DC, on Feb. 4, 2026.

‘Save the Post’: Washington Post journalists urge Bezos to protect foreign desk

The Washington Post building at One Franklin Square on June 5, 2024, in Washington.

Iran blackout enters 12th day as filtered internet reveals crackdown

Pedestrians make their way along a path at Tehran Grand Bazaar, on Jan. 18, 2026 in Tehran, Iran.

Turkey sentences journalist over 4 years in jail for threatening Erdogan

Prominent Turkish journalist Fatih Altayli is pictured in this undated image.

Is freedom of expression at stake in Tunisia?

There are growing concerns in Tunisia over the declining freedom of expression, Tunisian authorities' crackdown on bloggers and the Nidaa Tunis draft law on electronic defamation.

Is Iranian state TV’s monopoly at risk?

Iran’s state TV, which is facing a crisis over viewership since some of its best directors walked out, has found a strong rival in the home video network.

More than meets the eye to sale of Turkish media giant

The sale of Turkey’s biggest media group, Dogan Media Company, is likely to negatively affect the health of the country’s economy while diminishing access to accurate information from and within Turkey.

More real than the news: Turkey's satire magazine coats truth in humor

Turkey's largest satirical website, which has 5.4 million followers on Twitter, maintains its tongue-in-cheek criticism against all odds.

Headquarters of Hurriyet daliy newspaper at the Dogan Media Center is seen in Istanbul, Turkey March 22, 2018. REUTERS/Kemal Aslan - RC1EE04890F0

Turkish government readies to squeeze internet service providers

Ankara is tightening its grip even further over the media in Turkey with a new law increasing its censorship powers over online content, threatening both independent news outlets and domestic access to international reporting.

Egypt's cartoonists ease tensions as elections kick off

Despite the government intensifying its crackdown on dissent and the media ahead of the presidential elections, a handful of Egyptian cartoonists defiantly continue to lampoon Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's inevitable victory.

Iran's supreme leader criticized for saying there is ‘free speech’ in his country

Iranians have criticized Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for claiming that there is free speech in Iran.

People walk by a poster of Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for the upcoming presidential election, in Cairo, Egypt March 1, 2018. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh - RC1803270830

As elections draw near, Egypt’s media faces further restrictions

Egypt’s top prosecutor has called on his staff to monitor for "fake news," warning against "forces of evil" as this month’s presidential elections approach.

Women's Taif TV blocked in Gaza two hours before launch

The Palestinian Ministry of Information in the Gaza Strip blocked the launch of Taif TV two hours before it was due to go on air, in what raised concerns about freedom of the press in Gaza.

Journalists gather in front of the Journalists' Syndicate in Cairo on November 19, 2016, to protest against the courts verdict to sentence head of the union and two members to two years in prison.
Egypt's interior minister Magdy Abdel Ghaffar

Journalists Syndicate president Yahiya Kallash, Gamal Abd el-Rahim and Khaled Elbalshy were charged in May with sheltering two journalists wanted over protests against the transfer of two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia.

Their arrest following a May 1 police raid on

Egypt sends news editors to military academy for 'training'

An agreement that calls for top editors of Egyptian newspapers and websites to take mandatory training sessions in media and national security at the Nasser Military Academy has stirred controversy.

Palestinian press applauds coverage of Netanyahu investigations

While Palestinian journalists have appreciated the Israeli media's reports on the police investigations into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the journalists are sharply critical when it comes to Israeli media coverage of the occupation of Palestinian territories.

Members of the Journalists Union of Turkey (TGS) shout slogans during a demonstration to mark World Press Freedom Day in central Istanbul, Turkey May 3, 2017. The placard reads: "Enough!" REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC12B0374FE0

Life sentences for Turkish journalists chill others awaiting verdicts

A court jailed three prominent journalists last week to life imprisonment, stoking fears that others in prison for their work may also see harsh penalties.