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| 31.07.08: Thousands Protest China’s Press Freedom Violations |
| More than 3,500 people from dozens of nations have written to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to call for the immediate release of all jailed journalists in a campaign organised by the World Association of Newspapers to draw attention to the issue in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics. More |
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| 25.07.08: “Beijing Olympics 2008: Winning Press Freedom” Report Now Available |
| The World Association of Newspapers, along with five other press freedom and human rights organizations, is now offering the full report from the “Beijing Olympics 2008: Winning Press Freedom” international conference, held on 18 & 19 April, 2008 in Paris, France. You can either download it or order a hard copy free of charge. More |
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| 04.06.08: World’s Press Supports Algerian Cartoonist |
| The World Association of Newspapers, which is currently holding its 61st World Newspaper Congress and 15th World Editors Forum in Göteborg, Sweden, strongly condemns the continuing legal harassment exerted against the renowned Algerian cartoonist Ali Dilem. More |
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| 01.06.08: Offending, Shocking, Disturbing - A Free Press Right? |
| Cartoonists and journalists from the Arab world, Europe and the United States on 1st June defended their right to offend, shock and disturb their audiences, and presented evidence that the Danish cartoon crisis was manipulated by repressive governments to further restrict freedom of expression. More |
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| 31.05.08: Press Freedom Under Threat World-Wide: WAN |
| Press freedom is under serious threat from many sources -- gangs and corrupt officials in Latin America, autocratic regimes in the Middle East, conflicts in Africa, hostile governments in Asia, and from death threats and prosecutions in central Asia and Europe, the World Association of Newspapers said in its half-year review of press freedom. More
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| 20.05.08: China Jails Journalists in Olympic Run-up |
| The World Association of Newspapers and World Editors Forum have protested to Chinese President Hu Jintao against the jailing of two journalists last week and the continued crackdown on freedom of expression ahead of the Beijing Olympic Games. More |
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| 24.03.08: WAN Protests Against Press Crackdown in Tibet |
| The World Association of Newspapers and World Editors Forum have protested to Chinese President Hu Jintao against the crackdown on coverage of events in Tibet and the banning of foreign media, in violation of international agreements, Chinese law and China’s Olympic promises. More |
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| 09.11.07: Upcoming: WAN Press Freedom Conference in Beirut |
| The World Association of Newspapers, in collaboration with Lebanon’s An-Nahar newspaper, is organising the 2nd Arab Free Press Forum in Beirut on 9 and 10 December next. The conference, which this year carries the title "Fighting Back: Challenges and Opportunities for the Arab Press", will explore the efforts of Arab media to win their independence and freedom and the strategies they apply to combine this editorial independence with commercial success. More
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| 27.08.07: CPJ Compiles 15 Years of Fallen Journalists |
| Over the past 15 years, hundreds of journalists have been killed and perpetrators have often gone free. In an attempt to shed light on this picture, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has compiled comprehensive statistics on these deaths of media professionals around the world. More |
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| 24.08.07: Just Published: New Media - The Press Freedom Dimension |
| The impact of new media on press freedom -- both positive and negative -- is the subject of a new report available from the World Association of Newspapers.
"New Media: The Press Freedom Dimension" includes discussions and recommendations from an international conference that took place in February in Paris. Speakers from more than 30 countries discussed topics ranging from citizen journalism and freedom of expression to Internet censorship. The conference was organised by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), WAN, the World Editors Forum and the World Press Freedom Committee, with funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. More |
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| 04.06.07: Golden Pen of Freedom Awarded to Jailed Chinese Journalist Shi Tao |
 A Chinese journalist serving a 10-year prison sentence for revealing his government’s orders to newspapers to censor their reporting of the Tiananmen Square massacre anniversary, has been awarded the 2007 Golden Pen of Freedom, the annual press freedom prize from the World Association of Newspapers. The award was accepted by the mother of the jailed journalist, Gao Qinsheng. More |
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| 04.06.07: Declaration of Table Mountain Calls for African Press Freedom |
| The Declaration of Table Mountain on Abolishing “Insult Laws” in Africa and Setting Free Press Higher on the Agenda was adopted on 3 June 2007 by the World Association of Newspapers and the World Editors Forum in Cape Town, South Africa. The Declaration is an earnest appeal to all Africans to recognise that the political and economic progress they seek flourishes in a climate of freedom and where the press is free and independent of governmental, political or economic control. More
Version Française
To download the Arabic Version, click here
 Declaration of Table Mountain in Arabic
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| 12.04.07: “Freedom of Expression in Tunisia: The Siege Holds” |
| The fourth report on freedom of expression conditions in Tunisia issued by the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) Tunisian Monitoring Group (TMG), to which WAN is party, states that: “lack of positive change has led us to conclude that the Tunisian government has sought to further stifle dissidents since the previous TMG report of May 2006."
To read WAN press release, click on:
 Press Release
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Communiqué
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French Report
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| 08.03.2007: WAN Rejects Chinese Request to Withdraw Press Freedom Award |
| Version Française
 The World Association of Newspapers has rejected a request by the China Newspaper Association to withdraw a prestigious press freedom prize that was awarded to journalist Shi Tao, who was imprisoned for writing about restrictions on the media in the run-up to the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.
The China Newspaper Association had protested to WAN against the decision to award the 2007 WAN Golden Pen of Freedom to Mr Shi, claiming that the Chinese court "handled the case according to law and made the appropriate sentence" and that the Chinese constitution protects press freedom. More |
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| 07.03.07: Sri Lanka Media Between Severe Restrictions and Threats |
 Following a fact-finding mission conducted last October by leading press freedom organisations to assess the overall media situation in Sri Lanka, the report "Press Freedom and Freedom of Expression in Sri Lanka: The Struggle for Survival" was released at a press conference held in Colombo on 7 March. More |
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| 16.02.07: Internet Changing News Dissemination in Third World |
| Never underestimate the power of the internet, even in countries on the wrong side of the digital divide.
Only 16 percent of the world’s population has internet access, says Rosental Alves, Director of the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas. But that small percentage represents tens of millions of people, and the numbers are growing, offering opportunities for news dissemination, civic participation and democracy. More |
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| 12.02.2007: Newspapers in Jaffna Face Severe Hardships |
| Chairman of the Newspaper Society of Sri Lanka, Ranjit Wijewardene, speaks to WAN about the highly critical situation facing the local press in the Jaffna Peninsula. On 26 January, WAN had expressed serious concern at the acute shortage of newsprint and printing ink in Jaffna. |
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| December 2006: Conference on Press Freedom in the Arab World |
| In December, WAN and the Lebanese An-Nahar newspaper organised a conference on press freedom in the Arab world in Beirut, Lebanon. The “Press Under Siege” conference gathered over 100 media professionals from a number of Arab countries to explore their efforts to win freedom and independence. Click here to read the conference report! |
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| 19.01.2007: Freedom of Expression Under Siege in Tunisia |
More than one year after it hosted the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), the government of Tunisia has failed to address human rights and freedom of expression concerns, the Tunisia Monitoring Group of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange said. The Group, which includes the World Association of Newspapers, appealed to incoming United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to remind the government of Tunisia of its international obligations. More
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| January 2007: WAN Condemns the Prosecution of Moroccan Journalists Driss Ksikes and Sanaa Elaji |
| The World Association of Newspapers and the World Editors Forum strongly condemn the ban imposed on the Moroccan weekly newspaper Nichane and the legal proceedings against its publisher, Driss Ksikes, and journalist Sanaa Elaji. At the opening of the trial on 8 January 2007, the prosecutor requested prison sentences of three to five years, fines and an order that would prevent Ksikes and Elaji from working as journalists. The prosecutor also requested the indefinite closure of Nichane. The trial will resume on 15 January. To read the protest letter |
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| November 2006: Jailed Chinese Journalist Wins WAN Golden Pen of Freedom |
| Shi Tao, the Chinese journalist who was imprisoned after the American search engine company Yahoo provided information to the Chinese authorities that led to his arrest, has been awarded the 2007 Golden Pen of Freedom, the annual press freedom prize of the World Association of Newspapers. |
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| July 2005: On the Murder of Samir Kassir |
| The journalists who came to protest against the brutal murder of Samir Kassir in Lebanon held black pens in the air -- black pens, and not guns, which is the all-too-common picture the world sees of Middle Eastern demonstrations. |
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| April 2005: Interview with 2005 Golden Pen of Freedom Winner |
 Mahjoub Mohamed Salih, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Sudan’s oldest independent newspaper and recipient of the 2005 Golden Pen of Freedom, spoke to the World Association of Newspapers about the press freedom situation in Sudan and what has driven him to remain in the profession for more than fifty years. |
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| February 2005: Tunisia: Freedom of Expression under Siege |
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In a report released on 22 February, International freedom of expression organizations expressed grave concern about the poor state of freedom of expression in Tunisia, the host country for the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), to be held in Tunis in November 2005. |
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| January 2005: 71 Journalists Killed in 2004; 23 Died in Iraq |
| Seventy-one journalists and other media workers were killed because of their professional activities in 2004, with 23 of them killed in Iraq, the most dangerous place for journalists on the planet, the World Association of Newspapers said Tuesday. The toll was the highest for a single year since 1994, when 73 were killed. |
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| WAN Salutes Courageous Tsunami Coverage |
| The World Association of Newspapers today praised the remarkable courage of newspaper staff in the Aceh province of north Sumatra, Indonesia, for coming out with their publication just days after the Tsunami disaster hit the region, killing half of the staff of the newspaper and destroying all of its production and distribution facilities. |
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| WAN 2003 Press Freedom Review |
| Barring a few isolated improvements, the second half of 2003 has seen yet another degradation of press freedom. New government clampdowns on freedom of expression, a surge in intra-state conflict, and an onslaught of premeditated attacks on journalists and their publications indicate a widespread deterioration of conditions for media, and an ominous outlook for press freedom in 2004. more |
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| A Printing Plant of Their Own |
The first printing plant owned by independent media in Serbia and Montenegro is up and running, providing printing facilities for three dailies and nine weeklies that once suffered intense repression under the rule of Slobodan Milosevic.
English | Français |
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| Management Guide A Hit |
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A new newspaper management manual for developing and transitional countries published by WAN is proving to be a critical success that is adaptable to a wide variety of countries and circumstances. |
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| Bulgaria |
| To express grave concern at a vicious attack on journalist Ognian Stefanov. |
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| Senegal |
| To express serious concern at the jailing of newspaper editor El Malick Seck for libel. |
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| Sénégal |
| Pour vous faire part de notre vive inquiétude concernant l’emprisonnement du directeur de publication El Malick Seck pour diffamation. |
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The International News Safety Institute (INSI) presents the dramatic results of the world’s most comprehensive inquiry into the deaths of journalists over the last decade in a report called Killing The Messenger: The Deadly Price of News. 
“Tunisia is not a suitable place to hold a United Nations World Summit” according to the latest report of the Tunisia Monitoring Group (TMG) released two months before the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), scheduled to take place in Tunis, 16-18 November 2005.
Veteran journalist and press freedom advocate Bharat Koirala speaks to WAN about the media situation in Nepal since King Gyanendra imposed a nationwide state of emergency on 1 February, which saw the arrest of scores of journalists and censorship of media throughout the country.
