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Since many of us are stuck inside, here's a THREAD on why we need windows: https://twitter.com/dailymaverick/status/1245856735786463232
Azarrah Karrim ( @azarrahk) kept her camera rolling as the officer raised his gun; he paused as she screamed "I’m media!" then shot at her.
Reporting in Johannesburg for @News24, she had pressed record as police fired at people to disperse them on the first day of #SouthAfrica’s #coronaviruslockdown. The rubber bullet narrowly missed her. https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/lockdown-they-missed-what-a-waste-cops-joke-about-shooting-at-news24-reporter-during-lockdown-20200402
Around the world governments are seeking to prevent the #coronavirus spreading by expanding their authority to control and monitor people, limiting freedom of movement and assembly. https://privacyinternational.org/examples/tracking-global-response-covid-19
Such measures might be necessary for the general public, but journalists play an essential role in documenting application of these new powers — and helping us think through this extraordinary moment. https://twitter.com/dailymaverick/status/1245856735786463232
On the day that police shot at Karrim, photographer Tracey Adam held her phone steady, documenting a Cape Town officer’s approach and his demands for her to stop filming. https://twitter.com/WeekendArgus/status/1243539203608252416
His chest quickly fills the frame, obscuring the group of officers and a form on the ground behind, but the audio is clear.
"I have the right to take video," Adam protests. "No, no, no, no," the officer retorts. His hand reaches out and the scene is smothered in a fleshy hue.
"I have the right to take video," Adam protests. "No, no, no, no," the officer retorts. His hand reaches out and the scene is smothered in a fleshy hue.
. @azarrahk and Adam’s footage offers a window into enforcement of #SouthAfrica’s #Covid19 response and the challenges journalists have faced in reporting amid new government restrictions. https://cpj.org/covid-19/
Broadcast reporter Azad Shakur had his belongings seized at a checkpoint for allegedly violating #Iraq’s #COVID19 curfew.
Cc: @CPJMENA https://cpj.org/2020/03/iraqi-security-forces-seize-journalists-belongings.php
Cc: @CPJMENA https://cpj.org/2020/03/iraqi-security-forces-seize-journalists-belongings.php
Kenyan cameraperson Peter Wainaina was assaulted by an officer with a stubby baton clearing the streets. https://twitter.com/ntvkenya/status/1243535920265125890?s=20
In #India, police assaulted at least four reporters covering the nationwide #coronaviruslockdown.
Cc: @CPJAsia, @KunalMajumder https://cpj.org/2020/03/journalists-assaulted-by-police-amid-coronavirus-l.php
Cc: @CPJAsia, @KunalMajumder https://cpj.org/2020/03/journalists-assaulted-by-police-amid-coronavirus-l.php
Press freedom should be defended at all times, but at this time its importance should be more apparent. https://twitter.com/dailymaverick/status/1245856735786463232
A glance at history reminds us how governments use crises to seize powers that would otherwise not easily be granted, how reluctantly those powers are relinquished and how selective framing and curated public memory can be leveraged for political gain.
Control of information grants power to shape how the public understands the crisis; how we imbue it with meaning. https://twitter.com/dailymaverick/status/1245856735786463232
The pandemic has already triggered new rules in #Hungary, #Thailand, and the #Philippines that may be used to curb critical reporting, and #SouthAfrica’s disaster management regulations raise similar press freedom concerns. https://cpj.org/2020/03/south-africa-enacts-regulations-criminalizing-disi.php
Certain coronavirus related keywords are censored in #China. Journalists in #Belarus, #Ethiopia, #Niger, and #Venezuela have been arrested following #Covid19 coverage.
Cc: @zidanism, @citizenlab, @lotus_ruan https://cpj.org/blog/2020/03/citizen-lab-chinese-censorship-coronavirus.php
Cc: @zidanism, @citizenlab, @lotus_ruan https://cpj.org/blog/2020/03/citizen-lab-chinese-censorship-coronavirus.php
In the middle of a crisis, it may be difficult to imagine how a historical pattern will repeat itself, what it will look like. It may also be difficult to determine how to react or what should be done.
We are, after all, stuck in our homes with our walls as our blinders.
We are, after all, stuck in our homes with our walls as our blinders.
If your house has windows, perhaps they look out at the street, a courtyard or, as is often the case in New York City, another wall. Regardless, from inside looking out your window on the world has narrowed.
And that is why we so desperately need journalists. In this moment, we need them more than ever to be our extra windows onto how #coronavirus responses are functioning.
Even as we temporarily give up certain freedoms, we cannot give up press freedom. https://twitter.com/dailymaverick/status/1245856735786463232
Even as we temporarily give up certain freedoms, we cannot give up press freedom. https://twitter.com/dailymaverick/status/1245856735786463232
The attacks on Azarrah Karrim ( @azarrahk) and Tracey Adam, like those on media in other countries over the past month, are attacks on the public’s right to make informed decisions about the pandemic today, what it means, and what comes next. https://twitter.com/dailymaverick/status/1245856735786463232
Big thank you to @brankobrkic and @dailymaverick for publishing, and for being one of those windows we need.
