John Cantlie: British IS hostage ‘believed to be still alive’ – BBC News

Reports in January this year quoted a Syrian Democratic Forces official as saying Mr Cantlie may still be alive and in Hajin, in the east of the country, where the last pocket of IS forces was being contained.

Syria Liable in Killing of Journalist Marie Colvin, Court Rules – The New York Times

Issued by the United States District Court in Washington, the decision awarded $302.5 million to relatives of the journalist, Marie Colvin. Of that sum, $300 million is punitive damages for what Judge Amy Berman Jackson, in her ruling, called “Syria’s longstanding policy of violence” that aimed “to intimidate journalists” and “suppress dissent.”

No Photographic Memory in the Senate – The New York Times

He was not just an idle member of the Senate lamenting a missed opportunity. As chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, he could actually do something about the situation, and Mr. Blunt said he was open to a rules change that would allow photography in the Senate for special occasions, such as the opening of a new Congress.

Condoned by Trump, press attacks hit local reporters hard – Columbia Journalism Review

“Everyone should be worried about the tactic of saying There’s no objective truth and we reject the role of the press,” says DeRienzo. “Everyone should be afraid of that filtering down to the local level, and I think you’re starting to see signs of it.”

Judge Declares Iowa’s “Ag Gag” Rule Unconstitutional | PDNPulse

A federal judge has struck down an Iowa law which prohibits undercover photographing or filming on factory farms, meatpacking plants and other agricultural operations, declaring it a violation of the First Amendment. Judge James Gritzner of the U.S. Southern District of Iowa made the ruling in a lawsuit brought against the state by lawyers representing several nonprofit organizations concerned with animal protection and workers’ rights.

Not Just Khashoggi: Reprisal Killings of Journalists Surged This Year – The New York Times

Reprisal killings of journalists because of their work nearly doubled in 2018, bringing the total number of journalists killed on the job to the highest point in three years, a press advocacy group reported on Wednesday.

Police in China Finally Confirm Lu Guang’s Arrest | PDNPulse

Police in China have for the first time informed photojournalist Lu Guang’s family of his arrest last month, The New York Times reported today. Lu’s wife told the Times that police had phoned Lu’s family in China to report his arrest in the city of Kashgar, Xinjiang province. So far, however, Chinese officials have not disclosed the charges against Lu or released any information about his condition.

Opinion | A Photographer Goes Missing in China – The New York Times

Lu Guang is an internationally acclaimed photographer from China, and he has been my friend for more than 15 years. I’m proud that the agency I co-founded represents and distributes his work. We first met in Beijing in 2002. He was already a well-known and widely awarded documentary photographer in his country, and he would soon win a slew of international awards, including some of the world’s most prestigious.

Killings of Journalists Show the Bloody Fingerprints of Organized Crime – The New York Times

The last two years have been deadly for journalists, with 31 murdered around the world this year alone, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. But a report released this past week by Reporters Without Borders documented more than two dozen who had been killed by members of organized crime since the start of 2017, including fatal attacks in Mexico and Europe that underscored the entrenched power of criminal syndicates around the world.

Photographer Lu Guang Detained in China, and Missing for Weeks | PDNPulse

Photojournalist Lu Guang, who has won numerous international awards for his coverage of pressing health and environmental issues in China, has been detained in China since November 3 without word from authorities about his whereabouts or the reason for his detention, according to the BBC and other news outlets in Europe and the U.S.

Renowned Chinese Photojournalist Lu Guang Goes Missing in China

Shahidul Alam Released from Jail | PDNPulse

Shahidul Alam walked out of the Dhakha jail on Tuesday evening, 108 days after he was dragged from his home by police and five days after a high court granted him bail. A group of students and well-wishers greeted Alam, who was accompanied by his wife, Rahnuma Ahmed. “Every citizen in a free country should have the freedom of speech,” Alam told BenarNews.

Court Grants Bail for Shahidul Alam; Government Will Fight His Release | PDNPulse

A court in Bangladesh has granted bail to Shahidul Alam, the photographer, educator and mentor arrested 102 days ago after he criticized the Bangladesh government.

Shahidul Alam: Fiercely Devoted to the Truth – The New York Times

As fidelity to facts leads to hardships, the Bangladeshi photographer’s incarceration demonstrates how a government restricts expression and criticism.

Trump Threatens to Retaliate Against Reporters Who Don’t Show ‘Respect’ – The New York Times

President Trump said on Friday that he might revoke the credentials of additional White House reporters if they did not “treat the White House with respect,” lobbing another threat at the news media two days after his administration effectively blacklisted the CNN correspondent Jim Acosta.

Shahidul Alam Denied Bail—for 5th Time | PDNPulse

After numerous delays, a high court in Bangladesh refused to hear the bail petition for photographer Shahidul Alam, who has been held in jail without charge since August 5. The two-judge panel told Alam’s lawyers to seek bail from another court. This was the fifth time Alam’s lawyers had sought his release on bail, according to numerous news reports.

The Image of Famine That Facebook Tried to Censor | PDNPulse

Speaking that day at a PDN Talk, “Covering Conflict,” photojournalist Alex Potter, who has lived in and covered Yemen before and after the current crisis, called Facebook’s action “a form of censorship.”

Photo of a Starving Girl in Yemen Prompts Facebook to Remove Posts of Article – The New York Times

The article included several images of emaciated children. Some were crying. Some were listless. One, a 7-year-old girl named Amal, was shown gazing to the side, with flesh so paper-thin that her collarbone and rib cage were plainly visible. Tens of thousands of readers shared the article on Facebook, but some got a message notifying them that the post was not in line with Facebook’s community standards.