Russia's renowned independent newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, has announced its closure after over three decades, citing relentless official pressure. The paper, launched in 1993 with help from Mikhail Gorbachev, was Russia's last major independent media outlet critical of the Kremlin. Authorities have targeted critics, branding many as “foreign agents.” Six of the paper's journalists were killed, including Anna Politkovskaya. The paper's editor-in-chief Dmitry Muratov, a Nobel laureate, was attacked in 2022 and later stepped down. Novaya Gazeta blames Russian security agencies for privatizing the state and violating the constitution. Some staff have launched Novaya Gazeta Europe abroad.
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Three news outlets are telling a federal court that the White House is defying a judge's orders by refusing to let them return to covering President Donald Trump. CNN, MSNOW, and Politico say the president is retaliating against them for reports he dislikes. A judge previously ordered the administration to cancel its ban on the outlets. The outlets' attorney says the White House continues to block reporters from covering Trump in key locations. The filing asks the court to make previous orders permanent. The news organizations argue that the president is practicing “viewpoint discrimination” forbidden by the First Amendment.
The far-right British activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, who is better known by his pseudonym Tommy Robinson, has been found guilty of harassing two journalists and causing them to fear being subjected to violence. Jurors at Southwark Crown Court in south London found Yaxley-Lennon guilty on Wednesday by a majority of 10 to 2 on the two charges he faced. The 43-year-old, who faces a potential term in prison of 10 years, was labelled a “bully” by prosecutors after freelance reporter Andrew Young and Daily Mail editor Jacob Dirnhuber felt forced to either leave their homes or employ extra security for fear of a “vigilante” attack.
A new lawsuit against President Donald Trump's media ban stakes a claim for the public itself. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of six ordinary citizens. It argues that Trump's bans on media outlets whose content he dislikes violate the public's right to independent reporting about the government. Filed Monday in New York, the suit seeks not only restored media access for affected outlets, but broader relief on behalf of all journalists who cover the White House. The suit seeks to protect all news outlets from retaliation, now and in the future. The plaintiffs argue that restrictions on disfavored news organizations deprive the public of essential reporting.
CNN has threatened further legal action if its journalists continue to be denied access to Air Force One. The network has been in a legal battle with Donald Trump’s administration since the president banned it and two other outlets from White House grounds, calling their content “Fake News.” Last week, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction against the ban. However, CNN remains barred from TV pool coverage of Trump’s travel on Air Force One. CNN attorney Theodore J. Boutrous Jr. wrote a letter Monday to the Justice Department threatening additional legal action. The department did not respond to a request for comment.
FILE - The CNN logo is displayed at the entrance to the CNN Center in Atlanta on Feb. 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Ron Harris, File)
Israeli police have arrested 10 people in connection with settler violence in the occupied West Bank. The arrests took place on Monday and followed attacks on a foreign journalist and European diplomats over the weekend. On Friday, a Washington Post photographer was beaten by settlers, resulting in serious injuries. A day later, masked settlers attacked European diplomats visiting a Christian village. The violence has drawn international criticism, with U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee condemning the attacks. Israeli police say they are collecting evidence and questioning suspects. The investigation involves the Shin Bet, border police, and military forces.
President Donald Trump has suggested that his new press secretary, Katie Zacharia, might not stay on the job much longer. “I told her, ‘I think you’re better off being happy,’” Trump said on Friday. He also noted that Zacharia had been treated “very unfairly” by the press and said that he’d told her she had a great life and family without having to be press secretary. Trump said he’d make a final determination later.
Japan on Wednesday protested to Russia over the arrest of a Japanese journalist on suspicion of spying, demanding Moscow's explanation, access to the man in custody and humane treatment for him. The arrest on Tuesday is a latest flap between the two countries whose tensions have spiked after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s August visit to one of four disputed Kuril Islands. In Tokyo, a senior Foreign Ministry official Kimitake Nakamura summoned Russian Ambassador to Japan Nikolay Nozdrev and lodged the protest. The island dispute has prevented the two countries from signing a peace treaty formally ending their wartime hostilities
FILE - Journalists stand next to an entrance of the Lefortovo prison, in Moscow, Thursday, March 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool)