From the SPJ International Community: Pakistan and US continue efforts to limit foreign news coverage

• Pakistan restricts press movement; US visa update; Indigenous journalists meet; Hong Kong government attacks HKJA

• Press Freedom News Reports from Around the World

• From the SPJ: Ethics Code Review

Pakistan announced new restrictions on where international journalists may report without permission.

The BBC reported last week that journalists working for foreign media outlets must now seek permission if they want to report form anywhere except the major cities of Islamabad, Karachi or Lahore. Foreign journalists were already required to apply for a No Objection Certificate or NOC, if they wanted to visit certain areas of the country. This led the foreign media to higher Pakistani journalists, who could travel more freely, to cover events in those areas.

The new policy applies to all journalists covering a story for a foreign news outlet, including freelancers.

The new policy did not set a deadline for ruling on a request for an NOC. Some media outlets have said months have gone by after filing for an NOC under the previous regulations.

In a familiar statement, the government said the new regulations are necessary to protect national security and public order.

The BBC report noted that the Al Jazeera site was blocked in Pakistan after the government deemed a report from Kashmir as sensationalized reporting.

The move was seen by the global press freedom community as a further deterioration of press freedom and access in Pakistan. The country already ranks at 153 out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index put out by Reporters Without Borders.

A group of press freedom advocates assembled by the SPJ and the Foreign Press Association have prepared a call to action on the proposed changes to US visa regulations that will limit the validity of a foreign journalist’s visa to 240 days instead of for the duration of the journalist’s assignment. The document that is being circulated among journalism groups calls for Congress to step in and prevent the implementation of the new rules.

We will share the document after it is released with the signatory groups.

A group of press freedom advocates have already met with some Congressional and Senate staffers to explain how the proposed regulation changes will adversely impact international coverage of the United States. They also noted other countries could invoke the principle of reciprocal treatment and limit the time US journalists have to work overseas.

The International Community was invited to send greetings to the 3^rd International Indigenous Journalists Conference. The group is meeting in Nepal August 9-12. The invitation was also extended to journalism groups and journalists around the world.

Here are the comments SPJ-IC Chair Dan Kubiske sent:

The Hong Kong Journalists Association is in the midst of their annual elections for officers and board members. Unfortunately, according to HKJA chair Selena Cheng, recent harassment of the board in the past few years has led the group to make the list of candidates known only to HKJA members.

This move led Chris Tang, Hong Kong Secretary for Security, to criticize the HKJA.

The Hong Kong Free Press reported Tang raised doubts about the legitimacy of the candidates. Tang said the candidates are all from foreign media outlets or online news outlets.

“There’s not a single person from a mainstream Hong Kong outlet,” Tang said in Cantonese. “How can it be called the [Hong Kong] Journalists Association?”

Cheng said the election process was in accordance with the law and the union’s constitution in that all election information was made to the members. She added that harassment campaigns against HKJA board members in the past led to the decision not to make the list public. She added that once the board and officers are elected, their names will be made public in accordance with the law.

We will be having a discussion with Cheng this week about this latest attack on the HKJA.

Readers will remember that about three months ago, the Hong Kong government initiated an unprecedented investigation into the tax liabilities of the HKJA.

Here is our talk with Cheng at that time:

• Al Jazeera: New York Times reveals Trump administration subpoena over North Korea story

• Reporters Without Borders: “Free, but not at home”: Belarusian journalist Maryna Zolatava on her life in exile

• Committee to Protect Journalists: Ethiopian security detain Addis Standard editor, raid newsroom, seize equipment

• Reuters Institute: The future of visual investigations in the age of AI

• International Press Institute: Greek strong anti-SLAPP law seen as welcome boost for press freedom

• Latin America Journalism Review: Journalists who reported on alleged sexual harassment cases in Colombia receive threats

• Latin America Journalism Review: Inside a niche newsroom’s decade-long effort to explain Brazil’s mining sector

The SPJ Ethics Committee is encouraging journalists and the public to take part in the conversation around proposed revisions to the SPJ Code of Ethics.

The draft revisions will be released Monday, August 10 for a public comment period. The committee is asking for feedback through an online comment form. There will also be virtual listening sessions with the SPJ Ethics Committee. You must register ahead. Click HERE to register for a session.

Sessions will be held at:

• 7 p.m. EDT Aug. 13

• 7 p.m. EDT Aug. 18

• 4 p.m. EDT Aug. 28

Questions or comments may also be emailed to ethics@spj.org.