Articles Feature

Should ‘Racist’ Cartoons Be Given an Audience?

by richard0597

Syndicate Says Image of a Brown Criminal Is Free Speech
Marty Two Bulls Sr. Wins Cartooning Prize
Gannett Site Removes References to Diversity
Maya Angelou Out, but ‘Mein Kampf’ Remains

AP Barred from White House Event Despite Court Order
Most See Bad Relations Between Trump, Media
Op-Ed Writer Held Without Evidence, Memo Shows
Gayle King Goes to Space — But Who’s Paying?
New Black Sportswriters Hall of Fame Debuts

Short Takes: Banning “preferred pronouns”; Stephen A. Smith; Danyell Irby; Mark Trahant; Kenya Young; Dan Shelley; NABJ, KTLA and N-word; Haitian journalists disappearance; Nicaragua’s exiled journalists; imprisoned Cuban journalist; Ethiopian journalists accused of terrorism.

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Credit: Jon Russo (c) Creators.com

Syndicate Calls Image of Brown Criminal Free Speech

A major media syndicate is defending its decision to distribute a cartoon that many are calling racist, prompting another discussion of when “free speech” means complicity in results that have negative consequences, and when it merely provokes healthy conversation.

“I usually don’t comment on other editorial Cartoonist’s work unless I love it and it’s a friend and they deserve congratulations,” noted Latino cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz wrote last Wednesday on Facebook, “but here is a racist Cartoon from a Jon Russo (pictured) from Creators syndicate apparently and it came on my feed through ‘Townhall’ email and I just wanna ask the editor or the Cartoonist, how do you know that the figure holding a gun is a criminal illegal alien and not just a criminal. Hmmm.

“In cartoon reasoning you could say ‘oh it’s inferred,’ but I think what he’s inferring is that all brown people are ‘illegal aliens’ and also criminals. Do better, Creators.”

By Monday afternoon, the post had garnered nearly 600 reactions, 96 comments and 31 shares. It would be difficult to find any who disagreed with Alcaraz (pictured). “It’s full-blown racism. They’re not even trying to hide it, anymore,” wrote one.

A spokesperson for the syndicate, asked for comment, told Journal-isms, “We condemn racism in all forms. As a media distributor, Creators neither controls nor censors the content we receive from our writers and artists. We are purely a platform that connects creators with distributors. The opinion expressed in this cartoon is solely that of Jon Russo.”

On its website, Creators says, “Our goal is to make you think. We want you to react. We want you to respond.

“Since 1987, the writers we represent and publish start discussions, arguments and even controversies. Love them or hate them, you can’t ignore them. . . . At Creators, we support creators.”

“Wow, seriously?” Alcaraz messaged Journal-isms after being told of the response. “Their job is to be an editor. They can’t be bothered to do even that?”

But Creators finds backing from Daryl Cagle (pictured), an editorial cartoonist who also syndicates others through his Cagle.com and Cagle Cartoons, Inc.

“I often find the views expressed on the right to be wrong or offensive, but we rarely kill cartoons or columns. We wouldn’t have killed the cartoon you sent to us.

“If we killed cartoons simply because they are wrong, we’d be killing a lot of cartoons, especially cartoons on the right.”

Barbara Brandon-Croft (pictured), whose “Where I’m Coming From” features Black women, recalled a case just two years ago, when another syndicate did drop a cartoonist because it determined he was wrong — and said to engage in racism.

“As a stand alone comment, I suppose it passes the smell test,” Brandon-Croft said of the Creators statement. “BUT what does it say of them? Creators has complete control over which creators they distribute. Do they believe it’s okay to distribute a racist cartoonist’s work? Even Andrews and McMeel Syndication (formerly Universal Press Syndicate) dropped Scott Adams’ ‘Dilbert’ when the creator showed his true colors. Perhaps folks at Creators don’t recognize racism when they see it. Complicity, I fear, is at issue here.”

On his Feb. 22, 2023, YouTube show, cartoonist Adams (pictured) “described people who are Black as members of ‘a hate group’ from which white people should ‘get away.’ Various media publishers across the U.S. denounced the comments as racist, hateful and discriminatory while saying they would no longer provide a platform for his work,” David A. Lieb reported at the time for the Associated Press.

(Lieb also reported, “Twitter CEO Elon Musk defended Adams in posts on the platform, saying the media previously ‘was racist against non-white people, now they’re racist against whites & Asians.’ ”’)

Andrews McMeel Chairman Hugh Andrews and CEO and President Andy Sareyan said in a joint statement that their syndication company did consider its own values in deciding to drop Adams.

“We are proud to promote and share many different voices and perspectives. But we will never support any commentary rooted in discrimination or hate,” they said in the statement posted on the company website and Twitter. “Recent comments by Scott Adams regarding race and race relations do not align with our core values as a company.”

One thing is clear, said Gene Policinski (pictured), senior scholar for the First Amendment at the Freedom Forum: This is not a First Amendment issue.

“The cartoon and criticism of it do not engage a First Amendment legal question, since the Amendment’s protections only apply to government and the distributing syndicate is a private enterprise,” said Policinski, author of the newly published “The First Amendment in the 21st Century: From the Village Green to the Village Screen.”:”

“More properly, the ‘toon, and commentary and judgment on the nature of the images and intent of the cartoonist, are the province of the court of public opinion, where all involved have a right to free expression.”

The White House posted on March 18: “Virginia Basora-Gonzalez, a previously deported alien felon convicted of fentanyl trafficking, was arrested by @ICEgov in Philadelphia after illegally reentering the U.S. She wept when taken into custody (picture attached).” (Credit: X)

It is also clear that images are powerful communications tools, so much so that the Trump White House even posted its own cartoon-like image last month ridiculing a previously deported woman convicted of fentanyl trafficking who was arrested after illegally reentering the U.S.

Some creators who were asked for comment did not respond or did not want to speak on the record, perhaps not wanting to damage relations with Creators.

Hector Cantú (pictured) co-creator of the nationally syndicated Baldo newspaper comic strip, told Journal-isms, “I hope it’s clear that I am not OK with the decision to distribute this cartoon. I do not like this cartoon,” also saying, “So they condemn racism, but they will distribute it. Look, everyone has a right to free speech. I’d never want anyone banning or censoring artists. There is a difference between creating art/commentary and distributing it. The bigger issue is lots of folks these days are catering to Big Racism, profiting from it, instead of standing up against it.” He is with the Andrews McMeel syndicate.

Brandon-Croft is not with a syndicate, nor is Angelo Lopez (pictured), a Filipino American cartoonist who participated with Brandon-Croft, Cantú and others in a 2022 Journal-isms Roundtable on cartoonists of color.

“I disagree with Jon Russo’s cartoon,” Lopez messaged. “But he does have a right of free expression. That does not mean that Creators Syndicate should distribute this particular cartoon. If the Creators Syndicate truly condemns racism in all forms, it sets itself the role of being editor of the material that it distributes. If the Creators Syndicate truly condemns racism, it should be under no obligation to distribute racist cartoons.

“When I used to do editorial cartoons for The Philippine News Today, my editor would occasionally kill one of my cartoons if he felt it wasn’t appropriate for his newspaper. I only got one or two cartoons rejected a year, but I understood that was a possibility.

“Ugly racist stereotypes in cartoons had damaging effects against Jews in 1930s Germany, against the African American community during Jim Crow, against Native Americans and Asian Americans and Hispanics and so many other vulnerable minority groups.

“Russo has the right of free expression through his cartoons. But we also have a right to protest the spread of false and damaging stereotypes against vulnerable minority groups.

“I don’t know either Jon Russo or the Creators Syndicate very well. But at a time when disinformation on social media is damaging democracies around the world, shouldn’t Creators Syndicate have responsibility to enforce editorial oversight so that the cartoons that it distributes reflect its values?”

From Marty Two Bulls Sr.’s winning portfolio.

Marty Two Bulls Sr. Wins Cartooning Prize

Marty Two Bulls Sr., a previous runner-up, has been named winner of the 2025 Herblock Prize for editorial cartooning, the Herb Block Foundation announced Thursday. He is believed to be the first Indigenous cartoonist to be so honored.

Two Bulls, an Oglala Lakota originally from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, is a freelance artist and graphic designer who has been creating cartoons for the Lakota Times since December 2001. He now lives in Santa Fe, N.M.

“Marty Two Bulls, Sr.’s (pictured) work focuses on issues of political interest to Native peoples, a vital niche market, the foundation continued. “Native Americans have been historically persecuted and marginalized by the dominant culture, which has reduced them to a minority in their own lands. Two Bulls creates his cartoons for his people; if non-Natives are touched by his work, all the better. It is important to him that the message of the editorial is made known to all peoples.”

It also explained, “The winner receives a $20,000 net cash prize and a sterling silver Tiffany trophy. Marty Two Bulls will receive the Prize on May 28th in a ceremony held at the Library of Congress. Dolores Huerta, renowned American labor leader and civil rights activist who co-founded the United Farm Workers union alongside Cesar Chavez, will deliver the annual Herblock Lecture at the awards ceremony. . . .

“Judges for this year’s contest said, ‘Marty Two-Bulls, Sr.’s bold and assertive cartoons, drawn in a style distinctly influenced by underground cartoonists, demonstrate courageous and independent thinking. Two-Bulls’ commentary from his unique perspective as one of America’s few Native American political cartoonists addresses local, national and international issues in a powerful and incisive way.’ His work reflects the quote from Herblock engraved on the trophy which states ‘political cartoons, unlike sundials, do not show the brightest hours. They often show the darkest ones, in the hope of helping us move on to brighter times.’ “

The Gannett-owned Detroit Free Press posted this diversity-infused video about Gannett culture seven months ago. Visible in the still shot from the video is the late Robert McGruder, diversity advocate and the
first African American executive editor at the Detroit Free Press. (Credit: YouTube)

Gannett Site Removes References to Diversity

America’s largest newspaper company, Gannett — for decades a leader in the quest to diversify newsrooms — “will no longer publish demographic and diversity data about its workforce, and has revamped its corporate site to remove mentions of diversity,” Hanaa’ Tameez reported Thursday for Nieman Lab.

“The announcement was made in a company town hall meeting on Wednesday afternoon. A spokesperson told me the company is ‘adapting to the evolving regulatory environment,’ and, in a follow-up email when I asked for clarification, referred me to Trump’s January 22 executive order eliminating DEI initiatives in federal agencies and calling for an end to ‘private sector DEI discrimination.’

“Gannett did not specify whether the Trump administration had contacted anyone at the company, or asked them to make changes. Major U.S. companies like Amazon, Google, and Meta have also rolled back DEI initiatives this year.

“ ‘While we will no longer publish workforce demographic metrics or sustainability and inclusion reports, Gannett is deeply committed to our ethical business model,’ Lark-Marie Antón, Gannett’s chief communications officer, told me in a statement. When I asked the company to define ‘ethical business model,’ they said it is ‘based on treating all our employees with respect and ensuring a culture of belonging.’

“As part of the racial reckoning surrounding George Floyd’s death in 2020, Gannett, which owns USA Today and more than 200 local newspapers, pledged ‘its commitment to diversity, inclusion, and parity in all of its newsrooms’ in August 2020. That month, it published diversity data for all of its newsrooms and promised to ‘make its workforce as diverse as the country by 2025 and to expand the number of journalists focused on covering issues related to race and identity, social justice and equality.’

“The company published inclusion reports on staff diversity from 2020 to 2023. The latest report from 2023 says 63% of employees identified as white, down from 73% in 2020. In 2023, 33.9% of hires were people of color. . . .”

Last August, a federal judge in Virginia tossed out a proposed class action case begun by a white male former staffer accusing Gannett of adopting diversity policies that had led to widespread discrimination against white employees.

U.S. District Judge Rossie Alston left an opening for the plaintiffs to come back, but it appears the case is all but dead.

The National Association of Black Journalists, which like nearly all of the journalism organizations has been subdued in responding to the anti-DEI tidal wave, is sponsoring this session Saturday.

Maya Angelou Out, but ‘Mein Kampf’ Remains

“Gone is ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,’ Maya Angelou’s transformative best-selling 1970 memoir chronicling her struggles with racism and trauma,‘ John Ismay reported Friday for the New York Times.

“Two copies of ‘Mein Kampf’ by Adolf Hitler are still on the shelves.

“Gone is ‘Memorializing the Holocaust’, Janet Jacobs’s 2010 examination of how female victims of the Holocaust have been portrayed and remembered.

“ ‘The Camp of the Saints’ by Jean Raspail is still on the shelves. The 1973 novel, which envisions a takeover of the Western world by immigrants from developing countries, has been embraced by white supremacists and promoted by Stephen Miller, a senior White House adviser.

“ ‘The Bell Curve,’which argues that Black men and women are genetically less intelligent than white people, is still there. But a critique of the book was pulled.

“The Trump administration’s decision to order the banning of certain books from the U.S. Naval Academy’s library is a case study in ideological censorship, alumni and academics say.

“Political appointees in the Department of the Navy’s leadership decided which books to remove. A look at the list showed that antiracists were targeted, laying bare the contradictions in the assault on so-called diversity, equity and inclusion policies. . . .”

AP Barred from White House Event Despite Court Order

“Despite a court order, a reporter and photographer from The Associated Press were barred from an Oval Office news conference on Monday with President Donald Trump and his counterpart from El Salvador, Nayib Bukele,” David Bauder reported Monday for the Associated Press.

“Last week’s federal court decision forbidding the Trump administration from punishing the AP for refusing to rename the Gulf of Mexico was to take effect Monday. The administration is appealing the decision and arguing with the news outlet over whether it needs to change anything until those appeals are exhausted.

“The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. circuit set a Thursday hearing on Trump’s request that any changes be delayed while case is reviewed. The AP is fighting for more access as soon as possible.

“Later Monday, two AP photographers were admitted to an event honoring Ohio State’s championship football team on the more spacious South Lawn. A text reporter was turned away.

“Since mid-February, AP reporters and photographers have been blocked from attending events in the Oval Office, where President Donald Trump frequently addresses journalists, and on Air Force One. The AP has seen sporadic access elsewhere, and regularly covers White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s briefings. Leavitt is one of three administration officials named in the AP’s lawsuit.

“The dispute stems from AP’s decision not to follow the president’s executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico, although AP style does cite Trump’s wish that it be called the Gulf of America. The AP argued – and U.S. District Judge .agreed last week – that the government cannot punish the news organization for exercising its right to free speech. . . .”

. . . Most See Bad Relations Between Trump, Media

Americans hold a widespread belief “that the relationship between the Trump administration and the U.S. news media is a bad one: 64% of U.S. adults say the relationship is bad, while just 11% say it’s good,” according to the Pew Research Center. “And 22% say that this relationship is neutral.’

Pew’s March 31 report followed by two days a court ruling applauded by media groups: “On March 28, District Judge J. Paul Oetken granted the motion for a temporary restraining order in a case brought by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) together with a coalition of Voice of America (VOA) employees and their unions to stop the Trump administration from dismantling the public service broadcaster,” RSF reported.

Then, on April 8, a federal judge ordered the White House to restore The Associated Press’s full access to President Trump, finding that the effort to ban the outlet over objections to its coverage violated the First Amendment, as
Zach Montague reported for the New York Times. The Trump administration filed notice it is appealing, and on Monday, a reporter and photographer from APs were barred from an Oval Office news conference with Trump and his counterpart from El Salvador, Nayib Bukele.

Meanwhile Zach LaChance reported for the Washington Examiner, “Trump directed his ire at CBS‘s 60 Minutes after he said he tuned in to the ‘FAKE News Show’ on Sunday night.

“In a flurry of Truth Social posts, Trump trashed the show’s coverage, which included a segment on the Ukraine war and another on Greenland.

“The president concluded his late-night rant by calling on Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, who was tapped by Trump last November to lead the agency, to ‘impose the maximum fines and punishment, which is substantial, for their unlawful and illegal behavior.’ ”

In its survey, Pew reported:

  • Democrats are much more likely to say the Trump administration has been too critical of the news media. . . .

  • “Republicans, meanwhile, are more likely to say the media are too critical of Trump. . . .

  • “Overall, similar shares of Americans say the U.S. news media have been too critical of the Trump administration (39%) and that they have been not critical enough (36%). But the share of U.S. adults who say the Trump administration has been too critical of the media is about double the share who say the administration has not been critical enough (46% vs. 22%). . . .”

Protesters in Burlington, Vt., rally outside of a hearing in federal court on Monday on the Trump administration’s motion to dismiss a petition for release of a Tufts graduate student, Rümeysa Öztürk, who was taken into custody by immigration enforcement agents last month in Somerville, Mass. (Credit: Jessica Rinaldi/Boston Globe)

Op-Ed Writer Held Without Evidence, Memo Shows

“Days before masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk to deport her” over an op-ed she and a colleague wrote in the student newspaper, “the State Department determined that the Trump administration had not produced any evidence showing that she engaged in antisemitic activities or made public statements supporting a terrorist organization, as the government has alleged,” John Hudson reported Sunday for The Washington Post.

“The finding, contained in a March memo that was described to The Washington Post, said Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not have sufficient grounds for revoking Ozturk’s visa under an authority empowering the top U.S. diplomat to safeguard the foreign policy interests of the United States.

“The memo, written by an office within the State Department, raises doubts about the public accusations made by the Trump administration as it has sought to justify Ozturk’s deportation. The Department of Homeland Security has said Ozturk engaged in activities “in support of Hamas,” a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, but neither that agency nor U.S. prosecutors have provided evidence for that claim. . . .”

Crew of Blue Origin’s NS-31 mission, clockwise from left: Lauren Sánchez, Amanda Nguyen, Katy Perry, Gayle King, Aisha Bowe and Kerrianne Flynn. (Credit: Blue Origin)

Gayle King Goes to Space — But Who’s Paying?

“Blue Origin’s first all-women flight crew blasted off Monday on a journey 62 miles above Earth’s surface to the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space. The NS-31 mission marked the 11th human flight of Jeff Bezos’ New Shepard program,” CBS News reported Monday.

” ‘I can’t even believe what I saw,’ marveled ‘CBS Mornings’ co-host Gayle King after returning from the roughly 10-minute journey.

“She joined pop superstar Katy Perry, journalist and philanthropist Lauren Sánchez, film producer Kerianne Flynn, former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, and civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen on Blue Origin’s historic trip to space. Bowe is the first Bahamian and Nguyen the first Vietnamese and Southeast Asian woman in space.

“They joined a small group of 52 prior passengers with the New Shepard program who have made the quick trip to space. This is the first all-women crew to lift off in nearly six decades, following Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova’s solo spaceflight, Blue Origin said.”

As Oliver Darcy observed for Status, “it’s still not clear who paid for the trip and/or how it does not fun afoul of CBS’s standards against exchanging gifts for favorable coverage.” CBS has not responded to inquiries from Journal-isms.

Rachel Treisman reported for NPR, “Blue Origin hasn’t publicly confirmed the price of a ticket, but its reservation page requires a $150,000 deposit to begin the process.

“The company auctioned off a seat on its first crewed flight for $28 million in 2021.

“Some celebrities have flown for free as ‘honored guests,’ as was the case for TV host Michael Strahan, Alan Shepard’s daughter Laura Shepard Churchley and actor William Shatner. . . .”

 
 
 
 
 
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New Black Sportswriters Hall of Fame Debuts

“On Saturday, legendary sports journalists who broke barriers and changed the games we love were honored,” HBCU Sports reported Sunday.

“The inaugural Black Sportswriters Hall of Fame ceremony, held at North Carolina A&T State University on Saturday, April 12, marked a historic moment in recognizing the achievements of trailblazing sportswriters who have shaped the industry.

Rob Parker, a veteran sports journalist and broadcaster, conceived the idea for the Hall of Fame. After teaching a baseball writing masterclass at North Carolina A&T in 2023, Parker was inspired by the enthusiasm and engagement of the students.

“He envisioned a space to honor Black sportswriters who have often been overlooked despite their monumental contributions to journalism and sports culture. The Hall of Fame aims to celebrate excellence and provide recognition that has historically been scarce for Black writers.

“The first class of inductees includes three legendary figures:

“William C. Rhoden: Known for his work with The New York Times and ESPN’s Andscape, Rhoden has been a voice for social justice and sports commentary. His career was shaped by mentors like Sam Lacy, and his background at Morgan State University reflects the importance of historically Black colleges in fostering talent.

“Claire Smith: The first female beat writer to cover Major League Baseball, Smith broke barriers in a male-dominated field. Her peers voted her into the inaugural class, recognizing her 47 years of excellence in journalism.

“Michael Wilbon: A former Washington Post columnist and co-host of ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption, Wilbon has been a prominent figure in sports media for decades.

“The Hall of Fame also acknowledged several influential journalists posthumously:

“Sam Lacy: A pioneer who spent nearly 60 years with the Baltimore Afro-American, Lacy, a Howard alum, fought against segregation in sports and was instrumental in Jackie Robinson’s rise to Major League Baseball.

“Wendell Smith: Known for his advocacy for Jackie Robinson and his groundbreaking work with the Pittsburgh Courier, Smith, a West Virginia State University alum, was among the first Black sportswriters at a daily newspaper.

“Other honorees include Bryan Burwell (Virginia State University), Thom Greer, Larry Whiteside, and Ralph Wiley, each remembered for their impactful careers. . . . “

Short Takes

Nancy M. Preyor-Johnson of the San Antonio Express-News, vice president-print of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, was wearing a lanyard at last year’s convention that included the gender preferences “Her/She” under a policy adopted by NAHJ. (Credit: Richard Prince)

  • “Stephen A. Smith (pictured), Host of ESPN’s ‘First Take,’ hammered the Democratic Party and suggested he has ‘no choice’ but to consider a run for president,” Eric Fayeulle reported Sunday for ABC News. ” ‘I have no choice, because I’ve had elected officials, and I’m not going to give their names, elected officials coming up to me. I’ve had folks who are pundits come up to me. I’ve had folks that got a lot of money, billionaires and others that have talked to me about exploratory committees and things of that nature. I’m not a politician. I’ve never had a desire to be a politician,’ Smith told ABC News’ ‘This Week’ co-anchor Jonathan Karl. . . .”

  • “Baltimore Public Media, home of Triple A non-comm 89.7 WTMD & NPR affiliate 88.1 WYPR, is proud to announce the promotion of Danyell Irby (pictured) to Chief of Content for both stations. Irby brings more than 25 years of distinguished experience in radio journalism, spanning both public and commercial media,” RAMP (Radio and Music Pros) reported Thursday. “Irby joined the organization’s leadership team in April 2020 and most recently served as Executive Director of News at WYPR.”

  • Mark Trahant (pictured), former editor-at-large at ICT, formerly Indian Country Today. “has been selected for the 2025 I.F. Stone Medal for Journalistic Independence for his 50-year long career in journalism and commitment to Indigenous storytelling, ICT reported Friday. “Trahant, Shoshone-Bannock, will receive his medal during a ceremony at the Nieman Foundation in May. The award is administered by the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University. . . .”

  • “Louisville Public Media has named Kenya Young (pictured) its next president and CEO,” Austin Fuller reported April 7 for Current. “Young, who will begin May 19, joins LPM after former CEO and President Stephen George left the organization to join the American Journalism Project in January as head of emerging markets. Young is currently a senior VP at New York Public Radio, where she oversees a portfolio of national radio shows, podcasts, broadcast operations, live events and audience development, a news release said. . . .”

  • Dan Shelley (pictured) president and executive officer of the Radio Television Digital News Association and a diversity advocate, will retire from his position at the end of 2025, the organization announced Monday. Shelley devoted “more than 25 years to the organization and its mission to promote and protect ethical journalism.” RTDNA Executive Director Tara Puckey will succeed Shelley as President and CEO, effective Jan. 1, 2026, following an RTDNA Board of Directors vote held last month. . . “

  • “The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) is investigating today’s KTLA social media post in which the N-word was posted standalone on the station’s account on X,” the association said Friday. “The post was later removed and KTLA claimed in a statement that the slur was published due to a ‘technical error’ involving its language filters. NABJ’s Board of Directors has called for an immediate meeting with station leadership.” On Saturday, the organization, which said it was “gravely concerned,” announced that it would meet with station leaders on Monday.

  • “Talking about journalism in Nicaragua means talking about resistance, courage — and exile,” LatAm Journalism Review reported. “For nearly 10 years, Nicaraguan journalists have endured repression under President Daniel Ortega’s administration. The situation is now one of the most concerning in the region, which is why it was a focus during the 18th Ibero-American Colloquium on Digital Journalism on March 29. . . . “Most of the Nicaraguan press is now based in Costa Rica,” said Carlos Lauría (pictured), executive director of the Inter American Press Association (IAPA). Nayel Martínez, editor at the newspaper La Prensa, said the newspaper now operates with journalists based in countries including Costa Rica, Spain, Canada, Mexico and the United States.

  • In Cuba, “The organization Article 19 demands the immediate release of independent journalist José Gabriel Barrenechea (pictured), arbitrarily detained since November 8, 2024, ‘for legitimately exercising his right to protest in Encrucijada, Villa Clara, amid the ongoing energy crisis on the island,'” ADN Cuba reported Saturday. “In a statement, the independent platform points out that irregularities in Barrenechea’s case have delayed due process. The 90-day pretrial detention measure imposed by the regime’s Attorney General’s Office expired on February 13. The prosecutor’s request was scheduled for March 21, but it also failed to materialize. . . .The organization also explains the health problems the freelance journalist faces and what his absence means for his 84-year-old mother, as he was her primary supporter and caregiver. . . .”

  • “Ethiopian authorities should drop terrorism investigations into at least seven journalists from the privately owned Ethiopian Broadcasting Service (EBS) who were detained over what authorities said was a fabricated documentary,” the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. Police arrested the journalists over a March 23 episode of “Addis Meiraf,” which has since been taken down, in which a woman said she was abducted and raped by men in military uniforms when she was a student in 2020. The woman “recanted her claims on state-owned Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation on March 27 and EBS founder Amman Fissehazion apologized on March 28, saying the station discovered the allegations were fabricated after the program aired.” . . .

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