Happy New Year! I think we can all agree, regardless of where we live, that 2022 was a tumultuous year. There was seemingly a new crisis every day. Totalitarian regimes moving against their populations became increasingly normal, from Iran to...
There are those within the Index family, including some of our founders, who consider free speech to be an absolute right, says Ruth Anderson
Freedom of expression has dominated the news agenda this week but not in a good way, says Ruth Smeeth
The autumn issue of Index takes as its central theme the FIFA World Cup that will take place in Qatar in November and December 2022. A country where human rights are constantly under threat, Qatar is under the spotlight and many are calling for a...
It has been a busy week for news headlines. It is the role of Index is to make sure that the stories of dissidents are not ignored or forgotten
The summer issue of Index magazine concentrated its efforts on the developing situation between Russia and Ukraine and consequential effects around Europe and the world. We decided to give voice to journalists, artists and dissidents who chose to...
Home Secretary Priti Patel’s decision will have a chilling effect on journalism and put the Wikileaks founder at risk
The news coming in from Belarus, Brazil, Hong Kong and Russia is devastating, writes our CEO Ruth Smeeth
When our leaders opt in and out of laws and norms they don’t like then repressive regimes thrive and their citizens are the ones that suffer
The tech entrepreneur has made it clear that free speech is at the forefront of his decision to buy the social media platform. We explore just what this means
Smears about the media made by US President Donald Trump have obscured a wider problem with press freedom in the United States: namely widespread and low-level animosity that feeds into the everyday working lives of the nation’s journalists, bloggers and media professionals. This study examines documented reports from across the country in the six months leading up to the presidential inauguration and the months after. It clearly shows that threats to US press freedom go well beyond the Oval Office.
“Animosity toward the press comes in many forms. Journalists are targeted in several ways: from social media trolling to harassment by law enforcement to over-the-top public criticism by those in the highest office. The negative atmosphere for journalists is damaging for the public and their right to information,” said Jodie Ginsberg, CEO at Index on Censorship, which documented the cases using an approach undertaken by the organization to monitor press freedom in Europe over the past three years. Learn more.