In the months following the September 11 attacks, world leaders began a flurry of attempts to muzzle the press: Some governments prevented journalists from covering anti-U.S. demonstrations or criticizing U.S. policies. Others opportunistically adopted the rhetoric of the war on terrorism to justify repressive measures against the media. Still other leaders took a cue from the tactics used by the U.S. military in Afghanistan to keep the press away from the battlefield. One year later, the international press freedom landscape has become even more complex. U.S. rhetoric warning about the perils of dissent has largely dissipated, but in many other parts of the world –from Central Asia to Southern Africa –authoritarian leaders seeking to disguise their repressive actions by associating with the U.S. anti-terrorism campaign continue to call journalists who criticize ruling regimes terrorists.
Because scores of journalists are imprisoned every year for their work, and hundreds more are routinely subjected to physical attack, illegal detention, spurious legal action, and death threats, each year the Committee to Protect Journalists, a New York-based, independent, nonprofit organization, publishes a useful reference guide to violations of press freedom worldwide. Attacks on the Press in 2002 provides factual and unbiased accounts of press freedom abuses in more than 120 countries, along with in-depth reports on journalists jailed for challenging government orthodoxy in countries whose leaders would prefer a docile and obedient media. Policymakers, librarians, academics, students, international correspondents, editors on the foreign desk, or anyone interested in world affairs will find Attacks on the Press a valuable reference guide to everything you need to know about the state of global press freedom.