Al Jazeera Journalism Review
Inside Vietnam’s Disinformation Machine and the Journalists Exposing It from Exile
Vietnam’s tightly controlled media environment relies on narrative distortion, selective omission, and propaganda to manage politically sensitive news. Exiled journalists and overseas outlets have become essential in exposing these practices, documenting forced confessions and smear campaigns, and preserving access to information that would otherwise remain hidden.
Latest Articles
![Workers at Télam mobilise as the Argentine government plans to shut down the state news agency [SomosTelam.com.ar].](/sites/default/files/ajr/2024/Picture1_0.png)
Censorship, Militarisation, and Dismantlement: How Public Media Became a Political Battlefield in Latin America
Public media in Latin America, such as Brazil's EBC and Argentina's Télam, are being undermined through militarisation and dismantlement, threatening their role as public institutions. These actions jeopardise media independence and weaken their ability to serve the public interest, posing a serious risk to democracy.
Independent Syrian Journalism: From Revolution to Assad's Fall
Independent Syrian journalism played a pivotal role in exposing regime corruption and documenting war crimes during the 13-year revolution, despite immense risks to journalists, including imprisonment, assassination, and exile. Operating from abroad, these journalists pioneered investigative and open-source reporting, preserving evidence, and shaping narratives that challenged the Assad regime's propaganda.
Bolivia’s Mines and Radio: A Voice of the Global South Against Hegemony
Miners' radio stations in the heart of Bolivia's mining communities, played a crucial role in shaping communication within mining communities, contributing to social and political movements. These stations intersected with anarchist theatre, educational initiatives, and alternative media, addressing labour rights, minority groups, and imperialism.
Journalists and the Gen–Z protest in Kenya
Caught between enraged protesters and aggressive police officers, journalists risked their lives to keep the world informed about the Gen–Z protests in Kenya. However, these demonstrations also exposed deeper issues regarding press freedom, highlighting a troubling aspect of Ruto’s government.
Behind the Burka: Journalism and Survival Under Taliban Rule
An account of a female Afghan journalist who persisted in her work in spite of the Taliban's comeback, using her writing to expose the harsh realities of oppression and promote women's rights. In defiance of the Taliban government's prohibitions on female education, she oversaw underground schools for girls and reported under a pseudonym while constantly fearing for her safety.
Is Pakistan’s Media Ignoring Climate Change?
Pakistan's media, despite its wide reach, largely neglects climate change in favor of political and economic issues, leaving the public under-informed about the causes and consequences of climate-related disasters. As a result, many Pakistanis remain unaware of the growing threats posed by climate change, which has devastating effects on the country's economy and population, as seen in the catastrophic floods of 2022.
Opinion
AJR Contributor
Inside Vietnam’s Disinformation Machine and the Journalists Exposing It from Exile
Vietnam’s tightly controlled media environment relies on narrative distortion, selective omission, and propaganda to manage politically sensitive news. Exiled journalists and overseas outlets have…
Edwy Plenel
What It Means to Be an Investigative Journalist Today
A few weeks ago, Carla Bruni, wife of former French president Nicolas Sarkozy, was seen removing the Mediapart logo from view. The moment became a symbol of a major victory for investigative…
Said Oulfakir
In-Depth and Longform Journalism in the AI Era: Revival or Obsolescence?
Can artificial intelligence tools help promote and expand the reach of longform journalism, still followed by a significant audience, or will they accelerate its decline? This article examines the…
Diaries
A Sudanese Journalist in the Grip of the Rapid Support Forces
She was arrested, tortured, nearly raped, threatened with death, and subjected to degrading abuse. Her brother was brutally mistreated in an effort to locate her. In the end, her family had to pay a ransom to secure her release. She sought refuge abroad, but eventually returned to Sudan to continue documenting the war’s toll, particularly in El Fasher, a city now under siege. This is the harrowing account of a Sudanese journalist detained and tortured by the Rapid Support Forces.
Anas Al Sharif; Killed by Israel, but His Final Words Will Echo far Beyond His Death
For over a year and a half, Anas Jamal al-Sharif refused to leave northern Gaza, documenting the destruction and loss that others tried to hide. Tonight, Israel silenced his voice, but his final words, written on April 6, will echo far beyond his death.
Charged with Being a Journalist in Sudan
Between the barricades of the conflicting parties, sometimes displaced, and sometimes hiding from bullets, journalist Iman Kamal El-Din lived the experience of armed conflict in Sudan and conveyed to Al-Sahafa magazine the concerns and challenges of field coverage in a time of deception and targeting of journalists.
Reports
Freelancers in Kashmir Fear Losing Access as Verification Tightens
Kashmir’s new “verification drive” claims to root out impostors, yet its heavy bureaucratic demands mainly sideline the independent freelancers who still dare to report in a shrinking media landscape. But here’s the unsettling question that hangs over the Valley like fog at dawn: who really benefits when the storytellers without institutional shields are pushed out of the frame?
Journalists in Maldives Enter New Phase of Government-Controlled Media Repression
As journalists weigh the costs of their work against threats to their lives and families, the fight for press freedom in the Maldives enters a dangerous new chapter, one where the stakes have never been higher.
Reporting Under Fire: The Struggle of African Journalists Facing Intimidation
African journalists who expose corruption and power now face a brutal mix of arrests, torture, digital surveillance, and lawsuits meant to drain their resources and silence them. From Ethiopia, Nigeria, Malawi, Benin, Sudan, Uganda, and Kenya to exile in Canada, reporting the truth has become an act of personal survival as much as public service.
Shipwrecked Narratives: How to Keep Migration Stories Afloat
Migration stories don’t become real until you meet people in the journey: the carpenter carrying photos of his fantasy coffins, or the Libyan city worker burying the forgotten dead, or the Tatar woman watching her livelihood collapse at a militarised border. Following these surprising human threads is the only way journalism can cut through collective exhaustion and make readers confront a crisis they’ve been trained to ignore.
In-Depth and Longform Journalism in the AI Era: Revival or Obsolescence?
Can artificial intelligence tools help promote and expand the reach of longform journalism, still followed by a significant audience, or will they accelerate its decline? This article examines the leading AI tools reshaping the media landscape and explores the emerging opportunities they present for longform journalism, particularly in areas such as search and content discovery.
Zapatismo and Citizen Journalism in Chiapas, Mexico
In Chiapas, independent journalists risk their lives to document resistance, preserve Indigenous memory, and challenge state and cartel violence. From Zapatista films to grassroots radio, media becomes a weapon for dignity, truth, and survival.
