CRACKDOWN

Report: 21 Journalists Imprisoned Worldwide for ‘False News’

A record 262 journalists are in prison because of their profession.

Twenty-one journalists around the world are imprisoned under charges of “false news,” according to a new report by the Committee to Protect Journalists. The organization also found that a record 262 journalists are currently in prison due to reasons stemming from their profession. The plurality of imprisoned journalists are in Turkey, where 73 are behind bars. Citing the CPJ report, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) criticized President Donald Trump for his near-daily assaults on the free press and his efforts to label legitimate news organizations as “fake news.” McCain said Trump “must understand his harmful rhetoric only empowers repressive regimes to jail reporters & silence the truth. ”