Freedom of expression has been one of the first demands of the region's peoples, one of the first concessions from transitional regimes, and one of the first achievements, albeit a very fragile one, of its revolutions. Attempts to manipulate foreign reporters, arbitrary arrests and detention, deportation, denial of access, intimidation and threats—the list of abuses against the media during the Arab Spring is staggering. ... Journalist[s] have been direct[ly] targeted by the authorities or caught in the crossfire of the violence between activists and security forces, reminding us of the risks they take to perform their essential job of reporting the news.

Last month, the US Department of State (DOS) [official website] released its 2010 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices [materials]. The reports cited many of the same leaders and organizations [JURIST report] for violating freedom of the press. RSF's 2010 report [JURIST report] also listed many of the same offenders.