Journalists missing

On the UN's World Press Freedom Day, China is once again in the spotlight as a major obstacle to free press. Several press freedom groups condemned the country’s tactics for blocking information, through a variety of often highly unpleasant tactics. The country remains he world’s leading jailer of journalists (tied with Iran) and a vigilant censor of information.

The most recent troubling development is the disappearance of a young magazine reporter, who was summoned by someone claiming to be the Beijing police, the International Federation of Journalists reports. His disappearance appears to be part of the wider trend of detentions among writers, activists and regime critics. The family of 23-year-old Caijing magazine reporter Zhang Jialong is searching for him after he went missing April 28.

Also caught in the apparent net cast over dissent is Wen Tao, a 38-year-old former journalist for the Global Times, who disappeared April 3, along with internationally known modern artist and critic Ai Weiwei. Wen was working for Ai at the time and has not been heard from since.