Film awards season: Journalism and activism in the spotlight

Movies on social justice, activism and investigative journalism dominate the nominations for major awards at the Oscars, the Golden Globes and the Baftas this year, writes Benjamin Lynch. Films including The Mauritanian (pictured), Collective, Athlete A, The Trial of the Chicago 7 and The Dissident, a documentary about the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, show the power of cinema in holding people to account.

Nellie Bly: “I said I could and I would.
And I did."

On International Women's Day earlier this week, investigative journalist Patricia Devlin - who has been facing death threats for her work in Ireland - shared the story of the fearless reporter who is her inspiration. In 1888, Nellie Bly feigned insanity to be committed into an asylum where she lived side by side with vulnerable women to expose the horrific, rat-infested and abusive conditions they were incarcerated in. Read the story here.

CASE to hold Slapps website launch

On 26 March at 10.30 GMT/1130 CET, the Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE), of which Index is a member, is holding a panel event to discuss the threat of strategic lawsuits against public participation (Slapps), abusive lawsuits designed to silence critical speech, and to launch its new website. 

What is happening in Hong Kong and Xinjiang is not an internal affair

Yang Xiaoguang, chargé d’affaires of the Chinese embassy in the UK (right), was interviewed yesterday morning on the BBC’s Today programme.

When questioned about the Uighur genocide, the National Security Law in Hong Kong and the ‘patriots governing Hong Kong’ resolution, which was passed unanimously by the National People’s Congress on Thursday, he said these were internal affairs for China. They are not, writes Ruth Smeeth.