In Istanbul, the weekend brought another jarring reminder of how quickly the space for independent journalism is shrinking. Four journalists, each with a long record of holding power to account, found themselves on the wrong side of the law simply for doing their jobs. Mustafa Balcı and İsmail Saymaz, both from the independent newspaper Sözcü, were among them, along with freelance reporter Şaban Sevinç and Murat Ağırel, who writes for the independent outlets Cumhuriyet and Onlar. On Friday, October 9, they were summoned by Turkish police and questioned not about some hidden crime or act of violence, but about their…

Think about the last time a shocking video landed in your phone’s inbox. Maybe you watched it twice, felt a surge of anger or fear, and then—without checking the source—forwarded it. In a moment like that, the line between truth and manipulation is easy to miss. That is the human reality behind the Delhi Police’s latest action. The police have registered four first information reports, or FIRs, over social media posts that allegedly spread misinformation and inflammatory content related to the ongoing protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the police crackdown that followed. By Tuesday evening, more than…