In unprecedented meetings with the Committee to Protect Journalists and the International Press Institute, Turkish leaders defend their country's press freedom record while agreeing to take measures to improve conditions for journalists. The meetings, which include President Erdoğan and Prime Minister Davutoğlu, come after three days of consultations with journalists and press freedom experts who describe a climate of fear and intimidation characterized by incessant lawsuits, government pressure on newsrooms, and an orchestrated public smear campaign targeting critics.

With its restrictive laws on the press, and curbs on Internet and social media use, Vietnam is one of the world's worst jailers of journalists. In a four-part series, CPJ Southeast Asia Representative Shawn Crispin goes undercover in Vietnam to explore the risks bloggers take to cover news events, and the persecution faced by those reporting on human rights. He talks to a reporter forced into exile for challenging censorship, and reveals how those imprisoned for their writing remain jailed despite the margin opening for critical reporting.

• CPJ's recommendations
• Nguyen Van Hai released from prison

Four international journalists are to be honored with the Committee to Protect Journalists' 2014 International Press Freedom Awards. The awardees are, clockwise from top left, Aung Zaw, founder and editor-in-chief of Burma's The Irrawaddy, which was branded an "enemy of the state"; Siamak Ghaderi, an Iranian freelance journalist released in July from a four-year prison term; Mikhail Zygar, editor-in-chief for the Russian independent TV channel Dozhd; and Ferial Haffajee, editor-in-chief of City Press in South Africa, who has been threatened with violence over critical stories. CPJ will present Jorge Ramos with the Burton Benjamin Memorial Award for lifetime achievement in the cause of press freedom.

Amid the violence and instability in Central America, Honduras and Guatemala have experienced an alarming rise in the number of murders of, and attacks against, journalists. Near complete impunity means the cases go mostly unsolved and the motives unexplained. As fear grips newsrooms in both countries, critical media outlets and journalists find they are reined in by governments increasingly intolerant of dissent.

• CPJ's recommendations

As Alan Rusbridger and Glenn Greenwald become the latest journalists to show support for the Right to Report in the Digital Age campaign, the petition is gaining momentum. In a letter to Barack Obama, the Committee to Protect Journalists asks the president to prohibit surveillance of the press and limit aggressive prosecutions of journalists. CPJ partnerships with Participant Media and Global Voices are raising awareness of the need to prevent restrictions on online journalism in the U.S. and around the world.

• Blog: Critical journalism in the digital age