How COVID-19 gives cover to press crackdowns the world over

FILE - In this July 1, 2020, file photo, Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai pauses during an interview in Hong Kong. Governments around the world are taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to justify crackdowns on press freedom. Lai was arrested in Hong Kong earlier in August 2020 as police enforced a new national security law. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu, File)

FILE - In this March 29, 2019, file photo, Rappler CEO and Executive Editor Maria Ressa talks to reporters after posting bail at the Pasig Regional Trial Court, metropolitan Manila, Philippines. Governments around the world are taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to justify crackdowns on press freedom. In June 2020, Ressa was convicted of “cyber libel" in the Philippines. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)