Safety of Journalists CFOM Sheffield

The Centre for Freedom of the Media (CFOM) at the University of Sheffield (UK) is an interdisciplinary research centre with global outreach on issues of media freedom, journalism safety, editorial standards and impunity. During the 2022 Academic Consultation on the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, CFOM conducted a literature stocktake to scope out academic literature published in the area of media freedom, journalism safety and impunity. CFOM collated this information and produced a literature database organised by themes or countries for accessibility. The collection is especially strong on country- and region-specific safety issues and on surveys of emotional wellbeing of journalists. This special collection is curated by gemma.horton@sheffield.ac.uk.

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Understanding the link between a media and information literate citizenry and the (un)-safety of journalism

Silvia Chocarro, Jackie Harrison, Sara Torsner, Albana Shala

Paper Presented at the Academic Conference on the Safety of Journalists, World Press Freedom Conference 2020 (2020), 17 pp.

"The very basis for journalism to perform its societal role of enabling a well-informed citizenry through the factual reporting of news, grounded in professional standards of accuracy, sincerity and objectivity is that it is undertaken safely. Indeed, the ability of journalism to pursue what we here ... name a “civil role” (Harrison, 2019), which fosters solidarising inclusion among members of society in support of a shared communicative civil life, is conditioned by its inextricable relationship with a well-informed citizenry. Key to this relationship is a media and information literate public that is able, not only to critically evaluate media, but also has the capability to understand the societal value of journalism. This paper therefore argues that strategies to secure journalistic safety must consider how this relationship between journalism and a media and information literate citizenry is prone to attack by divisive anti-civil forces (e.g. from illegitimate state and market intrusion) that produce conditions of civil diminishment and un-safety for journalists (Harrison, 2019 and Torsner, 2019). This paper first develops a theoretical understanding of the link between a media and information literate citizenry and the (un)-safety of journalism. It establishes how journalistic safety is both positively linked to a media and information literate public that functions as a potential bulwark against attacks targeting journalism – forms of civil resistance, and negatively interlinked with a media and information illiterate citizenry that engenders hostility towards journalism. We conclude that strengthening the media and information literacy of society should be considered as a strategy to safeguard a free, independent and safe environment for journalism. Second, the paper uses empirical case studies to illustrate the role of citizens and communities of audiences in protecting journalism through expressions of solidarity that articulate an understanding of the societal value of journalism. Doing so the paper examines how a strong relationship of trust between journalism and communities of audiences, and between journalism and members of society, via media and information literacy, can serve to protect journalism in contexts where independent journalism is restricted and regularly attacked." (Abstract) more

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Online Violence Against Women Journalists: A Global Snapshot of Incidence and Impacts
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Julie Posetti, Nemine Aboulez, Kalina Bontcheva, Jackie Harrison, Silvio Waisbord

Paris: UNESCO (2020), 17 pp.

"This report presents a snapshot of the first substantial findings from a global survey about online violence against women journalists conducted by UNESCO and the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) in late 2020. Over 900 validated participants from 125 countries completed the survey in Ara ... more

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Risks to journalists’ safety and the vulnerability of media freedom in the U.S.

Sadia Jamil, Glenn W. Muschert

In: Agenda for Social Justice 2020: Solutions for 2020

Glenn W. Muschert; Kristen M. Budd; Robert Perrucci (eds.)

Bristol: Bristol University Press (2020), pp. 135-142

"Media freedom is primarily the freedom of diverse forms of media and sources of communication. Traditionally, freedom of the press is conceptualized as the freedom to publish; however, the notion of media freedom is much broader as it encompasses the freedom both to publish and to broadcast, emphas ... izing the idea that media in information societies consist of more than print sources (e.g. newspapers and magazines) and incorporates electronic sources of communication as well, such as radio, television, and the Internet. Hence, freedom of the media is indispensable for democratic societies given that the media are an outlet for public discussion and opinion and basically operate to seek the truth, educate the public, and serve as a watchdog over government. Threats to journalists and attacks on media freedom undermine the proper functioning of the United States as a democratic society, as the ability of journalists to investigate and report on controversial topics becomes threatened by the government and pressure groups such as criminal gangs, terrorists, and corporate giants. In the U.S., as elsewhere, freedom of expression is a fundamental human right, and a precondition for many other democratic rights. According to the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution: Restrictions on freedom of expression can be direct (such as stringent laws) and in direct (such as censorship pressure from the government and military), and vary relative to social contexts. In democratic systems, media organizations and journalists have been the lifeline of freedom of expression and public accountability. The existence of free and pluralistic media is indispensable to democratic governance, and media freedom is vital to the practice of journalism. Media professionals and journalists need the freedom to perform their jobs without undue constraints. Journalists report on issues of public interest, including government policies, and have a key role to play in democracies by revealing truth and disseminating information indispensable to sustainable knowledge societies. Threats and violence against journalists and media professionals can stop the public from exercising their fundamental right to seek, receive, and impart information." (Abstract) more

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Safety of Journalists and the Fighting of Corruption in the EU

Tarlach McGonagle, Ronan Ó Fathaigh, Gionata Bouché, Melinda Rucz et al.

Brussels: European Parliament, Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (2020), 112 pp.

"Journalism and journalists face a growing range of threats, including violence and harassment; the misuse of defamation and other laws against them, and restrictive measures on freedom of information and expression adopted in response to the Covid-19 crisis. States must ensure a safe and favourable ... more

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Threats To Journalism Profession: Negotiations For Efficiency And Safe Practice

Ekene Godfrey Okafor, Ogochukwu Nneka Onyenekwe

Journal of Communication and Media Studies, volume 1, issue 2 (2020), pp. 1-12

"Despite a plethora of threats such as funding, violence, ownership etc., challenging Journalism profession; amateurs who engage in the practice, seem to continually pose more threats. Amateurs arguably exacerbate the spread of fake and misleading information, disinformation, misinterpretation of is ... more

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The danger of words: Major challenges facing Myanmar journalists on reporting the Rohingya conflict

Nyan Lynn

Media Asia, volume 47, issue 1 (2020), pp. 4-22

"Due to the fighting between the Myanmar Army and the Rohingya militant group Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) in August 2017, hundreds of thousands of stateless Rohingya Muslims fled to Bangladesh. The Myanmar Army was accused of committing torture, atrocities, arson and gang-rapes against the ... more

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Google Scholar (7)

WorldCat (9)

Safety and Security of Journalists in India: Need for Comprehensive Protective Regulations

Mausumi Bhattacharyya

In: Handbook of Research on Discrimination, Gender Disparity, and Safety Risks in Journalism

Sadia Jamil; Baris Çoban; Bora Ataman; Gifty Appiah-Adjei (eds.)

Hershey, PA: IGI Global (2020), pp. 119-142

"Globally, upholders of the fourth pillar of democracy have been consistently exposed to security issues and gender discrimination. Many journalists and media professionals are having to pay with their lives in trying to get information. In spite of nations having constitutionally accepted accordanc ... more

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Reconsidering Journalist Safety Training

Marte Høiby, V Mariateresa Garrido

Media and Communication, volume 8, issue 1 (2020), pp. 68-77

"Safety training courses and manuals are designed to provide journalists with guidance to assess and mitigate risk. In this article, we ask whether content of such training and guidance is informed by actual threats and risks relevant to journalists working in the field. Departing from our own previ ... more

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Talking Back: Journalists Defending Attacks Against Their Profession in the Trump Era

Michael Koliska, Kalyani Chadha, Alison Burns

Journalism Studies, volume 21, issue 11 (2020), pp. 1496–1513

"According to neo-institutional theory, the survival of institutions in society is predicated on a cultural discourse. Dubbed “the institutional myth,” this discourse reflects the core values, practices and aspirations of an institution and legitimizes its existence to internal and external stak ... more

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Lése-majesté and journalism in Turkey and Europe

Aytekin Kaan Kurtul

In: Journalist Safety and Self-Censorship

Ingrid Fadnes; Anna Grøndahl Larsen; Roy Krøvel (eds.)

London; New York: Routledge (2020), pp. 65-79

"This chapter deals with lèse-majesté laws and their impact on the exercise of freedom of political expression and journalism from the perspective of international human rights law. In doing so, it addresses the chilling effects of the application of a particular crime of lèse-majesté, namely � ... more

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In her own words: Melanesian women in media

Faith Valencia-Forrester, Bridget Backhaus, Heather Stewart

Pacific Journalism Review, volume 26, issue 1 (2020), pp. 63-74

"Representation of women in media has been a noted gender equity issue globally for decades. Given the increasing encroachments into press freedom in Melanesia, female journalists and media workers face serious challenges. With this in mind, the Melanesia Media Freedom Forum (MMFF) hosted a special ... more

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Reporting in Conflict Zones in Pakistan: Risks and Challenges for Fixers

Kiyya Baloch, Kenneth Andresen

Media and Communication, volume 8, issue 1 (2020), pp. 37-46

"As a backbone of reporting in war and conflicts, fixers offer essential assistance to the foreign correspondent in conflict zones, also in Pakistan. With valuable local knowledge and contacts, fixers can arrange travel to secure entry of foreign correspondents into conflict zones in addition to sec ... more

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A Study to Explore the Safety and Professional Challenges Faced by the Field Journalists in Pakistan

Ayesha Siddiqua, Faiza Latif, Imran Muslim

Research Journal of Social Sciences and Economics Review, volume 1, issue 3 (2020), pp. 20-26

"Field journalists in Pakistan who have covered violent conflicts especially in the wake of Karachi, Baluchistan, and former FATA conflicts have repeatedly staked their physical, emotional, and financial security while fulfilling their journalistic responsibilities. The study at hand is majorly aime ... more

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Professionalism, Safety Measures, and Threats: An Exploratory Approach

Syed Muhammad Bilal Shah, Farish Ullah Khan Yousafzai

Paradigms, volume 14, issue 1 (2020), pp. 117-124

"All citizens have equal rights to lead their life in any country in the world. The primary responsibility of the government is to protect the rights of all human beings on equal basis residing in a country. This study is an endeavor to highlight the intensity and reasons behind the threats received ... more

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Red lines of journalism. Digital surveillance, safety risks and journalists’ self-censorship in Pakistan

Sadia Jamil

In: Journalist Safety and Self-Censorship

Ingrid Fadnes; Anna Grøndahl Larsen; Roy Krøvel (eds.)

London; New York: Routledge (2020), pp. 29-46

"Drawing on Reese’s hierarchy of influences model, this study investigates the extent to which safety risks and digital surveillance result in journalists’ self-censorship in Pakistan. This study also explores the key areas of journalists’ self-censorship in the country and how it affects thei ... more

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Rationalizing the Gap: How Journalists in a Nondemocratic Regime Make Sense of Their Professional Work

Tatsiana Karaliova

International Journal of Communication, volume 14 (2020), pp. 4781-4802

"This article investigates how news professionals in a nondemocratic regime rationalize their institutional roles and daily reporting practices, negotiate boundaries of their work, and make sense of their professional activities. This study used qualitative interviewing to explore personal experienc ... more

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A way to silence journalists? Estonian female journalists’ experiences with harassment and self-censorship

Signe Ivask

In: Journalist Safety and Self-Censorship

Ingrid Fadnes; Anna Grøndahl Larsen; Roy Krøvel (eds.)

London; New York: Routledge (2020), pp. 114-129

"The aim of the study is to investigate Estonian female journalists’ experiences with harassment resulting in self-censorship. We carried out three studies: one in 2015, a second in 2016 and a third one in 2018. The data were gathered by in-depth interviews (2015 and 2018), journalists’ diaries ... more

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Constructing Silence: Processes of Journalistic (Self-)Censorship during Memoranda in Greece, Cyprus, and Spain

Sofia Iordanidou, Emmanouil Takas, Leonidas Vatikiotis, Pedro García

Media and Communication, volume 8, issue 1 (2020), pp. 15-26

"What are to be considered as threats against journalism? Whereas the literature on safety of journalists mainly discusses threats as part of armed conflicts, this article studies how other kinds of conflicts such as economic strangulation and the viability threat represent threats against journalis ... more

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Freedom of Expression in Times of Covid-19: Chilling Effect in Hungary and Serbia

Kristina Cendic, Gergely Gosztonyi

Journal of Liberty and International Affairs, volume 6, issue 2 (2020), pp. 14-29

"New technologies have opened several risks to safety of journalists. More importantly, in the state of emergency caused by the Covid-19 outbreak, journalists and media actors have shifted their activities online more than ever, which also made them more prone to digital threats and attacks. In some ... more

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From repression to oppression: News journalism in Turkey 2013–2018

Stefanie Pukallus, Lisa Bradley, Sarah Clarke, Jackie Harrison

Media, Culture & Society, volume 42, issue 7-8 (2020), pp. 1443-1460

"The political context for practicing free and independent journalism has always been challenging in Turkey and ever more so after the failed coup d’état of 2016. This article examines and analyzes the changes brought about by this failed coup d’état in terms of their civil, legal, and politic ... more

Online Violence Against Women Journalists: A Global Snapshot of Incidence and Impacts Top Insights

Online Violence Against Women Journalists: A Global Snapshot of Incidence and Impacts
Top Insights