"PEN America, the Online News Association, and the International Women’s Media Foundation have teamed up to create Digital Safety Snacks, step-by-step videos to help you defend yourself against online abuse. We’ll explain how to protect your most sensitive accounts from hackers and how to dox yo
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urself before someone else does. We want to empower you to feel safer and more secure while maintaining the public profile you need to do your job." (Abstract)
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"Whether you’re experiencing or witnessing online abuse, this Field Manual offers concrete strategies for how to defend yourself and others. We wrote this guidance with and for those disproportionately impacted by online abuse: writers, journalists, artists, and activists who identify as women, BI
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POC, and/or LGBTQIA+. Whatever your identity or vocation, anyone active online will find useful tools and resources here for navigating online abuse and tightening digital safety." (Abstract)
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"What might feminist approaches to the protection of journalists look like, and what benefits might they bring? From national organisations to grassroots networks, our findings document women’s monumental efforts to make structural changes, tackle entrenched patterns of gender-based discrimination
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and violence, and enhance the safety of women journalists. The initiatives showcased in these case studies are a testament to the creativity and resilience of those working on the feminist frontlines. The case studies: In 2021, ARTICLE 19 set out to make these sometimes invisible practices more visible, building on our existing programmes on the safety of women journalists worldwide. We undertook original research globally and specifically in six countries – three in Asia (Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka) and three in Latin America (Brazil, Chile, and Paraguay)." (Abstract)
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"This document is the second of a set of three practical guidelines that provide recommendations for considering an intersectional gender approach when: monitoring and documenting attacks against journalists and social communicators (Guideline 1); advocating on emblematic cases for advocacy (Guideli
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ne 2); and organising protection training (this guideline)." (About these guidelines)
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"This document is the second of a set of three practical guidelines that provide recommendations for considering an intersectional gender approach when: monitoring and documenting attacks against journalists and social communicators (Guideline 1); advocating on emblematic cases for advocacy (this Gu
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ideline); and organising protection training (Guideline 3)." (About these guidelines)
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"An intersectional gender approach starts with the fact that differences between the roles of women and men – in terms of their relative position in society and the distribution of resources, opportunities, constraints, and power in a given context – cannot be analysed in a separate silo. Instea
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d, such differences must be placed within a systemic framework of intersectional inequalities (see Figure 1), overlapping gender discrimination with other forms of discrimination [...] These guidelines are about the safety and protection of journalists and social communicators, which can be addressed by monitoring and documenting the attacks they face, building their capacity to protect themselves, and raising awareness nationally and internationally on the issue. While many of the recommendations in these guidelines could also apply to human rights defenders (HRDs), they were built from the experience and expertise of ARTICLE 19 staff concerning journalists and social communicators." (Page 7)
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"In 2021, ARTICLE 19 set out to make sometimes invisible practices more visible, building on our existing programmes on the safety of women journalists worldwide. We undertook original research globally and specifically in six countries, three in Asia (Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka) and three in
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Latin America (Brazil, Chile, and Paraguay), all of which ARTICLE 19 is publishing separately, guided by the questions: What might feminist approaches to the protection of journalists look like, and what benefits might they bring? Our research findings form the basis of this report, which aims to: explore how feminist practices have been, are being, and can be applied to improve all women journalists' safety worldwide; bridge international legal and policy frameworks on the safety of journalists with the practical approaches being adopted on the ground; and catalyse a conversation about how - together - we can move towards feminist approaches to the safety of journalists. From national organisations to grassroots networks, this report documents women's monumental efforts to make structural changes, tackle entrenched patterns of gender-based discrimination and violence, and enhance the safety of women journalists. The initiatives showcased here are a testament to the creativity and resilience of those working on the feminist frontlines." (Introduction)
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"Elisabeth Blanche Olofio’s reporting exposed local corruption and human rights abuses in the Central African Republic, providing her community with crucial information on the ongoing rebel advance at the time. On 5 January 2013, she was severely beaten, tortured and raped by Séléka rebels in he
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r hometown of Bambari in connection to her reporting. She suffered from sustained psychological and physical trauma and succumbed to her injuries in June 2014. Elisabeth was 34 years old. Our new investigation into the attack on Elisabeth Blanche Olofio reveals the vulnerability of local journalists reporting in conflict zones to becoming targets of brutal and sometimes even lethal violence, whereas attacks against them are rarely investigated, let alone lead to justice being served." (Abstract)
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"This report provides a Europe-wide overview of lawsuits that are taken to stifle scrutiny and public debate on issues such as corruption, mismanagement of public resources, and human rights violations. Such lawsuits, known as strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) are taken by pow
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erful individuals in society not necessarily to win cases, but to drag their critics through legal processes that drain them financially and psychologically and ultimately prevent them from exercising their fundamental rights (including freedom of expression or freedom of assembly and association)." (Abstract)
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"This report is part of a UNESCO-financed project entitled “Improving monitoring for crimes against journalists”, which fits into the framework of the wider SDG 2030 Agenda. The first pillar of this project was a survey and in-depth interviews with civil society organisations involved in monitor
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ing violations against journalists. The second pillar was a two-day monitoring workshop that took place in The Hague in September 2022, in which representatives of eight monitoring organisations, FPU, the International Press Institute (IPI) and the Centre for Freedom of the Media (CFOM) participated. This report forms the third pillar of the project, and sets out the main findings of the monitoring workshop and provides recommendations, best practices and suggestions, which fed into the pre-conference session on 3 November 2022 in Vienna on the topic of “monitoring of attacks”." (Abstract)
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"Sardasht Osman was a courageous and talented 23-year-old citizen journalist, who wrote about corruption and political mismanagement within the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in a period of political upheaval. On 13 December 2009, Sardasht wrote a satirical article accusing the family of Presiden
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t Barzani of corruption and nepotism, a ‘red line’ in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). The article, titled: ‘I Am In Love With Barzani’s Daughter’, juxtaposed the hardships of average Kurdish citizens with the lavish lifestyle of the Barzani family. On 4 May 2010, Sardasht was kidnapped in Erbil and assassinated because of his writings. Twelve years later, no one has been arrested and convicted for his kidnap and assassination, and there are serious allegations that officials linked to the Barzani family were involved in the murder. Our investigation team interviewed dozens of witnesses, analyzed official case files and statements, and reviewed satellite imagery and photographic evidence. The aim was to scrutinize the official investigation and unearth new findings concerning Sardasht’s murder. This report reveals serious flaws in the official investigation into the kidnap and assassination of Sardasht, and finds credible allegations that Kurdish authorities were directly involved in the murder." (Abstract)
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"For this report we analyzed hundreds of cases of journalists who were murdered in reprisal for their work. What stands out is their courage to report misdemeanor by those in power despite the clear and often well-known risks this entails for them. What stands out as well is the lack of capacity in
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so many countries across the world to better their record when it comes to journalist murders. This is tied to the fact that addressing impunity requires addressing systemic failures. As murders of journalists often reveal informal power structures, solving a murder entails more than implementing an independent and thorough investigation. The collusion of power, especially between organized crime and political actors, seems to be one of the main challenges to improving the record on impunity. This is clearly illustrated by the consequences of the investigation into the murder of young Slovak investigative journalist Ján Kuciak. The investigation - aided by journalistic research - exposed a network of corrupt people in power involved in the killing, leading to the arrest of numerous judges, prosecutors and high-ranking police officials. In this paper, we conclude that we see merit in changing our narrative: instead of focusing so much on the cyclical effects of impunity, we should focus our discussions and efforts on ways in which we can address the root causes of journalist murders. We believe this can set much needed change in motion. To this end, we have identified several avenues to justice in this report. There is no silver bullet to solve the complex issue of impunity, but there are common threads in the cases that have been solved, which we believe we should take as a starting point." (Abstract, page 2)
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"This report offers the most comprehensive assessment to date of Beijing’s global media influence and the ways in which democracies are responding. Drawing on media investigations, interviews, scholarly publications, Chinese government sources, and on-the-ground research by local analysts, it cove
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rs developments in 30 countries during the period from January 2019 to December 2021. It updates and expands upon two previous Freedom House studies published in 2013 and 2020, and it focuses largely on democracies to provide a more in-depth understanding of the deployment and reception of influence tactics in countries that possess relatively strong institutional protections for media freedom. Finally, the report offers recommendations to governments, the media sector, technology firms, and civil society groups on how they can bolster democratic defenses against CCP interference." (Page 3)
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"The murder of Gerry Ortega is indicative of structural problems concerning the safety of journalists in the Philippines; while the hitmen are often arrested, the powerful masterminds behind the killings of journalists often evade justice. Gerry Ortega was a prominent broadcast journalist and enviro
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nmental activist in the province of Palawan. Ortega’s work: informing the public on graft and corruption within the provincial government, made him a target for those in power. He was not afraid to openly criticize local politicians such as then-governor Joel T. Reyes for their corruption, publicly opposing Palawan mining projects. On the morning of 24 January 2011, Gerry was shot and killed. The alleged mastermind is that same former governor of Palawan, Joel T. Reyes. Reyes has escaped justice for more than a decade. He continues to wield influence over local public officials in Palawan. He has now filed his candidacy for the position of governor in the upcoming local elections in May 2022." (Abstract)
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"Regina Martínez Pérez was a prolific journalist from the state of Veracruz in Mexico, one of the most dangerous countries for journalists. Since 2006, Veracruz has seen a particularly high rate of journalist murders, and on 28 April 2012, Regina Martínez Pérez was brutally murdered in her home
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in the city of Xalapa. The police investigation into her murder has been heavily criticized by various experts and observers, pointing to significant anomalies in the official investigation. To address the many questions around the official investigation and in an attempt to uncover the truth around the murder, we conducted our own investigation into the case." (Abstract)
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"To ensure that social media becomes safer, more open, and more equitable for all users, platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram must prioritize curbing online harassment. In this report, PEN America proposes concrete, actionable changes that social media companies should make immediately to
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the design of their products to better protect people from online abuse—without jeopardizing free expression." (Introduction)
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"Zubair Mujahid was a journalist from Mirpurkhas in Pakistan whose stories exposed corruption and human rights abuses. His stories and columns were published in the Daily Jang, an Urdu language newspaper based in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest urban centre. On 23 November 2007, Zubair was shot while
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he was sitting on the back of his colleague’s motorcycle, driving home after a long working day. Our investigative team reviewed the official police files and interviewed twenty witnesses with the aim of uncovering new evidence to support the road to justice for Zubair. The investigation also included an analysis of Zubair’s publications prior to the murder, and threats he received in response to his writing. This report presents the findings of our investigation." (Abstract)
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"The media sector in Moldova is diverse. Dogged investigative reporting plays a vital role in public life. However, the legal framework governing the sector is unstable and underdeveloped. In 2020, much of the country’s political class treated the independent press with hostility, viewing journali
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sts as obstacles to rather than partners in managing the COVID-19 pandemic. Financial sustainability continues to elude the sector. Many outlets are captured by and serve as mouthpieces for political interests, and the fallout of the pandemic has exacerbated the precarity experienced by the independent press." (Executive summary)
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"In the middle of a global pandemic, as a wave of anti-racism activism sweeps the nation, conditions are rife for a spike in online hate and harassment. Tens of thousands have taken to the streets to protest police brutality while millions more socially distance at home, anxious and isolated, with e
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yes glued to phones and computer screens. In this climate of extreme uncertainty and unease, the tensions playing out IRL are sure to reverberate and escalate in the digital realm. We’ve already seen a rise in online attacks against scientists, public health experts, Asians, and Asian Americans, and we will no doubt see increased abuse targeting activists, journalists of color, and anyone commenting or reporting on the protests." (Abstract)
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"A prevailing culture of impunity for threats to the safety of journalists fuels their repetition. A failure of justice emboldens perpetrators and undermines journalists’ trust in the political will to guarantee their effective protection. Since 2012, the international community has increasingly s
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ought to shine a spotlight on this issue, setting out an ambitious global agenda for States to act on the safety of journalists through a series of resolutions adopted at the UN Human Rights Council, UN General Assembly, and UN Security Council. UN Resolutions on the Safety of Journalists call on all States to effectively enhance the safety of journalists and break the cycle of impunity through targeted action on three interconnected fronts: prevention, protection, and remedy." (Abstract)
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