"Anti-press violence in Colombia's Bajo Cauca is an inherent part of the structures, which underpin the region's alternative social (dis)order. Through ethnographic interviews with four members of Colombia's neo-paramilitary group, Los Urabenos, who have perpetrated attacks against journalists, this
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study argues that anti-press violence can co-exist alongside a sense of respect for journalism. It identifies a direct link between a journalist's style of reporting and the level of risk to which they might be exposed, as well as between neo-paramilitary decisions to kill or intimidate and the level of law enforcement in operation. It is argued that anti-press violence is connected to the perpetrators' democratic and economic survival. In these circumstances, anti-press violence is presented as a tool of criminal governance to maintain the alternative social (dis)order and protect the neo-paramilitaries'brutalact of 'insurgent citizenship'. Such analysis moves beyond the consideration of the wider democratic implications of anti-press violence to provide a more nuanced understanding of theprovocative, deliberativeandstructuraldeterminants, which underpin it on the violent margins of Colombia." (Abstract)
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"The present study brings together a unique collection of open testimonies from 20 journalists working in different member states of the Council of Europe. Each of these journalists spoke about the risks and pressures they perceived and experienced in exercising their profession, as well as their st
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rategies to build resilience and carry on in their “mission to inform”. At times, the price these women and men have had to pay for standing by their obligation to inform the public in an impartial and complete way was enormous, ranging from intrusions and limitations on private and family life, to putting their lives at risk. This was, for example, the case of Daphne Caruana Galizia, who reported fearlessly on sensitive issues, notably corruption, and who was murdered just 10 days after giving a powerful interview for this book. This was the last interview Daphne Caruana Galizia ever gave. A sample of 20 interviews cannot be representative of the situation in the Council of Europe member states. The merit of these interviews is to further exemplify different forms of interference with press freedom already identified in the 2017 study, as well as journalists’ perceptions regarding the dangers of the profession and the strategies they employ to persevere in their work." (Foreword)
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"This paper attempts to have insight into the media landscape of Balochistan and issues too. Balochistan is considered to be a conflict zone due to many religious and ethnic issues. The safety of journalists and media workers are a prime concern for journalistic bodies and government. The violence's
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against journalists leads them to self-censorship, and it has limited the topics and geographical access covered by media. National media is working as bureau offices only; Bureau Chiefs of the media outlet are working as reporters. Balochistan and issues related to Balochistan are wipeouts from national media, and it has brought a sense of deprivation among people of Balochistan. Less coverage to Balochistan is one of the threatening elements for journalists, and different pressure groups have threatened journalists and few even killed." (Abstract)
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"The dynamic nature of reporting requires journalists to interrogate their emotions as well as their sense of professionalism. This article focuses on the complex relationship between emotionality and professionalism mediated by journalists who reported on cases of genocide. This extraordinary confl
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ict situation provides a unique lens from which to explore the personal and professional resolve of journalists. Utilising interviews with UK journalists that reported on genocides in Rwanda and Srebrenica, this article develops a framework which characterises journalistic emotional labour as distinct, multi-faceted and somewhat contradictory. While participants described reporting as a focused, professional process in which emotions were silenced, the instinctual element and residual emotional toll associated with reporting on genocide demonstrates emotionality was not entirely absent. This article therefore provides a future template from which to explore emotional labour as part of a transformative relationship between journalists’ emotionality and professionalism." (Abstract)
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"A former news reporter looks back with horror at the news desk assignments that placed young women journalists in danger." (Abstract)
"Journalists are often exposed to potentially traumatic content through their profession. High levels of exposure have been found to predict high levels of psychopathology among journalists, including posttraumatic stress, alcohol use, and depressive symptoms. Predictors of such outcomes have not be
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en extensively investigated. The current study assessed the roles of world views, institutional betrayal, and work-related trauma exposure on symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), alcohol use, and depression. One hundred and fifteen journalists completed the online study and a portion subsequently completed a phone clinical interview. Greater exposure to work-related trauma was positively correlated with PTSD. Regression analyzes revealed that experiences of institutional betrayal moderated the relationship between shattered world assumptions and PTSD and alcohol use, but not depression. Specifically, among individuals who reported greater institutional betrayal, the relationship between benevolence of the world and PTSD and alcohol use was stronger. Results highlight the role of organizational factors in exacerbating symptoms of pathology. Implications include conducting research on micro- and macro-level factors that contribute to pathology in this group. Recommendations include destigmatizing disclosure of psychological needs to editors and news agencies, introducing more trainings for journalists and editorial staff focused on trauma, mental health, and how to improve and maintain psychological well-being." (Abstract)
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"The Internet is a modern Pandora's Box which has exceptionally altered the way we disseminate and receive information messages, particularly news. Despite technological innovations being the apex of our history, it is undeniable that they pose new challenges and threats to a different degree. Hence
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, this study examined the risks and challenges faced by the Malaysian media professionals in this new age and how technological developments had impacted their work. Situated within the framework of the technological determinism theory, this study employed a qualitative semi-structured interview with thirteen (13) Malaysian journalists. This study found several challenges related to the journalists' safety and their professionalism. Media professionals, such as journalists and editors, often caught in a paradoxical and risky situations, which challenge the process of news production and deliverance ethically and legally. Journalists, who participated in this study, were pressured to produce more story ideas and deliver news assignments with shorter deadlines. This not only impacted the online news quality but also the credibility and transparency of the news organization." (Abstract)
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"The global phenomenon of trolling of journalists lays out the ambivalent consequences of news interactivity and the risks of digital publicity. The push for digital publicity made journalists more exposed to attacks amid rising digital hate and the populist demonization of the news media. The negat
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ive impact of trolling reveals important blind spots of aspirational visions about the consequences of audience interactivity for journalism. The troubling consequences of trolling raise important questions for journalism studies. How to rethink the notion of the public in journalism when newsrooms experience "participation fatigue", disappointment, and frustration with audience engagement? What if members of the public refuse to play by the rules of civility and tolerance? What if interactive platforms are vehicles for hate rather than reason, facticity, listening, or critical thinking? Addressing these questions is necessary to produce nuanced arguments about journalism, the public and publicity." (Abstract)
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"Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
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1 However, the current state of freedom of expression online and offline is fragile around the world,. [...] The Multi Donor Programme on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists aims to enhance the enabling environment for freedom of expression online and offline and advance UNESCO’s role in the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as cornerstones of the 2030 Agenda, and the commitments of Financing for Development. [...] Targeted Member States are enhancing norms and policies related to freedom of expression, including press freedom and the right to access information, online and offline, in accordance with international standards, and reinforcing the safety of journalists by implementing the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, through integrating a gender sensitive approach (. [...] MANAGEMENT OF THE MULTI DONOR PROGRAMME: According to the financial regulations approved by the executive board in its 200th session, the Director- General (DG) of UNESCO shall be responsible for the management and the administration of the funds under the Special Account of the Multi Donor Programme on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists. [...] Outcome N° 1: Member States are enhancing norms and policies related to freedom of expression, including press freedom and the right to access information, online and offline, and are reinforcing the safety of journalists by implementing the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity Performance indicator (PI): Baseline (B): Source and means Target (T): of verificatio." (Abstract)
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"The aim of this chapter is to describe Mexican journalists' responses to constant threats and aggressions. In doing so, it draws on 93 semi-structured interviews conducted in 23 of the most violent states of the country. The results indicate that violence against news workers has a twofold set of i
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mplications for the practice of professional journalism: On the one hand, constant attacks on media staff have promoted the development of a more elaborated journalistic performance, based upon factual reporting, diversification of sources, collaborative coverage, and the creation of journalists' associations. On the other hand, however, in many cases the same situation has also inhibited reporters' and newsrooms' jobs by forcing them to self-censorship and the dependence on government official versions of sensitive issues such as crime news or corruption, amongst other passive routines. The simultaneous coexistence of both outcomes provides evidence of the operation of multiple journalisms within the Mexican media system." (Abstract)
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"Female journalists make up only between five to 10 percent of the total journalists in Indonesia. Consequently, this often gives women little bargaining power in the workplace. This research analyzes the prevalence and nature of sexual harassment experienced by Indonesian female journalists, as wel
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l as their coping techniques. In doing so, in-depth interviews with 10 Indonesian female journalists were conducted. Results show that the majority of respondents have encountered some type of sexual harassment, ranging from unwelcome sexual advances, sexual jokes, offensive flirtations, or actual sexual assaults. Based on the in-depth interviews, there were six main coping techniques used by the respondents: 1. Denial; 2. Ignoring the harassment; 3. Relying on the protection of male coworkers; 4. Appearing more masculine; 5. Being friendly and approachable to others; and, 6. Confronting and reporting. Data is analyzed using a feminist perspective, specifically the sociocultural theory. Though the participants in this study have learned to cope with such treatment, the overall persistence of sexual harassment may lead to such negative implications as further decrease of the number of female journalists, lack of diversity in the media, and the inability for journalists to be watchdogs." (Abstract)
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"Journalists have long been the targets of both physical and cyber-attacks from well-resourced adversaries. Internet of Things (IoT) devices are arguably a new avenue of threat towards journalists through both targeted and generalised cyber-physical exploitation. This study comprises three parts: Fi
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rst, we interviewed 11 journalists and surveyed 5 further journalists, to determine the extent to which journalists perceive threats through the IoT, particularly via consumer IoT devices. Second, we surveyed 34 cyber security experts to establish if and how lay-people can combat IoT threats. Third, we compared these findings to assess journalists' knowledge of threats, and whether their protective mechanisms would be effective against experts' depictions and predictions of IoT threats. Our results indicate that journalists generally are unaware of IoT-related risks and are not adequately protecting themselves; this considers cases where they possess IoT devices, or where they enter IoT-enabled environments (e.g., at work or home). Expert recommendations spanned both immediate and long-term mitigation methods, including practical actions that are technical and socio-political in nature. However, all proposed individual mitigation methods are likely to be short-term solutions, with 26 of 34 (76.5%) of cyber security experts responding that within the next five years it will not be possible for the public to opt-out of interaction with the IoT." (Abstract)
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"In the neoliberal media autocracy of Turkey, mass media are propaganda tools rather than the public watchdogs. The coup attempt in 2016 gave the government additional power to institutionalise this regime. Critical journalists have become the enemies of the state and suffered from threats from vari
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ous sources. This attack on critical journalism is increasing alongside the deepening of the democracy crises, positioning journalists as victims. This study argues that bridging the fields of journalism safety and victimology would benefit journalists. Therefore, a critical analysis of reports on journalism safety, opponent journalists' social media posts, and related news was performed in order to discuss the possibility and advantages of bridging this gap to help journalists deal with victimisation. The findings demonstrate the acceptance of journalists as a new subject for victims' rights might activate new mechanisms of protection for them. This means searching for new rights can contribute to their physical, mental, and moral recovery." (Abstract)
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"Amid growing threats to journalists around the world, this study examines the nature of online harassment, the types of journalists most likely to experience it, and the most common forms of response to such abuse. Through a representative survey of U.S. journalists, we find that nearly all journal
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ists experience at least some online harassment but that such harassment is generally infrequent overall and especially in its most severe forms. Nevertheless, online harassment against journalists disproportionately affects women (particularly young women) and those who are more personally visible in the news but not necessarily those who work for larger newsrooms. Moreover, it is clear that the more often a journalist is harassed online, the more likely they are to take a dim view of the audience by seeing them as irrational and unlike themselves, and to perceive interaction with them as less valuable. Additionally, as greater targets of the worst forms of abuse, women face a greater burden in deciding if and how to respond to online harassment. Conceptually, this article advances the literature on journalists and audiences by extending the concept of reciprocal journalism, which emphasizes individual-level perceptions that shape the quality of person-to-person exchanges. We explore how the experience of online harassment may complicate the way that journalists think about and act toward their audiences, offering a window into the downsides of encountering audiences online." (Abstract)
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"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
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al significance for news journalism and news journalists. More specifically and based on two sets of semi-structured interviews with Turkish editors and senior journalists supported by an analysis of gray literature, we argue that between 2013 and 2018 Turkey has moved from a pre-coup repression of news journalism (2013–2016) to a post-coup oppression of news journalism (2016–2018). The former was characterized by unsystematic attacks on news journalism conducted with impunity leading to a climate of fear that made self-censorship inescapable. In contrast, the latter relied on constitutional changes and the use of law to systematically compromise the civil institution of news journalism and to cast news journalists as political enemies of the Turkish state resulting in what can be likened to a loss of their citizenship. We further argue that the development from the repression to oppression of news journalism has been ‘authorized’ and ‘legalized’ by the constitutional changes that came into force on 9 July 2018." (Abstract)
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"Gender-based violence against women journalists has increased dramatically, both offline and online. These professionals face more barriers to performing their roles in safe conditions. Slow progress has been made by governments and news media industries to protect women journalists. Most of the pr
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ogressive actions to address this widespread problem have been achieved by journalists, non-government organizations (NGOs), and scholars. Thanks to the work done by these actors, violence against women journalists has been unveiled and caught the attention of human rights courts. Grounded in both communication studies and feminist theory, this chapter analyzes the structural conditions enabling gender-based violence against women journalists in Latin America to explore how it affects the collective right to freedom of expression and to consider responses to this crisis from activist movements." (Abstract)
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"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
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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)
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"Safety of journalists has been studied as part of freedom of expression. This chapter seeks to address issues surrounding journalists' safety and censorship in Colombia by shedding light on a triple menace: the decrease in journalistic quality, citizens' right to information, and the influence on j
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ournalists' professional behavior by analysing the multifaceted press censorship from 2008 to 2012, which occurred before the Peace Accord between FARC guerrilla and former president Juan Manuel Santos. Media ethnography and in-depth interviews were used. Employing the Bourdieu's theory of professional field, the praxis, rationale, and censorship of journalists during the conflict were mapped. The findings shed light on how the censorship went on during a more stable period in the conflict and how journalists were silenced and threatened." (Abstract)
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"This Handbook, which provides non-compulsory technical guidance to EU Delegations, aims to provide tools and hands-on examples to support them in implementing the the 2014 'EU Human Rights Guidelines on Freedom of Expression Online and Offline' and in taking actions to support the safety and securi
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ty of journalists in their context. First, the Handbook presents a brief on the European and international policy framework regarding safety of journalists and clarifies relevant concepts. The second section focuses on the actions EU Delegations can carry out in their own local context – working in an emergency situation, or as tools for mid- and long-term policy and programming." (Purpose of this handbook, page 7)
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"[...] the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and other media actors, in collaboration with the Ghana Police Service, in 2018 began a process to improve relations between the media and the police. As a first step a forum was organised in July 2018 to discuss the safety of journalists and police
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-media relations in Ghana. The forum offered a space for dialogue between the media and the police to foster mutual understanding of their respective roles. It also built the capacity of police officers and journalists on safety of journalists’ standards and effective media handling by the police. Some guidelines for protection of the safety of journalists were also established. To further strengthen and guide police-media relations for improved safety of journalists, it was agreed at the forum that a “Framework on Police-Media Relations and Safety of Journalists in Ghana” should be developed to spell out modalities for greater cooperation between the two bodies, end impunity for crimes against journalists and ultimately promote the safety of journalists. To this end, a Committee, comprising individuals from the Ghana Police Service, Media Foundation for West Africa, National Media Commission, Ghana Journalists Association, Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association, Ghana Community Radio Network, Editors Forum Ghana, Private Newspapers Publishers of Ghana, and Ghana Institute of Journalism, worked with a Consultant to develop this Framework on Police-Media Relations and Safety of Journalists in Ghana. The Inspector-General of Police and members of the Police Management Board endorsed the Framework at its meeting on 22nd May, 2019. The Framework was subsequently launched by an official of the Ministry of Interior. It is aimed that this Framework will ultimately enhance police-media relations, promote and protect the safety of journalists and reduce impunity for crimes against journalists in Ghana." (https://www.mfwa.org)
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