"The article deals with the issue of establishing criminal liability for crimes against journalists. Areas of research on this subject are identified. The basic research and publications on issues are reviewed. The need for introducing such liability is investigated. It is indicated that several spe
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cial trains crimes against journalists were added to the Law of Ukraine "On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine on Strengthening Guarantees ofJournalistic Activities" Criminal Code of Ukraine: 1) threats or violence against a journalist (art. 345-1 of the Criminal Code); 2) intentional destruction or damage to property of a journalist (art. 347-1 of the Criminal Code); 3) attempt on the life of a journalist (art. 348-1 of the Criminal Code); 4) hostage seizure of a journalist (art. 349-1 of the Criminal Code). Deficiencies are identified in the existence of separate groups of crimes - crimes against journalists due to the presence in the existing criminal law norms that punish such acts. It is also concluded that the introduction of special rules to the criminal law Ukraine should be conditional on increased (or reduced) level of social danger of the act versus offense under the general rule. It is claimed that journalists should be provided protection by the criminal law, but without creating more competition and overloading the Criminal Code of Ukraine." (Abstract)
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"On 13 April 2016, the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers adopted its Recommendation CM/Rec(2016)4 on the protection of journalism and safety of journalists and other media actors. This is a continuation of the Committee of Ministers’ engagement with the topic, following its adoption of
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an identicallytitled Declaration in 2014 (see IRIS 2014-7/4)." (Abstract)
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"In Latin America in the twenty-first century, journalists face daily professional and societal constraints and pressures when attempting to fulfill their role to inform the public. Concerns include a lack of press freedom, robust and growing social movements critical of the news media, and personal
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security on and offline. In this article, the authors examine the conceptual frameworks that can be used to understand journalism practice, and the lack of freedom of expression in Latin America. The authors use Mexico, one of the most dangerous places for journalists to work in the region, as a case study. Specifically, the authors examine and discuss the strengths and limitations of six conceptual frameworks: Hierarchy of Influences; Propaganda and Information Scarcity; Collective Action; Scale-shifting; Professional Reflexivity; and Collective Professional Autonomy." (Abstract)
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"Previous studies of intimidation and harassment of journalists have (rightly) focused on non-democratic and authoritarian nations and/or transitional/emerging democracies. In this article, we examine the situation in Sweden, a country with strong de facto and de jure safeguards of journalistic free
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dom and autonomy. We report the findings from a representative survey of Swedish journalists where three themes are analysed: the extent of harassment, the forms of harassment, and the consequences of intimidation and harassment. The results show that a third of the respondents had experienced threats at work in the past year, and an overwhelming majority said they had received offensive and insulting comments. Intimidation and harassment also had consequences, both professionally and personally, such as fear and self-censorship. We therefore argue that it is time to add the dimension of external pressure and threats to the discussion of journalistic autonomy—including in countries like Sweden." (Abstract)
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"The chapter describes how social media is utilized in an environment of heightened violence and indicates that numerous journalists from 18 cities often use social media to forge cross-border relationships with colleagues. It focuses on a study of social media use by journalists and bloggers report
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ing in the northern states and uses the conceptual framework of scale-shifting to analyze how journalists from both the United States and Mexico overcome information scarcity while also avoiding digital security risks in the northern Mexican states. The chapter describes how some journalists from Mexico and the United States, covering northern Mexico use social media for their work. In northern Mexico, where bloggers and journalists continue to be threatened, social media present both opportunities and challenges. By employing a transnational approach to explore the connections between social media and journalism practice along the US–Mexico border, the research has set the groundwork for future projects regarding social media in the region." (Abstract)
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"The UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity is a systematic UN-wide plan to work toward a free and safe environment for journalists and media workers, including social media producers of public interest journalism, with a view to strengthen peace, democracy, and dev
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elopment worldwide. It covers both conflict and non-conflict situations. Spearheaded by the Intergovernmental Council of UNESCO’s International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) and endorsed in 2012 by the UN Chief Executives Board, the highest level coordinator mechanisms of the UN system, the UN Plan provides an overarching framework for co-operation between all relevant stakeholders, including UN bodies, national authorities, media actors, and national, regional, and international organizations. Given the length and breadth of the challenges, no actor is able to resolve them singlehandedly. Combined efforts are needed to create a safe and enabling environment for journalists both online and offline, and also to combat impunity for crimes against them. The UN Plan and Implementation Strategy propose principles for cooperation and possible practical actions. Great strides have been made in an unprecedented flurry of resolutions of different UN bodies. This momentum needs to be maintained. Similarly, at country level, the UN Plan encourages the setting up of mechanisms for the prevention and punishment of attacks on journalists, and for their protection in the face of threats." (Page 3)
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"Más de 1050 periodistas asesinados y desaparecidos (unos 22,8 casos al año) hicieron de América Latina el escenario más peligroso del mundo para el ejercicio profesional, entre 1970 y 2015, incluso en países sin guerras oficialmente aceptadas. Desde las dictaduras hasta el narcopoder, desde M
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xico y el Caribe hasta el Cono Sur, ningún otro libro entrega una radiografía tan profunda sobre este problema; un mal ya endémico que exige solución urgente; de no resolverse, las sociedades latinoamericanas -junto con la libertad de prensa- perderán todos los derechos por los que han luchado. Con una bibliografía exhaustiva y un análisis tan riguroso como aterrador, Bernardo Díaz Nosty nos muestra cómo la crisis de justicia produce impunidad y perpetúa la ley del terror. "Antes de llegar al asesinato, suele producirse el acoso sobre el periodista y sus familiares, las agresiones físicas, la estigmatización, las extorsiones [...] Todo ello conduce a la quiebra de la independencia profesional, a la renuncia de la actividad periodística, al exilio, cuando no a la claudicación y a la entrega a las condiciones que establece el enemigo". (Editorial)
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"This book explores the complex organisational issues surrounding the capture or kidnapping of journalists in areas of conflict and risk. It explores how journalists 'becoming news' is covered and the implications of that coverage, how news organisations prepare for and respond to such events, and h
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ow kidnapping and ransom insurers, victim recovery firms, journalists' families, and governments influence the actions of news enterprises. It considers how and why journalists are kidnapped, how employers and journalists' organisations respond to kidnappings and why freelancers are particularly at risk as well as suggesting best practices for preventing and responding to kidnappings." (Back cover)
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"The primary objective of the 2015 NIMP Mission was to provide technical inputs to activities underway under UNESCO’s Safety of Journalists project, particularly in terms of setting up an independent national mechanism on safety at the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Another key objective
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was to advocate in favour of international best practices on press freedom, freedom of expression (FOE) and the right to information (RTI). Unlike previous missions, where advocacy had been the main objective, the 2015 Mission focused on three areas: The architecture of the NHRC mechanism, including a review of the procedures, by-laws, structure and organisation for making it an effective tool for ensuring safety of journalists and free expression advocates; Advocating in favour of respect for international standards on free expression and the safety of journalists, including via enabling provisions on free expression in the new constitution; Activities relating to the UNESCO safety project where there was need for international technical support." (IMS website)
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"This overview report highlights key themes that affect journalists’ safety globally, including: 1) impunity for crimes against journalists, which fosters killings and abductions; 2) the range of dangers facing journalists; 3) the lack of resources for comprehensive security training and the hands
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-off approach of many news media organizations, particularly related to freelance and local journalists in violent societies lacking press freedom; and 4) steps being taken to address the issue. The report concludes with recommendations for U.N. member states and news media organizations. It comes in the context of growing attention worldwide, much of it inspired by the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity." (Introduction)
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"This United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) report documents the national state of journalists' safety and the issue of impunity by providing an overview of the safety situation of journalists in Nepal. It also examines the context of safety and the responsibility
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of all stakeholders in addressing the issue of journalists' safety in the country. Based on UNESCO's Media Development Indicators (MDI), UNESCO's Journalists' Safety Indicators (JSI) are developed within the context of the endorsement of the UN Plan of Action on Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, providing a baseline of knowledge against which progress can be assessed. Using various methods, including document analysis and interviews with various informants, this research documents the actors and actions in place for the protection of journalists in Nepal, grouped around 4 key indicator categories, namely: the roles and response of the State and other political actors; the roles and response of civil society and academia; the roles and response of media and intermediaries; and the roles and response of the UN system and other extra-national actors with a presence in Nepal. In an overview of the situation of journalists' safety in Nepal, this report also provides information on the number of threats and attacks on journalists in the course of their work. Appendix one describes the methodology and sources of data in more detail." (Abstract)
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"The study finds that Kenyan journalists face serious challenges in the course of their work. Further, both State and non-State actors have contributed to a deteriorating climate for journalists. The number of threats, incidents of harassment and intimidation as well as legal and personal attacks, h
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as grown within the period under study." (Executive summary)
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"This report provides an overview of a decade of killings of journalists, media workers and social media producers, between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2015. The extent of the risks faced by those exercising their right to express opinions and disseminate information is demonstrated by the figure
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of 827 killings recorded by UNESCO over ten years. To this, one needs to add the numerous other violations endured by journalists, which include kidnappings, arbitrary detention, torture, intimidation and harassment, both offline and online, and seizure or destruction of material. Overcoming all these threats is needed for measuring progress on the Sustainable Development Goal Target 16.10 on ensuring public access to information and protecting fundamental freedoms within the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This Report is focused exclusively on the worst violations, i.e. the killings of journalists, in line with the IPDC Council’s 2008 Decision on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, which was reinforced by subsequent decisions in 2010, 2012, and 2014." (Executive summary)
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"The IPDC has played a significant role in the promotion of the safety of journalists in recent years, contributing to and building on the momentum around journalists’ safety issues. However, developing a specific IPDC strategy with the aim of maintaining the momentum, and making full use of its p
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otential, will be important for the IPDC to ensure its continued relevance in addressing this critical challenge to freedom of expression and freedom of the press. This strategy needs to focus on those goals that the IPDC is better placed to achieve than any other entity, while complementing UNESCO’s other work in this area. This would increase IPDC impact, on the one hand, and the interest among donors, on the other." (Page 15)
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"La finalidad de este texto es que pueda servir para tener un protocolo rápido de acción para los casos que se describen, para la protección de los profesionales de la comunicación. Sin embargo, es necesario subrayar la importancia de contactar a una organización de derechos humanos ante cualqu
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iera de estos casos. Espacio Público está a la disposición para ampliar cualquier información aquí descrita y comprometido a acompañar casos de este tipo que puedan presentarse. Esta Guía Práctica de Protección para Periodistas contiene herramientas para: Seguridad Digital; Protección Personal; Procedimientos legales para víctimas; Cobertura de manifestaciones; Atención a periodistas." (Introducción, página 7)
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"The vulnerability of journalists to kidnappings was starkly illustrated by the killing of James Foley and Steven Sotloff by Islamic militants in 2014. Their murder underscored the risks taken by journalists and news organisations trying to cover developments in dangerous regions of the world and ha
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s forced news enterprises to more clearly prepare for and confront issues of safety. This book explores the complex organisational issues surrounding the capture or kidnapping of journalists in areas of conflict and risk. It explores how journalists ‘becoming news’ is covered and the implications of that coverage, how news organisations prepare for and respond to such events, and how kidnapping and ransom insurers, victim recovery firms, journalists’ families, and governments influence the actions of news enterprises. It considers how and why journalists are kidnapped, how employers and journalists’ organisations respond to kidnappings and why freelancers are particularly at risk as well as suggesting best practices for preventing and responding to kidnappings." (Publisher description)
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"Examines the statistics and looks at the trends in journalist killings and intimidation around the world. It identifies what factors have led to this rise and positions these in historical and global contexts. This important study also provides case studies and first-hand accounts from journalists
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working in some of the most dangerous places in the world today and seeks to understand the different pressures they must confront. It also examines industry and political responses to these trends and pressures as well as the latest international initiatives aimed at challenging cultures of impunity and keeping journalists safe. Throughout, the authors argue that journalism contributes a vital if often neglected role in the formation and conduct of civil societies. This is why reporting from ‘uncivil’ places matters and this is why journalists are often positioned in harm’s way." (Back cover)
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"Sadly, attacks on journalists in Mexico are nothing new. In April 2012, CIMA published a report detailing the violence against the media and recommending steps that the Mexican government could take in order to remedy the situation. The government of Mexico did enact some measures to protect journa
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lists starting in 2012. Mexican Journalism, Still in the Line of Fire, is an update to the earlier CIMA report. It examines the results of government efforts to halt the violence and points out that despite those measures the situation for journalists and media in Mexico has only become worse." (CIMA website)
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"Every 3rd of May in the year, the world celebrates the freedom of the press. The celebration often serves as a reminder on the need for the protection of the Fundamental Human Rights and Freedom of Expression as embedded in the universal declaration of Human Rights as well as the constitution of co
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untries that are liberal democracies. In the past decade however, the World Press Freedom Day has remained a constant reminder of the escalation of violence and conflicts all over the world. The consequences of which journalists and other media workers have had to bear in their quest/bid to fulfill a sacred mission: the people deserve the right to know. Statistically, more than 1000 media professionals were said to have been killed in the line of duty. Some of these killings were state ogranised, while very few cases were investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice. In Nigeria, in spite of the nation’s democratic experience, a sizeable number of journalists and media professionals had been harassed, intimidated and murdered, in the discharge of their duties especially with the Boko Haram insurgence. This study examines the impact of the World Press Freedom Day to the safety of journalists and other media professionals with the specific focus on Nigeria. It also wishes to draw attention to the vital role of the media in promoting sustainable peace, democracy and development. The paper adopts a historical observation method and hopes to underscore the connection between the safety of journalists and peoples freedom of expression." (Abstract)
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"Iran ranks 173 out of 180 countries on an index of press freedom. The purpose of the study was to assess the psychological wellbeing of Iranian journalists and document the stressors encountered in their work. Design: A secure website was established and participants were given their unique identif
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ying number and password to access the site. Setting: Newsrooms in Iran and the diaspora. Participants: Responses were received from 114 journalists (76%) of whom 65.8% were living in the diaspora. The mean age was 37.8 years (SD*=*7.30) and 57% male. Main outcomes measures: Type of stressor and behavioural data: Impact of Event Scale-revised for posttraumatic stress disorder, Beck Depression Inventory-II for depression. Results: Stressors include arrest (41.2%), torture (19.3%), assault (10.5%), intimidation (51.4%) and family threatened (43.1%). Eighty nine (78.1%) journalists had stopped working on a story because of intimidation. Arrest, torture, intimidation and family threatened were associated with more intrusive and arousal PTSD symptoms (p*<*.01 to .001) and assault and intimidation with more depressive symptoms (p*<*.05). Almost a third of Iranian journalists regularly used barbiturates, with use correlating with symptoms of intrusion (p*<*.0001), avoidance (p*<*.01), arousal (p*<*.0001) and depression (p*<*.0001). 46.5% of Iranian journalists were not receiving therapy for their distress. Conclusions: The findings, the first of their kind, provide data highlighting the extraordinary degree of danger confronted by Iranian journalists, their emotional distress in response to this and their proclivity to self-medicate with barbiturates." (Abstract)
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