Printer-friendly versionWhat's Being Done On...
The Protection of Journalists
The World Movement Secretariat would like to thank Yulia Avrutskaya, Mallory Sheff, and Ilana Ullman for their assistance in assembling the final installment of What’s Being Done On...
Introduction
This installment of “What’s Being Done on…?” focuses on methods to protect journalists. Many governments do little to look after independent journalists’ safety, and others often restrict freedom of expression and impose severe censorship to silence independent voices. To overcome such challenges, many journalists organize unions to protect themselves, promote press freedom, and mobilize solidarity in their region and globally. A number of watch groups also seek to offer protection for journalists at risk by publishing information about the injustices waged against journalists, such as murder, assault, or intimidation. These publications are used to further advocacy and solidarity building.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), in recent years, many journalists have been imprisoned, threatened, reported missing, or murdered due to their work. In 2009 alone, 71 journalists were killed and 136 were jailed around the world. This was a record year for the number of homicides of journalists, but the number of journalists imprisoned has remained quite high for the past decade. This is especially of concern given that the average number of jailed journalists from 2000-2009 is substantially higher than the average for the previous decade and appears to be on a steady increase. Although 2009 was a record year in terms of journalist deaths, the record has remained unusually stable otherwise, at about 40 deaths a year for the past 15 years. These numbers reflect the need for further international efforts to protect journalists.
This issue of “What’s Being Done On…?” features the following case studies that describe the grim political situations facing journalists and the ways in which unions and watch groups seek to support and protect them:
Why is protection of journalists important?
Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 asserts 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.” However, this article is often contravened by the repressive character of many governments. Some governments do not allow freedom of speech or freedom of the press, while other countries impose rigorous censorship laws. Venezuela, Cuba, Russia, China, Burma, and Uzbekistan are just a few of the many countries that have poor records of media freedom. There are many reports of journalists being harmed, arrested, or threatened in these countries after reporting on critical issues, often in opposition to those in power.
There has also been a persistence of impunity around the world, leaving murderers and attackers unpunished for their crimes. According to CPJ, in Iraq, for instance, 88 journalists have been murdered since 2003, but not a single person has been convicted for one of these murders. Impunity substantially weakens states by leading to the breakdown of the rule of law. It also demonstrates that because an attacker is likely to escape without punishment, there is little risk involved in committing a crime and that retaliation for an unfavorable news article is an accepted response. This is a serious obstacle that must be overcome to protect journalists and to create an environment that engenders balanced and open reporting.
When journalists do not trust the government to provide protection, they often choose to abandon their profession or flee the country to a safer place. However, it is much more common for journalists to avoid being attacked by choosing self-censorship; journalists will sometimes opt to report on issues that are not controversial or critical of the government. Topics such as government corruption thus go unreported due to fears of eventual retribution. While this might allow journalists to remain safe, it also greatly undermines the integrity of investigative journalism and inhibits the promotion of democratic ideals, such as freedom of expression, free press, and transparency of government information. Self-censorship limits the exchange of ideas and consequently reduces state transparency and accountability by not having an independent voice to monitor local issues.
What prompts threats against journalists?
In some countries, government entities and private parties have threatened or even attacked journalists to prevent certain news from being covered or to seek revenge after controversial information has been exposed. This, coupled with severe restrictions on freedom of expression, has made investigative reporting a risky venture. The threat of violence against journalists is especially serious in warring and violence-ridden states where attacks on journalists occur regularly. The International News Safety Institute (INSI) has identified three general environments in which journalists have historically faced the greatest threats and in which the protection of journalists is especially important:
- “International armed conflicts involving two or more countries,” such as Iraq and Afghanistan.
- “National armed conflicts, where one of the participants may or may not be the internationally recognized sovereign power,” such as Somalia or Kosovo.
- “Peacetime, where there is no internal conflict, but where there is persistent criminal or political violence,” such as Russia and Venezuela.
However, while the environment is important, the significance of media training cannot be underestimated. Many slain and arrested journalists were not trained properly and others do not follow proper media and newsroom precautions, sometimes printing libelous or false information. This can, in turn, lead to unrest or even conflict that might then instigate an attack on journalists. Even in situations where journalists have been trained to investigate thoroughly, they are often not taught key steps to protect themselves after their reports are published. Because they are not provided with sufficient education for self-protection, they are often unable to keep themselves safe when harassed and intimidated.
What is being done to improve journalists’ safety?
For a more complete list of these organizations and what they do, please visit the
resource section.
Regional associations, which often take the form of unions that bring together journalists within a country, have become integral to the protection of journalists, often serving as a haven of security and a support system. Some of these groups include the
National Union of Somali Journalists, the
Federation of Nepali Journalists, and the
Russian Union of Journalists, though there are many more. These organizations offer journalism training and promote journalist ethics and standards. They also advocate on behalf of journalists by raising international awareness of difficult reporting environments and by informing international organizations about crimes against journalists occurring in their respective regions.
A common feature of these organizations is their effort to educate journalists about the ethics and standards of media coverage, in addition to teaching safety precautions that journalists should undertake. They also offer solidarity and raise awareness related to threats against journalists. Protecting journalists and defending an independent press is a significant obstacle for democracy promotion and one that many organizations are working to do. With the recent increase in attacks against journalists, this an issue that must continue to receive significant international support.
Information for this summary on the protection of journalists was drawn in part from the following sources:
