New York, June 13, 2022 – The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) announced Monday the addition of three distinguished journalists to its board of directors: Sally Buzbee, the executive editor of The Washington Post; Alessandra Galloni, the editor-in-chief of Reuters; and Julie Pace, the executive editor of The Associated Press (AP).
“We are thrilled to welcome three outstanding newsroom leaders to the CPJ board of directors,” said Kathleen Carroll, chair of CPJ’s board. “Sally, Julie and Alessandra have dealt with the complex challenges of keeping journalists safe and their experience and wisdom will enrich CPJ’s vital work.”
“Sally is presiding over a global expansion at the Washington Post after a career leading journalists in Washington, the Middle East, and worldwide. Alessandra is a multilingual global journalist who brings her years of business and political news experience to her role at the helm of Reuters’ news operations. Julie’s leadership of The Associated Press’ global news operations draws on her years of experience in Washington as a reporter and a bureau chief.”
Buzbee, who leads a nearly 1,000-person newsroom at The Washington Post, is a former executive editor and senior vice president of The Associated Press (AP), where she led the organization’s coverage of the Iraq war and other regional conflicts and oversaw coverage of the 2012 and 2016 elections in the United States. “Journalists should be able to carry out their work free from intimidation to bring to light fact-based news and information that people need to know. No organization understands this better than CPJ, a stalwart defender of the rights of journalists and press freedom worldwide, and it’s my distinct honor to serve on the board,” said Buzbee.
Galloni oversees a Reuters staff of 2,500 journalists around the world and is a former correspondent and editor for The Wall Street Journal. Galloni joins the board 14 months after CPJ and Reuters launched the Reuters Photojournalism Gallery at CPJ’s headquarters in New York City. “The world needs independent journalism, but those who seek to gather and share news are under relentless attack,” said Galloni. “Journalists must be allowed to report in the public interest without fear of harassment or harm, in every corner of the globe. I am honored to be joining the CPJ board and supporting the work the organization does to champion press freedom globally.”
Julie Pace leads AP journalists across 100 countries. A former assistant managing editor and Washington bureau chief for the global news agency, she began her journalistic career at e.tv, South Africa’s first independent television network. “I’m honored to join the board of CPJ, an organization that does so much to help ensure that journalists can safely do their jobs in some of the most challenging places in the world. This work is more important than ever and I look forward to joining CPJ’s efforts to defend press freedoms and protect journalists,” said Pace.
CPJ will be strengthened by the collective decades of frontline coverage and media management experience, gravitas and leadership of these top journalists, whose organizations collectively employ more than 7,000 journalists. They join CPJ at a pivotal time for press freedom as journalists around the world face multilayered and increasingly complex challenges.
In 2021, CPJ helped win the release of 105 imprisoned journalists, a new record for the organization’s impact at a time when journalists are being imprisoned in record numbers. This includes nearly 40 journalists released from prison in the Middle East and North Africa and 21 freed in Europe and Central Asia—specifically, in Turkey.
More about CPJ’s work, including a full list of board and staff members, can be found on CPJ.org.