New York, March 12, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) announced on Thursday the addition of three pioneering leaders to its board of directors: Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, barrister at Doughty Street Chambers, Graciela Mochkofsky, dean at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, and Julie Owono, executive director of Internet Sans Frontières.
“I am proud to welcome three eminent leaders with trailblazing careers in journalism, strategic litigation, and freedom of expression as new board members,” said CPJ Chair Jacob Weisberg. “Their experience and unwavering commitment to press freedom and journalist safety worldwide will prove to be a tremendous asset to CPJ and, in turn, the journalists we serve.”
Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC is a barrister, human rights lawyer, and international expert in media freedom who has acted in many landmark cases before the European Court of Human Rights, United Nations human rights mechanisms, and international tribunals. She is a Commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission and Ireland’s Special Rapporteur on Child Protection. Gallagher KC’s caseload includes leading the international legal teams for the bereaved family of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia and publisher Jimmy Lai, imprisoned in Hong Kong.
Graciela Mochkofsky is the dean of CUNY’s Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. Under Mochkofsky’s leadership, the Newmark J-School trained bilingual journalists who are working in newsrooms across the country. She has continued her journalistic work as a writer for The Paris Review, The Atlantic, and The New Yorker, where she produces a monthly column on Latinx culture and politics.
Julie Owono is the executive director of Internet Sans Frontières and the founder of the Content Policy & Society Lab, an organization first incubated at Stanford University that focuses on human rights-based internet content policies. She is also one of the inaugural members of the Meta Oversight Board and a researcher affiliated with the Berkman Klein Center at Harvard University.
CPJ recognizes the long-standing contributions of Jane Kramer, Matt Murray, Clarence Page, Norman Pearlstine, and Alan Rusbridger, all of whom departed their role as directors in February. Their many years of service coincided with CPJ’s increased prominence as attacks on the press continue to proliferate worldwide.
CPJ’s board of directors is composed of journalists, media executives, and leaders from related professions in the United States and around the world.
About the Committee to Protect Journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is an independent, nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom worldwide. CPJ defends the rights of journalists to report the news safely and without fear of reprisal.
More information about CPJ’s board of directors can be found here.