CPJ to launch global press freedom assessment

New York, February 5, 2013– The Committee to Protect Journalists will release Attacks on the Press: Journalism on the World’s Front Lines, a yearly assessment of the state of press freedom worldwide, at a press conference on February 14 at the United Nations.

CPJ will present key data detailing the unprecedented rise in the number of attacks, imprisonment and killings, along with expert analysis of trends and potential solutions.  Topics will include: the misuse of terror laws to punish and censor journalists, persistent impunity in media killings, crisis and opportunities in the Middle East, the anti-press offensive by non-state actors in Africa, the weakening of the Inter-American human rights and press freedom system, and the looming media vacuum in Afghanistan.

The 2013 edition of Attacks includes CPJ’s new Risk List, which identifies the 10 countries where press freedom suffered the most significant setbacks over the past year.  The book also provides up-to-the-minute analyses of global issues, press freedom violations, and emerging threats to journalists in every corner of the world and detailed reports on conditions in close to 60 countries. 

WHAT:            Global launch of

                       Attacks on the Press: Journalism on the World’s Front Lines

WHEN:            Thursday, February 14, 2013 – 11:00 A.M. EST

WHERE:          United Nations

                       Dag Hammarskjold Library 405 East 42nd Street, NYC

Note to editors:

CPJ representatives will be available for interviews in Arabic, English, French, and Spanish.  Interviews may also be requested in advance. Regional chapters of the book will be available online in Arabic, French, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish at www.cpj.org. Printed copies will be distributed at the press conference.