Our Plan

Summary of CPJ’s 2019-2021 Strategic Plan

In 2018, CPJ established a 2019-2021 Strategic Plan, which will help us confront grave threats to press freedom while ensuring we can adapt to a rapidly changing media environment. The plan reflects input from CPJ’s staff, board of directors, and global network of correspondents, as well as from journalists, donors, and representatives of partner organizations.

CPJ has a stake in ensuring that journalists are able to report the truth. With the 2019-2021 Strategic Plan, CPJ can continue to vigorously defend press freedom principles and the rights of individual journalists globally, which remains our enduring mission.

CPJ’s Mission

The Committee to Protect Journalists promotes press freedom worldwide and defends the right of journalists to report the news safely and without fear of reprisal.

CPJ’s Strategic Priorities

CPJ’s primary goal is to promote and uphold a free press all over the world. Along with these strategic priorities, CPJ will continue winning the release of imprisoned journalists, securing convictions in journalist murders, effecting positive legal reform, and providing emergency support to journalists all over the world.

Storytelling

CPJ’s compelling stories, published on various platforms, humanize press freedom, reach new audiences, bolster advocacy, and increase supporters and donors worldwide.

Objectives:

• CPJ enhances its storytelling to improve impact and increase engagement.
• CPJ expands its capacity to produce timely and long-form multimedia across platforms.
• CPJ redesigns its website to enable more dynamic publishing formats and use of data.

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Global Threats

CPJ identifies threats to journalists and newsrooms that transcend national boundaries and develops initiatives to improve press freedom and ensure journalist safety.

Objectives:

• CPJ works with media facing online harassment and advocates with tech companies to develop policies that protect them against it.
• CPJ combats global “fake news” laws, advocates against their use with repressive leaders, and secures the release of journalists imprisoned on such charges.
• CPJ supports press covering elections and uses political transitions as opportunities to improve the media environment.

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Technology

CPJ reports on press freedom and technology and provides digital security information to help journalists protect themselves and their sources.

Objectives:

• CPJ improves staff-wide understanding of technology issues and becomes a leading voice on press freedom and tech with a focus on international issues.
• CPJ offers digital security information to journalists and newsrooms that helps them protect themselves and their sources.

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International Impact

CPJ increases its international presence with a well-supported global network of correspondents, strong local networks and partnerships, expanded language capacity, and an advocacy strategy that engages global and regional targets.

Objectives:

• CPJ better integrates its international representatives and correspondents and engages with local networks and advocacy targets to increase information sharing and impact.
• CPJ expands language capacity, improving communication and ensuring a greater reach.

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Getting It Done

CPJ transforms its organizational culture, systems, and office space to foster collaboration and communication and ensure the organization adapts to support the execution of the mission.

Objectives:

• CPJ expands its fundraising and increases individual donors through engagement.
• CPJ moves to a new, modern headquarters that fosters teamwork and productivity.
• CPJ revamps its knowledge and project management practices to improve our impact.
• CPJ develops staff leadership potential, promotes resilience, and bolsters administrative support.