Protecting Journalists Covering Conflict
It’s dangerous being a reporter, and freelancers and local journalists are particularly vulnerable, which is why CPJ is a founding member of the ACOS Alliance, which stands for ‘A Culture of Safety’ and promotes the Freelance Journalist Safety Principles. News organizations and press groups have signed up to a list of principles designed to improve…
Don’t Forget Rasool: In international reporting, local journalists often suffer
When two journalists from VICE, Jake Hanrahan and Philip Pendlebury, were arrested with Iraqi journalist Mohammed Ismael Rasool on August 28, a familiar scenario unfolded. A week later, Hanrahan and Pendlebury were released following a media flurry and worldwide attention. Still behind bars is Rasool, an experienced journalist and translator who had worked extensively in…
Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently, Syria
In April 2014, around 17 Syrian activists set out to document the abuses of Islamic State after the militant group took over and declared the northern city of Raqqa to be the caliphate’s capital. Additional Content Acceptance Speech Newseum Interview The activists, working anonymously for their safety, formed a group, Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently…
CPJ newsletter: August 2015
Demanding justice and security for journalists in Mexico CPJ staff were shocked and saddened by the murder of photographer Rubén Espinosa, who was found dead in an apartment in Mexico City along with four women. The victims were shot in the head. Espinosa had fled the state of Veracruz in June and sought refuge in…
How Islamic State uses killings to try to spread fear among media
The militant group Islamic State may be trying to push Syria back into the dark ages, but it is fighting a very modern war. From slick propaganda videos to online surveillance and wide restrictions on Internet use, the Islamic State is trying to control media output and stamp down on dissent.
CPJ welcomes U.S. government’s new hostage policy
New York, June 24, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the new U.S. policy announced today which states that families of American hostages seeking to negotiate with or pay ransom to the abductors will not be threatened with criminal prosecution. The White House will also create an office to work with the families of the…
Lack of media coverage compounds violence in Libya
Near the end of August 2014, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates launched airstrikes against what were characterized as Islamist-allied militias fighting near Tripoli, Libya. Or maybe they didn’t. The New York Times broke the story on August 25, 2014; Egypt denied it, the UAE didn’t comment, and U.S. officials made seemingly conflicting statements.
Freelancers at Risk: Photojournalism and the Call for Global Safety Standards
In light of the increasing brutality against journalists overseas, the Investigative Reporting Workshop, the National Press Club Journalism Institute and the Committee to Protect Journalists will present a frank conversation titled “Freelancers at Risk: Photojournalism and the Call for Global Safety Standards.” Panelists from journalism organizations in London, New York, Boston and Washington will discuss…
Syria anniversary shows need for more news outlets to step up
It started as a street protest against President Bashar al-Assad. Ordinary citizens took out their smart phones to record the demonstrations that quickly spread. Four years and 220,000 dead later, the Syrian civil war is still raging, although the numbers of ‘citizen’ and professional journalists on hand to document it is woefully small.