Threatened

Amsterdam, September 4, 2019—The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned the killing of Edgar Joel Aguilar, a reporter and presenter for Cablemar TV, and urged the Honduran authorities to conduct a rigorous investigation and bring those responsible to justice.

Ask any female journalist about harassment or safety while on assignment and they’ll likely have a story to tell.

In June 2016, an attacker was terrorizing women on a jogging path in Edmonton, Canada. A video journalist at a large Canadian broadcaster was assigned to cover the story on the night shift. Multiple sexual assaults had been reported and the man was still at-large.

Stef Schrader was on vacation in Germany last year when spam messages started to flood her inbox. Seeing random emails from Macy’s—and job alerts for the position of “Chief Idiot”—she realized someone had signed her work email up to dozens of email lists.

Journalists are frequently at risk of being harassed online in an attempt by hostile actors to intimidate or force them into silence. The harassment, most commonly directed at female journalists, often includes threats of violence against the journalist and their family and friends.

Solo work is becoming more common, especially for broadcast and video journalists. However, working alone can make journalists vulnerable to physical assault. For assignments in locations such as neighborhoods with high crime rates, protests, or remote areas, it is advisable that journalists do not work alone.

Sexual violence can take many forms, including sexual and physical assaults. Any individual can be the subject of sexual misconduct, but journalists are often at risk from a range of people, including sources and members of the public, while they are reporting. That risk is heightened for female or gender non-conforming journalists.

Rio de Janeiro, August 30, 2019–Brazilian authorities must thoroughly investigate threats against reporter Adecio Piran, hold those responsible to account, and ensure the reporter’s safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Washington, D.C., August 30, 2019 — Ukrainian authorities must immediately investigate the recent attack on blogger Igor Stakh, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Mexico City, August 27, 2019—The Committee to Protect Journalists today called for an immediate, transparent, and credible investigation into the killing of Nevith Condés Jaramillo, a reporter stabbed to death in the central Mexican state of Estado de México.