Event showcases journalist safety, press freedom
The phrase “hard act to follow” kept popping into my head
last night as I listened to my fellow panelist Lucy Westcott talk about
journalist safety and press freedom.
Westcott’s presentation, and mine, were part of an online
forum, “Press Freedom in Crisis,” sponsored by the Indiana Council on World Affairs.
About 50 attendees heard Westcott, the Emergencies Director for the Committee to Protect Journalists, discuss the challenges facing journalists, including those who are jailed, killed, or forced into exile. She highlighted Iran, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Myanmar, and Russia as placed where journalists are most under threat. She noted that attacks on journalists’ physical and mental well being are more than volleys against individuals, but are moreover broadsides that erode press freedom. Westcott also talked about the particular risks faced by freelance journalists, who operate without the support of news organizations.
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| Lucy Westcott, CPJ |
I chimed in and gave the example of the threats faced by
journalists in India and Pakistan. I’ve been working with these journalists for
the last three years on a cross-border reporting project. The journalists in
this region are all concerned about their safety, some to the point where self-censorship
becomes a real issue. I mentioned that that threats and intimidation are
especially acute for female journalists, who suffer a deluge of harassment both
in person and online. I cited a new report, The Chilling, produced by the
International Center for Journalists, that shows a disturbing pattern of abuse
directed against women journalists. “Nearly three quarters (73%) of our survey respondents
identifying as women said they had experienced online violence. Threats of
physical violence (identified by 25% of survey respondents) including death
threats, and sexual violence (identified by 18%) also plagued the women
journalists we interviewed. And these threats radiated: 13% of survey
respondents and many interviewees said they had received threats of violence
against those close to them, including children and infants.”
I also made a brief presentation about peace journalism, and included a discussion about if journalists believe practicing PJ makes them safer than if they practiced traditional (and sometimes sensational and inflammatory) journalism. According to a small study I did a few years ago in Cameroon, the answer is yes, PJ does help to insulate journalists from harm. (See The Peace Journalist magazine, October 2018, pg. 8).
During the Q and A, I jumped the line and asked Westcott
about notorious press-hater Donald Trump’s presidential announcement. Her
answer was reassuring, that we’ve been there before and managed to weather the
anti-media rhetoric, and that if need be, we can do it again. I hope she’s
right.
