Press freedom and the space for independent media are under threat, as stipulated in various UN resolutions addressing journalist safety. UN Sectary-General Guterres stated that ‘civic space has been shrinking worldwide at an alarming rate. And with anti-media rhetoric on the rise, so too are violence and harassment against journalists, including women … When media workers are targeted, societies as a whole pay a price.’ Governments practise legal intimidation and censorship of dissenting voices, also in the digital space. Criminal gangs threaten those who report on corruption. The result is that journalists exercise self-censorship, leave the profession, disappear into exile or stay silent. This is a deliberate attack on civic space that requires a cross-cutting approach to safety of journalists.
This Safety Resource Space is the place to find information on the safety of journalists. It includes information on Free Press Unlimited’s safety-related activities, background information on the safety of journalists, practical resources, and best practices and examples of successful projects and approaches.
Explore the following topics:
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Free Press Unlimited believes that a safe work environment is a basic need for independent media. It is imperative that journalists carry out their work free from violence and free from obstruction. A commitment to safety cuts across all of Free Press Unlimited’s activities.
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Free Press Unlimited believes that safety should be approached as a comprehensive concept that has physical, psycho-social, digital and legal dimensions. As these dimensions of safety impact on each other, it is important to adopt an inclusive approach, that also takes gender into account.
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Free Press Unlimited directs its efforts to address safety along four different pillars, being support to journalists in distress, capacity development, tools and resources, and advocacy and campaigning.
![Credit: Romy van den Boogaart](https://kq.freepressunlimited.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/RS1419_Freepress-HR-4622-1024x684.jpg)
Free Press Unlimited’s work on the safety of journalists builds upon a number of key international instruments, which reflect international commitments to further the safety of journalists.
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Free Press Unlimited works together with other like-minded organisations in a number of international networks and coalitions in order to contribute towards journalist safety, both locally and internationally.
Evidence base: Safety of journalists
Source | Year | Country | Organisation | Author |
---|---|---|---|---|
Women’s Rights: Forbidden Subject | 2018 | Global | Reporters Without Borders (RSF) | Reporters Without Borders (RSF) |
Safety training for journalists in Central America | 2018 | El Salvador | Free Press Unlimited | Free Press Unlimited |
Help desk improves the safety of journalists in Nepal | 2018 | Nepal | Free Press Unlimited | Free Press Unlimited |
Internal Evaluation Somalia Country Programme (Pilot) | 2018 | Somalia | Free Press Unlimited | Pavicic, M. |
Daphne Caruana Galizia: Malta’s ‘one-woman WikiLeaks’ | 2018 | Malta | Free Press Unlimited | Free Press Unlimited |
The murder of Ján Kuciak and freedom of the press in Slovakia | 2018 | Slovakia | Free Press Unlimited | Free Press Unlimited |
Journalism in the Central African Republic not without danger | 2017 | Central African Republic | Free Press Unlimited | Schilder, J. |
A Changing Asian Media: Assessing Challenges and Opportunities for Evolving Media in South and Southeast Asia | 2017 | South and Southeast Asia | International Media Support (IMS) | International Media Support (IMS) |
An Attack on One is an Attack on All: Successful Initiatives to Protect Journalists and Combat Impunity | 2017 | Global | UNESCO/IPDC | Kilman, L. |
CAR Reporters Flee for Their Lives | 2017 | Central African Republic | Free Press Unlimited | Schilder, J. |
Defending Journalism: How National Mechanisms Can Protect Journalists and Address the Issues of Impunity. A Comparative Analysis of Practices in Seven Countries | 2017 | Afghanistan, Colombia, Indonesia, Iraq, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines | International Media Support (IMS) | Witchel, E. et al. |
Journalists and Safety Training: Experiences and Opinions | 2017 | Global | Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma Research Lab | Shapiro, B. (Ed.) |