Committee to Protect Journalists

During any conflict, journalists are civilians under international humanitarian law. Facilities and equipment utilized for reporting and disseminating news are also civilian structures. They must be respected and protected. Journalists are #NotATarget.

The most gratifying day of the year is here! We, at Committee to Protect Journalists, are honoring four formidable women journalists who don't give in and don't give up because they know that information is power, that communities need facts and that voices can shift seemingly intractable problems. We are so grateful. Click below to learn about Alsu, Quimy, Samira and Shrouq. ?? #PressFreedom.

“I really do think that Jan. 6th was a warning shot. It was a wakeup call to the fragility of our democracy and trust in institutions – like journalism, like the government – that’s been eroding for a very long time.” – Photojournalist Amanda Andrade-Rhoades Read more in CPJ’s special report about the long-lasting impact of January 6, 2021 on U.S. press freedom: https://lnkd.in/e8NkMJmM

CPJ will honor four exceptional journalists with our 2024 International Press Freedom Awards: Quimy de León, Prensa Comunitaria Sabou Samira, self-published Alsu Kurmasheva,?Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Shrouq Al Aila, Ain Media This year’s awardees have withstood extraordinary challenges to continue reporting on their communities while experiencing war, prison, government crackdowns, and the rising criminalization of their work. CPJ will also posthumously honor Christophe Deloire, who served as director general of the press freedom organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF), with the 2024 Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award. #PressFreedom #IPFA #IPFA2024 https://cpj.org/?p=417334

Mississippi Today reporter Anna Wolfe faced a legal onslaught from former governor Phil Bryant after winning the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for her investigation into a $77 million welfare scandal. Bryant threatened defamation suits against the newsroom and its CEO, potentially jeopardizing press freedoms and confidentiality protections. The PRESS Act would codify protection for journalists in the U.S. to do their work without fear of surveillance from authorities, or forced disclosure of their sources in court, and refrain from using judicial processes to undermine the functioning of a free and vibrant press in the U.S. Read more about why passing the PRESS Act is more important now than ever: https://lnkd.in/e8NkMJmM

CPJ’s CEO Jodie Ginsberg joined PBS News to discuss the importance of passing the #PRESSAct in the United States, and why CPJ’s board issued a statement warning of a potentially hostile climate for #pressfreedom under a second Trump term. “It's really urgent that we pass this federal shield law. We know that Trump is interested in going after whistle-blowers, people who leak. And it's absolutely essential that they are protected and that journalists' sources are protected and that journalists are allowed to do their job,” she said. Watch the interview: https://lnkd.in/eQM7pA7g Read CPJ’s statement: https://lnkd.in/er-P-V_a

A Guatemalan appeals court ordered journalist José Rubén Zamora back to jail on Nov. 15, less than a month after being moved to house arrest. Zamora remains in house arrest while his lawyers and the Attorney General’s Office have appealed the motion, his son told CPJ. “I will always keep fighting. We must maintain our patience, courage, and faith without losing hope. It’s essential to develop the ability to overcome our fears and, whenever possible, break barriers,” Zamora told CPJ before the court order was issued. Read the interview: https://lnkd.in/eR6v7unD #FreeZamora #ZamoraLibre ??: AP/Moises Castillo

CPJ urges the #HongKong government to drop its trumped-up charges against media publisher Jimmy Lai, who is set to take the stand for the first time on Wednesday in his trial on national security charges, which could see the 77-year-old jailed for life if convicted. “This show trial must end before it is too late,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg on Monday. “The case of Jimmy Lai is not an outlier, it’s a symptom of Hong Kong’s democratic decline. Hong Kong’s treatment of Jimmy Lai — and more broadly of independent media and journalists — shows that this administration is no longer interested in even a semblance of democratic norms.” Lai, the founder of the now-shuttered pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, has spent nearly four years in a maximum-security prison and solitary confinement since December 2020. He has faced multiple postponements to his trial, in which he has been charged with sedition and conspiring to collude with foreign forces. Read more about Lai’s show trial: https://lnkd.in/eMwjxn9G CPJ also spoke to Jimmy Lai’s son, Sebastien Lai, ahead of his father taking the stand. Sebastien, who leads the #FreeJimmyLai campaign, last saw his father in August 2020 — weeks after Beijing imposed a national security law that led to a massive crackdown on pro-democracy advocates and journalists. "My father is a strong person, but the Hong Kong government has spent four years trying to break him." Read the interview: https://lnkd.in/etNqdqtA ??: AP/Louise Delmotte

??If you’re a U.S.-based journalist or news outlet at risk for your work and need safety support, we’re here to help! We’ve joined forces with the Knight Election Hub and an all-star team of safety experts and organizations to provide support for digital, physical, psychosocial, and legal concerns—from dealing with doxing, threats, and arrests to preparing for risky assignments. To get help, email [email protected] with the word “SAFETY” in the subject line.

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