Research

January 31, 2025 - Source: JSTOR -  The George Polk Awards are given annually to honor special achievements in journalism. They’re named after a CBS reporter who was murdered while covering the Greek Civil War in May 1948. Polk’s body was found floating in Salonica Bay; he had been tied up and shot in the back of the head. In the violent ambiguity of a civil war between leftists and rightists supported by the Soviets and the United States, respectively, Polk became what investigative journalist I. F. Stone called “the first casualty of the Cold War”—a casualty...

January 31, 2025 – Source: Himal Mag – The delays, denials and obfuscations in the investigation into the Sri Lankan editor’s murder reveals continued impunity around the killing of journalists in Sri Lanka ON THE MORNING of 8 January 2009, Lasantha Wickrematunge, my uncle and the editor of the Sunday Leader, was on his way to work when he noticed black-clad men on motorcycles following him. He had cause to be alarmed, having received death threats – including one just weeks before, scrawled in red ink, which warned, “If you write, you will be killed.” Wickrematunge made...

January 28, 2025 - Source: Lat AM Journalism Review -  The first month of the year has not yet ended, and Latin America has already recorded at least four murders of journalists: two in Mexico, one in Peru and another in Colombia. The figure raises alarm bells for press advocates who see in these numbers evidence of how lethal violence continues to be used to censor the press. “Although the contexts and circumstances are diverse, these crimes are a heartbreaking reminder that Latin America continues to be one of the most dangerous regions in the...

UNESCO reports a 38 percent increase in journalist deaths and urges governments to stop impunity. The killing of journalists worldwide surged in 2022-23 compared with the previous two years, with a majority of cases unsolved, the United Nations has said. On average, one journalist was killed every four days, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said in a report released on Saturday. At 162 deaths, the number of journalists killed while working leaped 38 percent, the report found, calling the increase “alarming”. “In 2022 and 2023, a journalist was killed every four days...

January 27, 2025 – Source: Revealing Reality –  Designing a research project to better understand the nature of abuse, threats and harm to journalists in the UK required careful thought – and was just the kind of research design challenge we relish. Commissioned by the DCMS, we needed to measure the prevalence of threats, abuse and violence, examine journalists’ perceptions of safety, explore how these affected their professional and personal lives, and investigate what support they had, what they used, and what they wanted. We took a mixed-methods approach, with the eventual findings drawn from...

January 27, 2025 – Source: The Chronicle –  Prominent political journalists convened Saturday in Penn Pavilion to discuss the implications of a second Trump administration and changing political and media landscapes at the 2025 Zeidman Colloquium on Politics and the Press. Hosted by the DeWitt Wallace Center for Media and Democracy, the colloquium is held biennially in the aftermath of major U.S. elections. This year’s panel — titled “Trump takes charge (again): What his second presidency and a Republican majority mean for America” —  featured insights from Maggie Haberman, White House correspondent for The New York Times,...

January 07, 2025 - Source: Outlook -  A record number of journalists were killed in conflict zones in 2024. According to International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), 122 journalists were killed globally, with three verified cases in India. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) also reported that nearly 30 per cent of these deaths occurred in the Gaza Strip, making Palestine as the most dangerous place in the world for journalists. According to the 2024 World Press Freedom Index published by RSF, journalism is under “significant political pressure worldwide”. The Index, which evaluates the level of press freedom...

In December 2024, IPI’s Africa monitoring program recorded at least 10 incidents of threats to press freedom in nine countries across sub-Saharan Africa. These included six incidents of physical, verbal, or online attacks, including the killing of one journalist, in Sudan. Once again, state actors remained the main perpetrators, responsible for nearly all of the incidents recorded. See the factsheet below or download it here: https://ipi.media/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/africa-factsheet-dec24.pdf In Sudan: on December 8, elements of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) killed journalist Hanan Adam in the village of Wad Al-Asha in Gezira State. She died following an attack on her...

Our annual review of human rights around the globe   2024: A Year of Reckoning  This has been a year of elections, resistance, and conflict, testing the integrity of democratic institutions and the principles of international human rights and humanitarian law. Whether in response to heightened repression in Russia, India, and Venezuela, or catastrophic armed conflicts in Gaza, Sudan, and Ukraine, governments around the world are being called upon to demonstrate their commitment to human rights, democracy, and humanitarian action. Many have failed the test. But even outspoken and action-oriented governments have invoked human rights...

In close cooperation with the media industry, OFCOM has drawn up a National Action Plan (NAP) on the safety of journalists in Switzerland. The NAP comprises nine specific measures in the areas of awareness-raising and prevention, protection and support in cases of violence and threats, and also examines the legal framework. International commitment Analysis of abusive lawsuits in Switzerland Journalists in Switzerland also expeience threats and violence. Many journalists experience hostility and even hate speech, especially via digial channels. In accordance with a Council of Europe resolution, OFCOM and the media industry published a National Action...

Internews, for 38 years, has championed access to trustworthy information, empowering people to make informed decisions, engage in communities, and hold governments accountable. Advances in communication have expanded opportunities, improved health and education, and boosted global connectivity, enabling better crisis responses and governance participation.   Internews2025_StrategicFramework     https://internews.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Internews2025_StrategicFramework.pdf

Aiming to create a free and safe environment for journalists and media workers, thus strengthening peace, democracy and sustainable development worldwide, the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity addresses the fundamental aspects of prevention, protection, and prosecution. The Plan is calling for a coalition-based and holistic approach to its implementation. It includes six areas: raising awareness; standard setting and policy making; monitoring and reporting; capacity building; research and coalition building. According to the UN Plan of Action, we cooperate with governments, media houses, professional associations, NGOs and...

January 21, 2025 - Source: RELX International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists 2025 Advocating for a Safe and Free Press The freedom of the press is a cornerstone of democratic societies, ensuring transparency and accountability. However, journalists around the world face threats and violence, often with little consequence for their perpetrators. The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists seeks to address this critical issue. The Significance of the Day November 2 is observed as the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists. Proclaimed by the United Nations,...

Executive Summary This report monitors the Sudanese army's illegal practices against journalists and media outlets from the beginning of the military coup on 25 October 2021 until 8 March 2022. During this period, about 55 attacks have taken place against journalists and local, Arab, and international media outlets in the country. These violations included arbitrary detentions, harassments, raiding and closing media offices, and assaulting journalists physically or psychologically. An analysis of these attacks shows that the de-facto military authority apparently aims to obstruct or block media coverage of the ongoing popular protests against the military...

January 16, 2025 - Source: CPJ -  China, Israel, and Myanmar emerged as the world’s three worst offenders in another record-setting year for journalists jailed because of their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists’ 2024 prison census has found. Belarus and Russia rounded out the top five, with CPJ documenting its second-highest number of journalists behind bars – a global total of at least 361 journalists incarcerated on December 1, 2024. While that number falls slightly below the global record set in 2022, when at least 370 journalists were imprisoned in connection with their work,...

January 09, 2025 - Source: Reuters -    Executive summary News organizations are braced for multiple challenges in 2025 that will likely include further attacks from hostile politicians, continued economic headwinds, and battles to protect intellectual property in the face of rapacious AI-driven platforms. Changes to search, in particular, will become a major grievance for a news industry that has already lost social traffic and fears a further decline in visibility as AI interfaces start to generate ‘story like’ answers to news queries. The US election also highlighted the growing power of an alternative news...

Media freedom is vital for democracy, but it is under threat worldwide, with attacks on journalists, censorship laws, SLAPP suits, and surveillance technologies limiting press independence and safety. About safety of journalists and human rights Freedom of the media is essential to enable democratic, free and participative societies. Journalists and the media are crucial to ensure transparency and accountability for public and governmental authorities. Yet media freedom and the safety of journalists are under threat around the globe. In recent years, OHCHR has observed a decline of media freedom in all regions. Various factors demonstrate...

ARIJ surveyed 383 Palestinian journalists in Gaza during the Israeli war, documenting their personal losses, working conditions, and challenges. The survey provides insights through quantitative and qualitative data. Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ) has conducted a survey to document the losses, humanitarian conditions, and multitude of challenges faced by Palestinian journalists during the ongoing Israeli war in Gaza. This survey includes responses from 383 journalists who are either in Gaza or were there at some point during the war. While some have since evacuated the Gaza Strip, the majority remain in Gaza, working amid...

Report by IFJ:   The International Federation of Journalists' annual report on killed journalists has continued for 30 years, highlighting the global toll on media workers, often unnoticed unless it's a Western correspondent.   https://www.ifj.org/fileadmin/user_upload/IFJ_white_book__part_1.pdf  

International media's failure to challenge Israel's killing of Palestinian journalists and its narrative allows war crimes to persist. Solidarity and accountability are urgently needed to protect all journalists.   January 4, 2025 - Source: Al Jazeera - Opinion by Daoud Kuttab - Award-winning Palestinian Journalist.   International media’s reluctance to show solidarity with Palestinian journalists could backfire. A December 26 press statement by the Israeli army attempted to justify a war crime. It unabashedly admitted that the military incinerated five Palestinian journalists in a clearly marked press vehicle outside al-Awda Hospital in the Nuseirat refugee...

  This newsletter informs about recent and upcoming activities of Civil Society Organizations working on the question of Palestine. The Committee and the Division for Palestinian Rights of the UN Secretariat provide the information “as is” without warranty of any kind, and do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, or reliability of the information contained in the websites linked in the newsletter.   Download Document Files:  https://www.un.org/unispal/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/NGO-Action-News-2-January-2025.pdf Document Type: NGO Action News Document Sources: Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights, Al-Haq, Badil Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights, Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights...

The Observatory tracks journalist killings since 1993, judicial outcomes since 2006, and country responses to UNESCO requests, supporting efforts to address global impunity and enhance journalist safety.   This Observatory provides updated information on the killing of journalists since 1993 and on the judicial status of condemned cases since 2006. It also provides public access to country responses to UNESCO's requests for information into the judicial status of ongoing and unresolved cases. You may browse the full list of killed journalists and search for visual statistics and data. This Observatory makes publicly accessible UNESCO’s work on monitoring and reporting on the safety of...

Since October 2023, at least 217 journalists have been killed in Gaza, with five more killed on December 26. This conflict marks the deadliest period for journalists in recent history.   December 31, 2024 - Source: Al Jazeera - As the conflict in Gaza enters its 15th month, more than 45,400 people have been killed and 108,000 injured. The war has been particularly marked by the challenges of reporting from a warzone in effect sealed off to reporters from outside Gaza, where reporting has been impossible at times — and far too often, deadly. Despite...

IFJ's list of imprisoned journalists highlights individuals detained globally for their work, documenting the ongoing repression and violations of press freedom, stressing the urgent need for action.   https://www.ifj.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Jailed_Journalists_Global___Regional_-_31.12.2024.pdf  

IFJ's list of killed journalists tracks global fatalities since 1990, honoring those who lost their lives while reporting, highlighting the risks media workers face and the need for accountability.   https://www.ifj.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Killed_List_2024_-_31.12.2024.pdf