Research

A selection of resources for journalists and news rooms are below. Further resources are available on member organizations’ websites: Guide to Understanding Defamation Laws by the Legal Network for Journalists at Risk, Committee to Protect Journalists, Media Defence and the Thomson Reuters Foundation These Guides provide journalists and newsrooms with a practical understanding of defamation laws and the steps they can take to mitigate defamation liability in Brazil, Ethiopia, India and Peru. Training Resource Hub by Media Defence This Hub contains training materials and resources on freedom of expression such as digital rights, privacy security & data protection, and hate speech. eReader by...

A report by IPI highlights the risks faced by environmental journalists worldwide, detailing attacks, corruption, and disinformation. It calls for stronger protection, collaboration, and legal support for journalists. Source: International Press Institute (IPI) Key Findings Addressing the global climate and environmental crisis requires accurate, independent, and accessible journalism that can inform the public debate, clearly highlight the public interest, and protect those most affected by this crisis. Environmental and climate journalists shed light on corrupt practices and illegal activities linked to environmentally harmful businesses and disclose the vested interests that support polluting industries. They report...

From 2009 to 2023, 749 journalists covering environmental issues faced attacks, with a surge in recent years. State and private actors are key perpetrators. 44 journalists were killed, and many faced legal actions, including arrests and defamation suits. Source: UNESCO Series: World trends in freedom of expression and media development. Title: Press and planet in danger - Safety of environmental journalists - trends, challenges and recommendations. In the series: World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development Press and Planet in danger Safety of environmental journalists – trends, challenges and recommendations. At least 749...

A new report from Internews’ Earth Journalism Network (EJN) and Deakin University, “Covering the Planet: Assessing the State of Climate and Environmental Journalism Globally,” documents urgent challenges confronting climate and environmental journalists across the globe, including 39% experiencing threats as a result of their work; and almost two-thirds feeling obliged to use climate skeptics as sources for “balance.” The report, Covering the Planet: Assessing the State of Climate and Environmental Journalism Globally, is based on a survey of 744 journalists and editors in 102 countries and in-depth interviews with 74 journalists in 31 countries. The...

The alleged perpetrators of the assassination of Greek investigative journalist Giorgos Karaivaz, then acquitted, are escorted by a police special force outside the Mixed Jury Court, in Athens, Greece, 26 June 2024. Karaivaz was one of Greece's most prominent investigative journalists specializing in organized crime and police reporting when he was gunned down in broad daylight outside his Athens home on 09 April 2021. Credits: epa11438865 EPA-EFE/YANNIS KOLESIDIS   https://ipi.media/who-killed-giorgos-karaivaz-greece/    

Journalists are bracing for the outcome of the 2024 U.S. presidential election. CPJ’s research ahead of the November vote finds that the hostile media climate fostered during Donald Trump’s presidency has continued to fester, with members of the press confronting challenges – including violence, lawsuits, online harassment, and police attacks – that could shape the global media environment for decades. A special report by Katherine Jacobsen.   On Edge: What the US election could mean for journalists and global press freedom - Committee to Protect Journalists (cpj.org)  

The International Press Institute (IPI) published the “The Current State of Freedom of Information (FOI) in Turkey: An Effective Tool for Accountability and Transparency (Or Not?)” report that examines how the freedom of information (FOI) is exercised in Turkey. The report provides a detailed analysis of the FOI requests previously made by journalists and civil society organizations (CSOs), the responses they received, and the challenges they encountered.   New IPI report assesses FOI in Turkey - ipi.media   FOI Kick-off Raporu 2024 (ipi.media)  

In 2022, 12 journalists were killed, including Shireen Abu Akleh in Palestine. Over 1,000 violations were reported, with female journalists particularly targeted, this report has all of the information regarding all the journalists that have been killed and imprisoned.   wjwc.org   Annual Report 2022

Sardasht Osman, a 23-year-old journalist, wrote about corruption within the Kurdish Regional Government, accusing President Barzani’s family. His satirical article led to his tragic death in 2009. Sardasht Osman was a courageous and talented 23-year-old citizen journalist, who wrote about corruption and political mismanagement within the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in a period of political upheaval. On 13 December 2009, Sardasht wrote a satirical article accusing the family of President Barzani of corruption and nepotism, a ‘red line’ in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). The article, titled: ‘I Am in Love with Barzani’s Daughter’,...

Regina Martínez Pérez was a prolific journalist from the state of Veracruz in Mexico, one of the most dangerous countries for journalists. Since 2006, Veracruz has seen a particularly high rate of journalist murders, and on 28 April 2012, Regina Martínez Pérez was brutally murdered in her home in the city of Xalapa.   saferworldforthetruth.com/investigations/the-murder-of-regina-martinez-perez-an-opportunity-for-justice   PDF - ASWFTT_report01_march15_digital-v2

Zubair Mujahid was a journalist from Mirpurkhas in Pakistan whose stories exposed corruption and human rights abuses. His stories and columns were published in the Daily Jang, an Urdu language newspaper based in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest urban center.   saferworldforthetruth.com/investigations/breaking-the-silence-an-investigation-into-the-murder-of-zubair-mujahid   PDF - ASWFTT_report02_7june2021

Elisabeth Blanche Olofio’s reporting exposed local corruption and human rights abuses in the Central African Republic, providing her community with crucial information on the ongoing rebel advance at the time.   saferworldforthetruth.com/investigations/telling-the-story-remembering-elisabeth-blanche-olofio   PDF - ASWFTT_report03_ENG_final-v2

Pedro Palma was editor-in-chief of the local weekly newspaper, Panorama Regional, which frequently reported on corruption in the municipal government of Miguel Pereira in Brazil. Because of his work, he was shot in front of his house on 13 February 2014. As of yet, no-one has been prosecuted for his murder.   saferworldforthetruth.com/investigations/the-case-for-transparency-opportunities-for-justice-in-the-case-of-pedro-palma-and-beyond   PDF - ASWFTT_report_30march_ENG

The murder of Gerry Ortega is indicative of structural problems concerning the safety of journalists in the Philippines; while the hitmen are often arrested, the powerful masterminds behind the killings of journalists often evade justice.   saferworldforthetruth.com/investigations/the-murder-of-gerry-ortega-justice-delayed-justice-denied   PDF - ASWFTT_report04_ENG_final

Sokratis Giolias was a former radio journalist and TV editor who started his new blog Troktiko in 2007. It soon became one of the most popular news sources in Greece. On 19 July 2010, two assailants in police uniforms shot and killed Giolias in front of his house. After thirteen years, no one has been arrested for the murder.   saferworldforthetruth.com/investigations/impunity-in-europe-uninvestigated-murder-of-greek-journalist-sokratis-giolias   PDF - SWFTT_rapport_engels_print  

According to the annual round-up compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the number of journalists killed worldwide in connection with their work (45 as of 1 December 2023) is the lowest since 2002, despite the war in the Middle East. In Gaza, at least 13 journalists have been killed because of their work as journalists since the war began between Israel and Hamas, a total that rises to 56 if we include all journalists killed in the Gaza Strip, whether or not in the line of their work. Worldwide, 521 journalists are currently detained on...

Two weeks after French journalist Olivier Dubois was released after being held hostage for 711 days in Mali, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is publishing a report about the growing threats to journalism in Africa’s Sahel region.   “What it’s like to be a journalist in the Sahel” – RSF report on threats to journalism in this African region | RSF   PDF - What it is like to be a journalist in the Sahel_EN

The newly released UNESCO World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development: Global Report 2021/2022 analyses the state of media freedom, pluralism, independence, and safety of journalists over the past five years. The Report sounds the alarm on the worrying decline of press freedom levels around the world: data and original analysis confirms that 85 percent of the world’s population experienced a decline in press freedom in their country over the past five years.   World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development: Global Report 2021/2022 | World Trends in Freedom of Expression...

2021 - The International Federation of Journalists today published the report on journalists and media staff killed in work-related incidents around the world during 2020. The annual report, in its 30th edition, details the circumstances of the 65 killings which occurred during targeted attacks, bomb attacks and crossfire incidents in 16 countries.   IFJ Killed Journalists Report - 2020 - IFJ   PDF - IFJ_KILLED_LIST_REPORT_2020

2022- The International Federation of Journalists has today published the most comprehensive report on journalists and media staff killed in work-related incidents around the world during 2021.  IFJ Killed List Report - 2021 - IFJ   PDF - IFJ_KILLED_LIST_2021_FINAL

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) published its full annual report on journalists and media staff killed in 2022. The 32nd report details 68 killings of media professionals, including targeted and bomb attacks and crossfire deadly incidents. There were also 11 deaths due to accidents and illness IFJ Killed List Report - 2022 - IFJ   PDF - FIJ_2022_Killed_List

2024 - To mark World Press Freedom Day on May 3, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), on behalf of the South Asia Media Solidarity Network (SAMSN), releases its 22nd annual South Asia Press Freedom Report, entitled ‘Artificial Independence: The Fight to Save Media and Democracy’. https://www.ifj.org/media-centre/reports/detail/artificial-independence-south-asia-press-freedom-report-2023-24/category/publicati   PDF - Artificial_Independence_IFJ_SAPFR_2023-24

2020 - The Fourth Report by the High-Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom The report concludes with three major recommendations to the signatories to the Global Pledge on Media Freedom, and other key governments, to strengthen investigations into attacks on journalists, address the issue of impunity and progress towards accountability, including the creation of a standing international Investigative Task Force.   PDF - advice-on-promoting-more-effective-investigations-into-abuses-against-journalists   https://mediafreedomcoalition.org/who-is-involved/high-level-panel-of-legal-experts/reports/

The First Report by the High-Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom The report examines current challenges faced by journalists around the world and recommends the consistent use of targeted sanctions as a tool to enforce compliance with international human rights law, including the right to a free press. The report contains an in-depth analysis of the existing systems for targeted sanctions in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the European Union and concludes with eleven recommendations for designing and implementing global human rights sanctions regimes to better protect journalists around the...

Source: Al Jazeera Media Institute - Journalists testimonies from Gaza and the West Bank - The testimony of Al Jazeera correspondent Hisham Zaqout reveals the immense burden Palestinian journalists carry in documenting the war in Gaza. His words—expressed through tears and exhaustion—highlight the pain of reliving trauma, where faith alone sustains endurance. From the start, this project sought to preserve unfiltered testimonies from journalists enduring siege, starvation, displacement, and death. These accounts were not refined for style but captured as raw historical records, driven by fear that both journalists and their memories could be erased...