Safety of Journalists CFOM Sheffield

The Centre for Freedom of the Media (CFOM) at the University of Sheffield (UK) is an interdisciplinary research centre with global outreach on issues of media freedom, journalism safety, editorial standards and impunity. During the 2022 Academic Consultation on the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, CFOM conducted a literature stocktake to scope out academic literature published in the area of media freedom, journalism safety and impunity. CFOM collated this information and produced a literature database organised by themes or countries for accessibility. The collection is especially strong on country- and region-specific safety issues and on surveys of emotional wellbeing of journalists.

Filter

768

Sort by:

Direction:

External Link (25)

Empowering Civil Society: The Theatricality of Protest in Malta

Vicki Ann Cremona

New Theatre Quarterly, volume 38, issue 2 (2022), pp. 125-138

"The recent barbaric murder of an investigative journalist in Malta who was looking into corruption at the top echelons of power sparked off a civil society movement, Repubblika, spurring ordinary citizens into participating in collective protest action. The movement also incorporated a loose groupi ... more

Download (2)

Media and Uncertainty. Understanding the Institutional Precarity of Journalism: A Macro Approach to the Civil Diminishment of Journalism

Sara Torsner

International Journal of Communication, volume 16 (2022), pp. 3885-3897

"This article develops a conceptual framework for understanding risk to journalism, more specifically, risk to the standing of journalism as a civil institution generated by macro-level state and market forces of civil diminishment. While the state and market arguably belong to the most well-studied ... more

Download (2)

Economic crisis and trauma journalism: Assessing the emotional toll of reporting in crisis-ridden countries

Lambrini Papadopoulou, Theodora A. Maniou, Eleana Pandia

Communications: The European Journal of Communication Research, volume 47, issue 3 (2022), pp. 350-374

"This article discusses the relationship between the post-2008 global economic crisis and trauma journalism through a quantitative study of reporters covering austerity’s everyday manifestations and examines the effects on the media professionals involved. The findings indicate that journalists wh ... more

External Link (19)

Violence Against Female Journalists in Indonesia: A Threat to Journalism and Freedom of the Press

Engelbertus Wendratama, Rahayu, Novi Kurnia, Puji Rianto, Monika Pretty Aprilia

Pemantau Regulasi dan Regulator Media (PR2Media); USAID (2022), 110 pp.

"This research was conducted through a survey (involving 1,256 respondents) and interviews (six informants) of female journalists in 191 cities, representing western, central, and eastern parts of Indonesia. This survey included 25 questions about the respondents’ violence experiences related to t ... more

Download (3)

Caught in the Middle: Internal and External Pressures on the Coverage of Organized Crime in Mexico

Elba Díaz-Cerveró, Daniel Barredo-Ibáñez, Rubén Arnoldo González Macías

Sage Open, volume 12, issue April-June (2022), 11 pp.

"With 33 journalists killed since the beginning of Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s presidential term in December 2018, Mexico heads the list of the most violent countries for journalists in Latin America—and that of countries not at war. While journalist organizations demand a meaningful protect ... more

External Link (21)

“It's not paranoia if they really are out to get you”: Navigating risk to journalists when connected devices are everywhere

Anjuli R. K. Shere, Jason R. C. Nurse, Andrew Martin

IAMCR 2022 Conference “Communication Research in the Era of Neo-Globalisation: Reorientations, Challenges and Changing Contexts” (2022), 18 pp.

"The consumer Internet of Things (IoT) is a fast-growing area of technology, increasingly embedded in the public and private spheres, including both in and on bodies. There are various security concerns and academic investigations into potential risks of this expansion, but none yet specifically add ... ressing the implications to journalists and the democratic pillar of press freedom. Not only are risks to this community not yet assessed, but IoT threats generally are not communicated without technical jargon, making them inaccessible to non-experts. Given the importance of a free press, mapping IoT devices and, crucially, communicating associated risk in ways understandable and actionable to journalists themselves, is key. Journalists and the press are particularly at-risk from IoT devices that may feature in the environments with which they must regularly interact because of the fundamental imperative of source confidentiality. Previous research demonstrated that members of the press are largely unaware of the ways in which the IoT can threaten their work and wellbeing. The networked capabilities of IoT devices increases the ease with which well-resourced threat actors can target journalists who routinely handle confidential information and are already at risk around the world from a variety of non-IoT threats. This paper therefore presents a novel categorisation of both ambient and wearable consumer IoT devices according to the environments in which journalists are most likely to interact with them. It draws on related academic work classifying devices for technical audiences to create a system that is accessible to journalists and their sources. Its goal is to make members of the media aware of the prevalence of these technologies and which of the devices’ capabilities may increase their individual risk. Useful risk assessments cannot be undertaken without an accurate understanding of where threats may be encountered. By systematically outlining risks in numerous environments, this taxonomy can be easily incorporated into existing security training materials and risk assessments for journalists. This paper presents a novel taxonomy to codify and organise IoT present in different environments, with examples of how journalists and their work could be impacted, both passively (i.e. via surveillance) or actively (i.e. via information theft). It also discusses how different environments that may contain IoT devices are often under the control of actors whom journalists cannot easily influence, nor protect themselves against. Especially as these devices continue to proliferate, journalistic risk from IoT devices in surrounding environments are growing. It is therefore important to address the contemporary and emerging risks to journalism that are associated with connected devices. This paper enables journalists and readers to not only visualise and conceptualise how IoT devices in different environments may create risks, its user-focused language and organisation also empower journalists to begin to use this taxonomy for awareness, mitigation, and protective purposes." (Abstract) more

External Link (15)

Google Scholar (16)

WorldCat (14)

“Playing” in the Eyes of the Ferret Team: Examining the Use of Surveillance Strategies by Zimbabwean Journalists

Lungile A. Tshuma, Mbongeni J. Msimanga, Makhosi N. Sibanda

African Journalism Studies, volume 43, issue 1 (2022), pp. 53-69

"The Zimbabwean state has in recent years stepped up its surveillance efforts on citizens, civil society and journalists who are viewed as the “enemies of the state”. This state surveillance has been argued to infringe on citizens’ right to privacy and access to information. We are mindful tha ... more

Download (2)

Post-2018 Media Landscape in Ethiopia: A Review

Mulatu Alemayehu Moges

Center for the Advancement of Rights and Democracy (CARD) (2022), v, 46 pp.

"The advancement of digital technologies, political and legal changes, and the growth in the number of journalism schools in Ethiopia have generally contributed to the overall growth of media outlets and media workers. However, there is no comprehensive source of information that shows the impact of ... more

Download (2)

Media Environment 2022: Threats and Supportive Instruments in Georgia

Gersamia, Mariam, Maia Toradze

Tbilisi: Media and Communication Educational and Research Center "Media Voice" (2022), 76 pp.

"The purpose of this study is to assess the threats and supporting mechanisms present in the Georgian media environment in 2022. Observation of the media environment, similar to the previous year’s research, was based on the evaluation of the participants involved in the research and further compa ... more

External Link (16)

Media Environment and Safety of Journalists During the Crisis in Georgia: Threats and Supportive Instruments

Mariam Gersamia, Maia Toradze

Environment and Society, volume 5, issue 5 (2022), 1 pp.

"Viable, free media is a crucial component of democratic progress in Georgia. Thirty years after the collapse of the Soviet Union and gaining independence, the safety of journalists while carrying out professional duties continues to be one of the critical indicators of progress in the country's med ... ia democracy. This research was triggered by the actualization of the acute and, in some ways, spontaneous media threat that arose during the pre-election period. More specifically, on July 5, 2021, two months before Georgia's local self-government municipal elections, media workers fell victim to a premeditated attack by pro-Russian radical groups during the coverage of demonstrations. As a result, 52 journalists from more than ten media outlets, camera operators, and photographers were assaulted. A TV Pirveli cameraman, Lekso Lashkarava, died a few days later due to severe injuries received during the demonstration. The research aims to distinguish the traits prevalent in the media environment during times of crisis and, even more specifically, during the pre-and post-election periods (particularly during the 2021 local government elections in Georgia). The research also responds to how political polarization and crises affect media and the macro and micro threats they reveal. The study identifies these media threats and assesses the reality of the media environment as seen through journalists' eyes. The research covers topics recommended by UNESCO (Towards a Research agenda on the safety of journalists) and examines seven of those ten recommended issues. A mixed research methodology was chosen for research design, more specifically, a sequential explanatory design. The research was conducted in two phases: the first phase involved the accumulation of quantitative data (through an online survey of 183 respondents from 56 media sources) and analysis, followed which the second phase involved qualitative research (3 focus group discussions). The research answers the questions as follows: How safe do media workers feel when performing their professional duties? What kind of threats have emerged during the 2021 pre-election media environment, and what are the expectations? What are some of the support mechanisms for improving the media environment, and what needs to be done to create a safer environment for media workers? Macro (4) and micro (6) media threats were identified during the research process. They are analyzed in sub-chapters in greater detail. These threats are interconnected and have their structure and aims. Media threats, which emerged during the discussion, contribute to self-censorship and escalation of fear, media credibility, reduction of support, and destabilizing media institutional viability. Political polarization and polarization between media organizations were identified as major macro media threats. Micro threats that were identified as a result of polarization are: Stigmatization of journalists and media (labeling them as biased towards certain political parties) and attempted smear campaigns; They are disrupting the execution of journalist duties. Among such actions are creating obstacles to providing a balanced narrative and bringing a quality media product to the public, primarily reflected in a premeditated restriction to sources and surveillance to disrupt the work process. One macro threat that emerged from the online survey and focus-group analysis was the incitement of physical and verbal violence towards journalists (this includes hate speech and the use of aggressive rhetoric by the state). These media threats reinforce self-censorship and fear, destabilize media institutions' viability and negatively affect the demonstration of solidarity and support toward media. One identified macro-threats towards journalists was the lack of investigation of crimes committed against journalists and impunity as an encouraging factor. Additionally, we could consider the malign nature of the Russian propaganda and malign influence in general as an additional factor, which serves as a leitmotif for the entire discussion on another macro threat. As a result of this study, recommendations have been put forward for various stakeholders. Implementing these recommendations will help create a supportive media environment, encourage solidarity, and improve coordination between different stakeholders during and after crises. Research conducted is by the Media and Communication Educational and Research Center (Georgia) with support of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation’s South Caucasus Office and the Federal Republic of Germany’s Federal Foreign Office." (Abstract) more

Download (2)

Newsafety: Infrastructures, Practices and Consequences

Oscar Westlund, Roy Krøvel, Kristin Skare Orgeret

Journalism Practice, volume 16, issue 9 (2022), pp. 1811-1828

"Journalism is often referred to as one of the most important knowledge-producing institutions in society, yet also one facing numerous challenges, among which the safety of journalists critical. Public visibility as a journalist, having thousands of followers on social media, was until recently asp ... more

External Link (16)

”You have to prove the threat is real”: Understanding the needs of Female Journalists and Activists to Document and Report Online Harassment

Nitesh Goyal, Leslie Park, Lucy Vasserman

CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI' 22), New Orleans; ACM (2022), 17 pp.

"Online harassment is a major societal challenge that impacts multiple communities. Some members of community, like female journalists and activists, bear significantly higher impacts since their profession requires easy accessibility, transparency about their identity, and involves highlighting sto ... more

External Link (21)

Google Scholar (16)

WorldCat (17)

Expanding the Analytical Boundaries of Mob Censorship: How Technology and Infrastructure Enable Novel Threats to Journalists and Strategies for Mitigation

Jennifer R. Henrichsen, Martin Shelton

Digital Journalism, volume 11, issue 10 (2022), pp. 1848-1867

"Mob censorship, which “expresses the will of ordinary citizens to exert power over journalists through discursive violence” is traditionally considered a grassroots phenomenon. However, within technically mediated systems, who is behind the mob is sometimes unclear. We therefore ask how the tec ... more

External Link (16)

Google Scholar (13)

WorldCat (12)

When Journalists are Voiceless: How Lifestyle Journalists Cover Hate and Mitigate Harassment

Gregory Perreault, Kaitlin Miller

Journalism Studies, volume 23, issue 15 (2022), pp. 1977-1993

"Often trivialized within the broader journalistic field, lifestyle journalists would seem to have the dream job: the opportunity to get paid to do what they love. The present study explores an under-discussed but material aspect of the job; namely, how lifestyle journalists undertake issues of host ... more

External Link (22)

Fighting SLAPPs: What Can Media, Lawyers, and Funders Do?

Peter Noorlander

Washington, DC: Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA) (2022), 16 pp.

"Strategic lawsuits against public participation, or SLAPPs, are lawsuits taken against media organizations or activists with the sole purpose of silencing them. They typically involve a huge disparity in resources and the claimant’s tactic is to use the lawsuit, or threat of a lawsuit, to divert ... more

External Link (22)

Evaluation of Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists in Nigeria

Olushola Mary Okpodu

American Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Research, volume 6, issue 2 (2022), pp. 125-133

"The freedom of expression and Journalists* safety, as well as other media practitioners have become an issue of debate on press freedom and the working condition of reporters following untoward development on the media space which has become a preoccupation with journalism professional organization ... more

External Link (16)

Google Scholar (14)

WorldCat (15)

“I Really Wanted Them to Have My Back, but They Didn’t”—Structural Barriers to Addressing Gendered Online Violence against Journalists

Annina Claesson

Digital Journalism, volume 11, issue 10 (2022), pp. 1809-1828

"Despite rising scholarly interest in online violence as an “occupational hazard” for journalists, we know little about the dynamics that shape the often-limited support given by media organizations to media workers affected by online violence. In this study, I explore how the working environmen ... more

External Link (20)

Google Scholar (16)

WorldCat (16)

Aggravating circumstances? The COVID-19-related situational threats against the press in Portugal

Rui Alexandre Novais

Journal of Applied Journalism & Media Studies, volume 13, issue 3 (2022), pp. 337-357

"This study aims to fill the gap of the practical impediments for journalists properly doing their work during the COVID-19 pandemic over a single country. It is achieved by mapping the situational threats faced by the press in Portugal, as one of the best countries that grant media a free environme ... more

External Link (23)

Beijing's Global Media Influence: Authoritarian Expansion and the Power of Democratic Resilience

Sarah Cook, Angeli Datt, Ellie Young, BC Han

Washington, DC: Freedom House (2022), 79 pp.

"This report offers the most comprehensive assessment to date of Beijing’s global media influence and the ways in which democracies are responding. Drawing on media investigations, interviews, scholarly publications, Chinese government sources, and on-the-ground research by local analysts, it cove ... more

External Link (19)

Google Scholar (20)

WorldCat (18)

Reporting the Covid-19 Pandemic: Trauma on Our Own Doorstep

Stephen Jukes, Karen Fowler-Watt, Gavin Rees

Digital Journalism, volume 10, issue 6 (2022), pp. 997-1014

"The political and media rhetoric of the pandemic is that of conflict and a call to arms in face of a hidden enemy. But this is not a distant war where journalists are parachuted in to report on the action for a few weeks and then fly home. It is on our own doorstep. Many of those covering the globa ... more