"This research article presents an examination of the findings and recommendations drawn from a series of focus group discussions (FGDs) with senior journalists. The main aim was to develop a strategy to safeguard the skills and well-being of journalists in the face of potential future pandemics or
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crises. The FGDs were attended by experienced journalists whose focus was on rigorous reporting during the COVID-19 pandemic. They represented press clubs from across Pakistan, including Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). In these discussions, participants presented the challenges they faced during the COVID-19 pandemic and the strategies they used to overcome these hurdles. In addition, the deliberations resulted in recommendations aimed at creating a safe environment for journalists to work, especially in crises. Using the analytical capabilities of the NVivo software, a thematic analysis was conducted to decipher the core themes of the FGDs. These themes have now been summarized in a set of consolidated recommendations that form the cornerstone of this research project. The recommendations advocate for improvements that include strengthening safety measures, prioritizing mental health and well-being, ensuring unimpeded access to important information, increasing legal protections, cultivating capacity-building opportunities, strengthening networks and collaborations, and introducing specialized training in health reporting. By implementing these recommendations, a framework can be created that strengthens journalists’ resilience in the face of crises. This article sees these findings not only as a blueprint for journalistic safety but also as evidence of the strength and adaptability of the journalistic community in the face of unprecedented challenges." (Abstract)
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"Objective: To determine risk factors for symptoms of PTSD and depression in frontline journalists that traverse type of conflict, degree of exposure to stressors, language, and culture. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 1,103 frontline journalists from 12 datasets (Balkans, 9/11 attacks, Iraq, M
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exico, Israel, Syria, Afghanistan, Iran, Kenya, refugee crisis, user-generated content [visually traumatic images], and moral injury project) accumulated between 2000 and 2022. Symptoms of PTSD were assessed, in the first language of participants, with validated versions of the Revised Impact of Event Scale (* = .96) and PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (* = .96) and symptoms of depression with validated versions of the Beck Depression Inventory-Revised (* = .92). Data were analyzed using linear mixed models to take into account inherent between-study differences. Results: Mean age and work duration were 39.12 (SD = 9.58) and 14.64 (SD = 9.13) years, respectively. Most journalists were male (66.27%), university educated (82.23%), and in a relationship (56.12%). While symptom severity scores varied considerably across studies, three variables were found that predicted symptoms of PTSD and depression in all studies, namely being female, single, and having a past history of psychiatric difficulties. Conclusions: News organizations have a moral obligation to care for journalists sent into harm's way. The identification of risk factors for symptoms of PTSD and depression common to journalists irrespective of the nature of the conflict covered, degree of exposure to conflict, and differences in language and culture is an important step in promoting this duty of care. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)." (Abstract)
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"The right of journalists to work in a secure environment, without being intimidated, harassed, attacked, abused or murdered, is of fundamental importance to freedom of expression globally. Yet, in many countries around the world, journalism has become a deadly occupation and those who practise it o
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ften risk their lives to inform the public. This is especially the case for investigative reporters whose work is vital for the functioning of democratic societies. This chapter examines the main challenges that investigative reporters face by focusing on three case studies that illustrate the threats to safe journalism practice and the broad impact of violence and impunity for crimes against journalists on press freedom." (Abstract)
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"This study explores contemporary journalists’ autonomy and role in the Ethiopian contested media practice by taking journalists working in Amhara Media Corporation (AMC). A qualitative research approach was used to collect data from journalists and admin staff. For triangulation, this study combi
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ned document analysis and observation. Fourteen in-depth interviews were conducted with purposively selected journalists and admin staff. The interviews used semi-structured and open-ended questions that would allow journalists to reflect their perspectives freely. The study applied the Hierarchy of Influences Model to examine the data and support discussion. The findings of this study clearly signify that partisanship among journalists, the politicization of journalism, and flip-flop media practices prevail. The outsourced programs are used as a tool for silencing journalists from working independently. The journalists’ safety anxiety is the grim reality at AMC. As a result, journalists’ professional content productions and autonomies specifically on political and sensitive issues were negotiated or interfered. It is therefore challenging to maintain complete professional autonomy in order to be impartial, unbiased, and independent while working as a journalist in Ethiopia. It is recommended that the regional and federal governments should allow media independence and journalists’ autonomy in the Ethiopian media industry." (Abstract)
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"This article interrogates the effectiveness of the safety measures available for journalists in the challenging operational environment. The researchers conducted in-depth interviews with 16 journalists representing different organisations from the conflict-prone areas in northeast Nigeria. Finding
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s reveal that journalists operate at high risks due to the absence of protective mechanisms, rendering them highly vulnerable in threats situations. Also, journalists go through physical and psychological attacks from insurgents, the military, and the communities. Recommendations are offered to provide safety mechanisms to reduce journalists’ psychological trauma and physical stress, increase their feelings of safety, and improve the quality of their inputs." (Abstract)
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"The media sector expanded after the multiparty system’s reintroduction in the 1990s in Malawi. The growth has been enabled by a legal environment in which the Constitution guarantees freedom of expression and the press. The Constitution is the supreme law of the land, meaning that all the laws th
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at contradict or are inconsistent with it are invalid. There are no formal restrictions on media freedom in the country. Successive government administrations have proudly stated that no journalist in Malawi has been persecuted for doing their journalistic work. While it is technically correct that no journalist has been prosecuted for their work, in this chapter, I argue that journalists still face different types of harassment on the government’s watch. Forms of harassment include arbitrary arrests and detentions and verbal and physical attacks by political party supporters, the police, members of parliament, and cabinet ministers. Although most attacks on journalists and media institutions happen in plain sight, sometimes, in the presence of the state President, not a single perpetrator of violence has been held to account for their actions. Using key informant interviews with journalists, MISA Malawi National Director and MISA Malawi annual reports document the harassment of journalists in the country. I argue that although media freedoms are guaranteed in the law, the failure to apprehend perpetrators of violence against journalists is akin to the approval of violence by the government, which has the responsibility to uphold the tenets of the law to protect its citizens. Harassment of journalists with impunity amounts to outsourced repression, which has a chilling effect on journalists and their institutions; it undermines media freedom and democratic governance, which depends on informed citizens to participate in democratic processes effectively. I use public sphere theory, which recognises the media as a public forum, free of coercion, where citizens access information and engage in discussions and debate on issues of public interest." (Abstract)
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"The chapter explores the challenges associated with harassment for entry-level to mid-career journalists across South Africa’s hybrid media platforms. The study employed a qualitative methodology consisting of semi-structured interviews with 12 entry-level and mid-career journalists with industry
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experience ranging from one to six years. Our findings confirm previous studies from the Global South confirming the pervasiveness of sexual harassment in newsrooms. This study established that there is generally an unwillingness of mostly male-dominated management structures in dealing with reports of sexual harassment. Second, we found that journalists, who are sexually harassed by sources and or even by their managers, end up censoring themselves, delivering compromised work and ultimately stunting the democratic project in society. We also found that experiences of female journalists in South Africa specifically, and the Global South more broadly, are not distinct from experiences of harassment in the Global North. We argue that patriarchy seems to be the mainstay in the negative experiences of sexual harassment of women journalists across the globe, which ultimately often renders their voices mute. These findings suggest the need for policies to mitigate the harassment of journalists if their democratic role is to be sustained in South Africa." (Abstract)
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"This paper analyzes the work experience of Israeli-Palestinian women journalists who reside and work in Israel for local news organizations or non-Israeli news agencies. It focuses on their experiences related to the intersected axes of their gender, ethnic, and national identities. Through themati
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c analysis of narrative interviews with 24 Palestinian women journalists, the study reveals that their work experiences vary between exclusion and inclusion among different news organizations. Israeli-Palestinian women journalists face barriers getting jobs at mainstream news agencies because of their accent; and when they apply to local Arab news organizations, they confront recruiting procedures based on a clan system that discriminates against women. However, a few of them report an advantage when trying to enter mainstream news organizations based on their image as an “authentic Arab woman.” Additionally, the study finds that the professional identity of all interviewees is closely connected to their ideological perceptions and political aims." (Abstract)
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"Following the conservative Turkish government’s political-economic capture of the news media, educated and pro-feminist women journalists have migrated online. Despite having more publicity across platforms, they face immediate prosecution based on the tweet of an anonymous troll, an informant ci
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tizen or a government official. While this is a common case of networked misogyny, inspired by Liz Kelly’s concept of the continuum of sexual violence, we argue that networked misogyny against women journalists is not simply technological but rather both interconnected across different spaces (online manosphere, masculine newsrooms, and authoritarian state) and intersectional feeding from nationalism, class, and anti-Western sentiments. This intersectionality renders networked misogyny against Turkey’s journalists different from liberal contexts because it operates not through illegality but suspicion (of terrorism, treason). Our focus on interconnections and intersectionality allows for theorizing networked misogyny beyond the digital, genders current perspectives on authoritarianism and reframes networked misogyny as a violent war targeting women’s intellectual labor and public visibility, both significant threats to authoritarian regimes across the globe. The interconnected and intersectional stories of networked misogyny from Turkey point to how fighting against this form of violence is also a fight against the post-truth regimes of authoritarianism and fight for democracy." (Abstract)
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"This volume presents key international research on journalism and safety with a focus on conceptual, global, and transnational approaches, as well as conflict, challenges, and consequences for democracy. It offers an overview of the latest research and ongoing developments in the field of journalis
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m and safety and speaks to the ways in which digital developments have worsened the risks surrounding journalists, with online harassments, security breaches, surveillance and so forth challenging their safety like never before. The first of two volumes, this book comprises a handpicked collection of cutting-edge research articles authored by distinguished international scholars. The chapters in the book were originally published in Digital Journalism, Journalism Studies, and Journalism Practice during the years 2019-2023, and have thus been through rigorous double-blind peer-review. The chapters draw on data from diverse geographical locations such as U.S, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Iraq, Palestine, Latin America, Pakistan, Philippines, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Ethiopia, and Slovakia. The first section of the book focuses on research that either has made significant conceptual advancements on journalism and safety, and/or has contributed with global or transnational approaches, and the second section focuses on challenges in conflict coverage and the impact it has on democracies." (Abstract)
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"Journalists play a crucial role in disseminating information and ensuring transparency in society. However, in many regions around the world, journalists face significant risks and threats to their safety, hindering their ability to fulfill their professional duties effectively. This article focuse
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s on examining the safety challenges faced by journalists operating in Benue State, Nigeria. Through a comprehensive analysis of existing literature and firsthand experiences, this study seeks to shed light on the dangers faced by journalists and propose potential solutions to enhance their safety." (Abstract)
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"This study examines the perceived relevance and implementation of competing normative ideals in journalism in times of increasing use of digital technology in newsrooms. Based on survey and content analysis data from 37 countries, we found a small positive relationship between the use of digital re
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search tools and “watchdog” performance. However, a stronger and negative relationship emerged between the use of digital audience analytics and the performance of “watchdog” and “civic” roles, leading to an overall increase in conception–performance gaps on both roles. Moreover, journalists’ use of digital community tools was more strongly and positively associated with “infotainment” and “interventionism." (Abstract)
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"This study used in-depth interviews and focus groups of editors and journalists in Kenya (N*=*55) to show how news organizations fail to prioritize gender equality. All participants identified a gendered hierarchy in newsrooms, which participants believed connects to other inequalities such as stor
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y assignment, pay, safety, and promotion. Most women participants had experienced sexual harassment at work multiple times. Participants also stated exclusive socialization for men, aka a “boys’ club,” was central to how newsrooms function and advantaged men in terms of building networks, promotions, scoops, work assignments, and increased job security. By linking the various negative outcomes of gendered work environments, this study adds to feminist communication scholarship by showing how organizations reinforce gendered inequalities rather than eliminating them. It also calls on gatekeeping research to focus on meso- and macro-level influences as a necessary shift away from placing responsibility on the individual level alone." (Abstract)
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"This research examines whether and to what extent journalists are harassed online and the effects of online harassment on their professional roles. The study classifies online harassment against journalists into five types: insults, threats, privacy intrusion, sexual assault, and cyber-hacking. The
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findings reveal a positive correlation between online harassment and various adverse outcomes for journalists, including increased self-censorship, reduced public engagement, and heightened skepticism toward journalism. With regard to a specific type of online harassment, journalists’ gender plays a role as a moderator: The relationship between insults and self-censorship, disengagement with the public, and skepticism toward journalism was found to be stronger for women journalists than men journalists." (Abstract)
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"This article explores how Palestinian and Kashmiri civilians engage with the everyday reality of war. The focus is on understanding how citizens temporarily adopt the roles of war correspondents, contributing to the broader conflict narrative. Employing an inductive approach, the study integrates e
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thnography, phenomenology, and reflexive thematic analysis (RTA) to gain insights into how citizen journalists shape war narratives. Analysing the interview data through RTA reveals six key themes: “Emerging citizen journalism practices,” “Community Consciousness,” “Challenges in media perception,” “Self-expression and Social cohesion,” Responding to Authoritarian Falsehoods”, “Teen journalism”, and “Self-protection and safety”. The findings suggest that the citizen journalism practices in Palestine and Kashmir strategically report the war narratives, representing a progressive journalism practice. The results underline that citizen journalism practices in these regions purposefully present war narratives and represent a form of constructive journalism, which responds to authoritarian regimes’ extensive control over mainstream media and facilitates reconciliation and peace. Such citizen journalism practices act as an equipoise to data imbalances in information architecture for the consumers. The research underscores how conflict citizen journalism embodies activist and collaborative models with robust potential for replication in other conflict-ridden areas." (Abstract)
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"Since 2017, 518 journalists have been attacked while covering protests (U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, 2021) which is one of the most dangerous places to be as a journalist in the United States (Sterne & Peters, 2017). Despite the volatile climate around journalists as they cover increasingly dangerou
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s protests (Luqiu, 2020), there is minimal understanding as to the effect of these events on them (Talabi, et al., 2021). Furthermore, there is a gap in the hostility literature examining harassment that journalists face in the field. Through a survey of U.S. journalists, this study finds that covering protests causes journalists mental and emotional health concerns, which influences how they view their journalistic roles. Furthermore, the effects of positive and negative encounters at protests affected journalists personally, depending on who the perpetrator was (protestor or law enforcement)—influencing everything from PTSD and anxiety to intentions to leave journalism. The paper ultimately underscores the need for news organizations to make sure journalists not only are safe, but also feel safe, when reporting in the field." (Abstract)
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"This study explores journalism students’ responses to hazards and hostility in the profession within a Safety of Journalists course. The research uses focus group interviews, field notes, study diaries, written tasks, and Teams’ chat logs of 11 students. Students’ reactions to the hazards hig
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hlight the importance of awareness for finding solutions and developing resilience. Proposed solutions include fostering self-assurance, enhancing interpersonal communication, setting boundaries to prevent burnout, and recognizing the significance of workers’ rights. However, finding some solutions was hindered by students’ experiences of media organizations neglecting worker well-being." (Abstract)
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"Journalists have often been considered the "fourth emergency service". They are first on the scene, alongside paramedics, fi re and police, running towards danger rather than away, and providing independent, veritable and crucial information in the public interest. And yet, unlike frontline workers
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, little (if any) counselling or training is offered to journalists on how to deal with the horrors they witness, and the trauma they absorb from being at the forefront of human suffering. Further, limited to no training is given to student journalists on how to prepare themselves for trauma, be it from war scenes to the everyday "death knock". New research is demonstrating a rise in post-traumatic stress disorder amongst journalists resulting from the "everyday" trauma they encounter. There is also a noticeable increase in reluctance from new journalists to undertake emotionally distressing assignments. Editors in industry are now calling for educators to invest in curricula that centre around understanding how to cope with distress and trauma, and why work like this is vital to facilitate the work journalists do hold power to account. This book investigates the cause and effect of trauma reporting on the journalist themselves and provides a toolkit for training journalists and practitioners to build resilience and prepare themselves for trauma. It draws on national and international experiences enabling readers to gain valuable insight into a range of contemporary issues and the contexts in which they may work. This edited book offers a blend of academic research studies, evidence-based practitioner interviews, and teaching resources drawing on the experiences of journalists and academics nationally and internationally." (Abstract)
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"The increased scale of cross-border journalistic investigations brings about severe challenges: online harassment, physical violence, legal threats, but also emotional challenges and mental stress that can lead to burnout. The latter has never been the focus of studies on cross-border investigative
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journalistic collaborations. This paper seeks to fill in this gap and contribute to the understanding of how the cross-border aspects of investigative journalists’ work shape their mental well-being. Based on eighteen semi-structured interviews conducted with investigative journalists across Europe in the first half of 2023, this study addresses the following research questions: What are the specific challenges, threats, and risks encountered by investigative journalists working on cross-border collaborations? How do these challenges and risks affect investigative journalists’ mental well-being? What coping mechanisms do investigative journalists employ? Our findings show that cross-border investigative journalists experience a systemic neglect of mental well-being in the profession. Moreover, journalists face country-specific challenges, stemming from varying legal constraints and disparities in institutional support and protection across countries. The lack of safety measures that protect journalists beyond physical safety, multitasking, and the lack of concern for cross-border investigative journalists’ mental well-being can prove particularly challenging for freelancers. At the same time, the cross-border collaborations are depicted as a source of mutual assistance, protection, and a sense of community among international journalists." (Abstract)
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"This study examines the perceptions of Egyptian journalists of the effectiveness of professional training in digital journalism and determines the training-needs of journalists to adapt to innovative journalism practices. The study applies mixed descriptive methods based on The Motivation–Hygiene
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theory of what motivates employees. Data analysis is based on an online questionnaire with a snowball sample of 134 Egyptian journalists from different media outlets and in-depth interviews with 10 journalists and professional trainers, between June 2019 and August 2020. Findings reveal that the impact of hygiene factors is stronger than that of motivation factors. This study shows that hygiene factors negatively influence professional training and inhibit any positive impacts of motivation factors. The findings of this study are significant to media organizations and professional training providers." (Abstract)
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