The Issue of Safety
The CPJA recognizes that safety is a multi-faceted issue that requires the attention of the industry. It is important to identify the different types of safety that are necessary to protect for journalists.
Number of journalists killed worldwide from 1995 to 2021:
Physical Safety
We acknowledge that journalists reporting from crisis zones face many risks in terms of physical and bodily harm. A contributing factor to this is the lack of infrastructure, including: medical care, food, water, and more. War zones do not spare neutral journalists, they must be protected.
Question to consider: How do news organizations ensure safety. Typically the government is reactive, how can we be preventative.
Informational Safety
We acknowledge the importance of ensuring that stories and information collected by journalists remain private and protected. They must not be stolen or exploited by cyber attacks or social engineering. There is a lack of protection of information in the ever-evolving cyberverse and security initiatives and established lines of communications are necessary.
Question to Consider: How do we ensure that our journalists are able to keep their information secure while abroad?
Speech Safety
We acknowledge that people in many nations do not have the right to free speech, however it is the role of the press to share the truth. We also see cases where countries claim to have freedom of speech, yet attempt to control our foreign correspondents, preventing critical information from being shared.
Question to consider: When journalists enter countries with free speech restrictions, how do we ensure they stay safe when reporting?
Geographic Safety
When journalists enter new regions around the world, they are faced with risks regarding a new set of customs, cultures, languages, and hostilities. Working with member coalition and our partners to share information about the ground situation prior to sending journalists in will help us prepare our journalists.
Question to Consider: How do we ensure that our journalists prepared to enter foreign environments?