Committee to Protect Journalists

The programs for Committee to Protect Journalists are: CPJs regional programs cover Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Central Asia, and the Middle East and North Africa and are led by experts from all over the world who report daily on press freedom �... (More), (More), CPJs regional programs cover Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Central Asia, and the Middle East and North Africa and are led by experts from all over the world who report daily on press freedom abuses. Our staff in New York and Washington, D.C., works closely with CPJ correspondents in cities including Abuja, Bangkok, Berlin, Bogot, Brussels, Istanbul, London, Managua, Mexico City, Nairobi, New Delhi, Rio de Janeiro, Taipei, and Vilnius.Our Emergencies Response Team provides proactive and reactive support to journalists working in hostile environments globally. We offer physical and digital safety information as well as direct assistance, including legal funds, evacuation assistance, and medical care. We also work with local, regional, and international media and human rights groups to maintain a global presence. CPJ has vast international networks and collaborative relationships with local and international freedom of expression and human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, Article 19, International PEN, and Reporters Sans Frontires. CPJ is a founding member of IFEX, an organization of 95 global freedom of expression groups. Over the past few years, CPJ has recorded the highest numbers of jailed journalists since we began keeping track. At least 248 journalists were jailed in late 2019, CPJ found. This, it seems, is the new norm. But thats why our work is so important. We document each journalists imprisonment and advocate on their behalf. We carry out annual Free the Press campaigns and raise this issue in meetings with government leaders. And our advocacy worksin 2019, CPJ advocacy helped secure the early release of 81 imprisoned journalists.Murder is the ultimate form of censorship, and impunity breeds fear. That is why CPJ has carried out a global campaign for justice in journalist murders for more than a decade. While the past few years were the most dangerous ever recorded by CPJ, in 2019, we welcomed a sharp decline in the number of journalist killings. Twenty-five journalists were killed, the fewest in 17 years and a number that is less than half of the 56 journalists CPJ documented killed in 2018. This decline comes as wars subsided, a record low number of journalists10were murdered in reprisal for their reporting, and an unprecedented level of global attention was focused on the issue of impunity with the high-profile cases of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Maltas Daphne Caruana Galizia, and Jan Kuciak of Slovakia, whose brazen assassinations have been major focuses of CPJ advocacy.CPJs Emergencies team provides comprehensive, life-saving support to journalists working in hostile environments of unparalleled risk. The team provides proactive and reactive safety information to journalists and, during high-risk situations, works with local security experts to provide updated tactical information and practical support to journalists. They compile information on threats and disseminate practical advice to journalists on how to safely cover protests or how to plan for reporting on chemical attacks. When prevention isnt enough, the team provides grants, including for evacuation, trauma therapy, and legal fees.In July, CPJs Emergencies team released an updated Digital Safety Kit, available in four languages, to advise journalists on how best to protect themselves and their sources through secured digital accounts, devices, and online communications. The kit also provides practical advice to help journalists navigate digital threats like phishing attacks and specific concerns related to crossing borders, where authorities may seek to inspect devices.CPJs Emergencies team continues to provide assistance to journalists under threat, including for evacuation, trauma therapy, and legal fees. In 2019, we provided financial and non-financial support to 212 journalists and distributed more than $215,000 in grants to 84 journalists from countries including Nicaragua, Cameroon, Syria, Egypt, and Azerbaijan. In 2018, CPJ provided financial and non-financial support to 115 journalists and approved more than $230,000 in grants to journalists from countries including Venezuela, Syria, and Uzbekistan.�(Less), (Less),