Herald Sun’s Post

On World Press Freedom Day its important to not only highlight the perilous state of journalism around the world – but also to ask – ‘how can we promote media freedom more effectively’? For this reason – I hope you’ll forgive me re-sharing our research asking ‘whose media freedom are we defending?’ – based on a detailed study of the Media Freedom Coalition – a collection of over 50 governments working to support journalists.  The full article is open access here - https://lnkd.in/gpYGKmrf And a summary of the key implications is here - https://lnkd.in/ey2PKtjx

Whew! I am thrilled to finally share the documentary I worked on with the team, "#Safe4Press: Shinning Light on the Dark Side of Journalists' Safety and Press Violations." Thanks to the Heinrich Böll Stiftung Foundation for their support and the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) for bringing this idea to life. A special thanks to Stephanie O. Adams - Douglas for laying the groundwork for this documentary and Busola Ajibola for managing the project to finish. Gbolahan Ogunsolu for all the multimedia advice, and Hillary Nwoziri for his impressive communication strategy. This documentary was truly eye-opening. For years, I relied on secondary reports about journalist safety. But there is something that physical encounter does. Sitting through interviews and listening to these brave journalists recounting their experiences while pursuing truth completely changed my perspective and strengthened my zeal to advocate for the safety of journalists anywhere. It is one of my most emotionally impactful moments working on media freedom project at CJID. So here are my 5 key takeaways from this project: 1. Journalism should never be a crime even in an authoritarian system: In any society, people deserve access to the truth. After all, truth is truth, regardless of the political landscape. This is especially important in democracies, where governments derive their legitimacy from the people. The idea of being persecuted for telling the truth is hard and even harder to grasp than for journalists, speaking truth to power is their job description. A dangerous profession indeed. 2. These journalists' are relentless: The resilience of journalists who continue telling their stories despite facing hardship is truly inspiring. It's a level of doggedness I aspire to have in my own life (side note to self). 3. We all have a role to play! : Citizens, media professionals, journalists – everyone should advocate for journalists' freedom and safety. It is all about your safety too if we look at it. 4. Journalists are human. They have feelings, and the psychological impact of their work is overwhelming. 5. Supporting journalists' well-being is too important to overlook: Every media organization should prioritize psychological and legal support for their journalists. It should be a mandatory package for every media job. Media funders should also have a clause that ensures that journalists' welfare is considered. On a lighter note, journalism is not a crime even in a rigid system because what can anyone even do? Truth to the people is the barest minimum any government can offer its people. Let's all take action! You should share this documentary and support organizations advocating for journalist safety if you can. #safe4press #IWPFD https://lnkd.in/dsxWnqwB

👉 Funding and other type support to media and journalism in exile journalism-in-exile.org is a platform that collects resources to support media professionals and journalists in exile. You will also find information regarding available open calls for grants, and other opportunities for exiled media professionals. #funding #journalism #freedomofexpression #foe #exile #freedomofthepress

Top academic institutions led by the Journalism Protection Initiative at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY are launching the Knight Press Freedom Fellowships program to support journalists at risk who face censorship or other repressive actions around the world. Lucy Westcott, CPJ’s Emergencies Director, serves on the advisory board. “At the Committee to Protect Journalists, we know first-hand the scale of threats against journalists globally, and the need for programs like the Knight Press Freedom Fellowships to help members of the media continue their work in the face of repression,” she said. More information⤵️ https://lnkd.in/evpQJ9KY

The so-called Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) aim at intimidating journalists into self-censorship and silencing critical voices. In these cases it is important for newsrooms to develop a strategic plan how to counter SLAPPs effectively. Read here some examples how journalists from the region are responding to such lawsuits https://shorturl.at/Dhfqu What about SLAPPs in your countries? What could be further done to protect journalists? #journalistssafety #mediafreedom

"Protecting those who inform us is protecting the truth," says Thibaut Bruttin, Director General of Reporters Without Borders (RSF). 🛡️ The organization calls for urgent action to protect journalists and journalism. And their 2024 Round-up shows why that is crucial: 🔻 54 journalists were killed, including 31 in conflict zones   🔻 550 journalists were detained  🔻 55 journalists were held hostage  🔻 and 95 journalists are missing.   It is evident that in 2024, journalism suffered an exorbitant human cost due to conflicts and repressive regimes. Read the detailed report and take a look at RSF's online barometer, which is constantly updated with the names of journalists who have been subject to abuse: https://lnkd.in/g8tVKBdY

People Wake Up! Psychological Warfare executed through the Popular Culture Collective is the greatest crime against humanity. 1) The Entertainment Industry introduces demoralizing and destabilizing behavior. 2) The Aligned News Media propagates it. 3) Academia validates it. 4) Influencers normalize it. And 5) Corrupt elected officials, bureaucrats, and executives enforce compliance.

Check out this week's episode of Question Everything: "The Journalist and the Firefighter."

On Tuesday 5 March 2024, the Platform to Promote the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists launched its annual report "Press Freedom in Europe: Time to Turn the Tide". It is written by the Platform’s Partner Organisations, a coalition of fifteen press freedom NGOs and journalists associations. It takes stock of key areas of law, policy and practices affecting media freedom and safety of journalists in Europe and identifies actions required to improve effective protection of journalists. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/diEkH2Kk

I know how great West Yorkshire Police comms team are But is really interesting to hear first hand from police officers how they find being interviewed by journalism students. Media is ever evolving but one thing does not change. That is, if there is a fast breaking news story it is crucial to get the facts out in quick time to avoid a vacuum opening up. Otherwise the media can and do fill it.  While being mindful of whether proceedings are active that could impact what could be reported. I think this is such a valuable thing to do for journalists and officers because there is so much to think about when the pressure is on in real time. People trust their local media and that has been sustained despite the constant evolution of how we access news. And key positive relationships with emergency services including the police are so important for any journalism, not just grassroots. That means communities are being kept informed and reassured when there is a breaking news story that could affect confidence. #mediarelations #pressandpolicing #crisiscommunications #pressadvice #riskmanagement #localjournalism #communityconfidence