Committee to Protect Journalists

Since 1981, cpj has defended the right of Journalists To report the news safely and freely all over the world. Our organization is made up of Journalists and advocates who use journalism To expose and advocate on a broad range of violations. We focus on reducing the number of Journalists in prison, fighting against injustice, and battling censorship and repressive legislation that governs our world's increasingly complex information landscape. We document violations and meet with government leaders To push for change, secure convictions in murders, and free jailed Journalists. Our reporting and documentation inform and empower our advocacy. In doing so, we ensure access To independent information that enables all people To make decisions and hold the powerful To account. Cpj's regional programs cover africa, the americas, asia, europe and central asia, and the middle east and north africa. They are led by experts from all over the world who report daily on press freedom abuses in close collaboration with our correspondents' cities, who have deep ties with local Journalists and advocates. We are unique in our ability To engage government leaders locally and globally, and in mobilizing the media To support the press. Our advocacy team leads or coordinates strategic efforts and impactful campaigns that weave cases into the most pressing issues. The team engages with policymakers and leaders from the united states, the european union, and the united nations, among other entities. In partnership with teams across the organization, they inject our reporting into multilateral systems and mechanisms that champion press freedom, Protect Journalists and help To deliver justice. Our emergencies team provides pre-emptive, tailored tools and rapid response support To Journalists under threat all over the world. They are a pillar of assistance for Journalists forced To flee for their safety and provide training, consultations and guidance To prevent deaths, detentions, kidnappings, and other dangers. Cpj's vast international networks and collaborative relationships with local and international freedom of expression and human rights groups, allows for joint advocacy and strategic interventions together with groups like human rights watch, article 19, amnesty international, free press unlimited and reporters sans frontires. Cpj is a founding member of ifex, an organization of 100 global freedom of expression groups. Cpj is also a member of the consultative network for the media freedom coalition (mfc), a group of 52 countries committed To supporting a free press. As such, cpj works with the mfc To defend specific Journalists and participates in diplomatic networks To Protect media. These relationships are part of organizational efforts To collaborate with local, regional, and international media and human rights groups To ensure the perspective and voice of those on the front lines is always in our work.in february of 2022, as russia began its full-scale invasion of ukraine, cpj declared an organization-wide emergency, an internal move To shift resources and personnel To address the crisis. Over the past several years from the criminalization of Journalists around the world, To war in ukraine and a crackdown in iran. Cpj has fine-tuned a rapid response in the face of these emergencies. In recent years, cpj has recorded the highest numbers of jailed Journalists since the early 1990s. In 2022, the number of Journalists imprisoned globally was the highest on record, with 363 behind bars as political upheaval and media crackdowns reflect increasing intolerance for independent reporting around the world. But this is why cpj's work is so important. We document each imprisonment and advocate around it. We carry out annual "free the press" campaigns and raise individual cases in meetings with relevant leaders. And our impact is global: in 2022, cpj helped win the release of at least 150 imprisoned Journalists, the most we have ever helped free. The previous year, cpj helped free at least 101 imprisoned Journalists from dozens of countries. In 2022, cpj also launched a campaign To demand the release of jos rubn zamora, a former cpj awardee imprisoned in guatemala under politically motivated charges. Cpj mobilized more than fifty news leaders from around the world and secured media attention on the case, as well as the deterioration of press freedom and democracy in guatemala. In another critical case, cpj also mobilized support for imprisoned publisher and former awardee, jimmy lai, who faces a potential life sentence in hong kong. Cpj organized meetings with government officials in Washington d.c. and brussels, complemented by sustained media coverage To exert public pressure.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, and we are committed To fighting for justice. We report on each case, meet with leaders, and campaign for convictions. We publish an annual impunity index, which spotlights countries where Journalists are murdered, and their killers go free. Cpj advocacy helped win convictions in the murders of at least 12 Journalists in 2022.in october 2022, five years after leading investigative journalist daphne caruana galizia was brutally murdered in a bomb attack in malta, a court sentenced two brothers To 40 years each for their role as hitmen. Further legal proceedings are pending against the alleged mastermind, and two men who allegedly supplied the bomb. Years of advocacy by cpj and its partners has helped bring justice for her murder.cpj's emergencies team, formed in 2016, helps To keep Journalists safer all over the world. The team disseminates practical advice To Journalists and, during high-risk situations, works with security experts To provide tactical information and practical support To Journalists. The team also provides grants, including for evacuation, trauma therapy, and legal fees. In 2022, cpj provided financial and non-financial assistance To more than 520 Journalists in 49 countries, with grants To Journalists who needed support for emergency relocation, imprisonment, medical issues, and trauma.as russian troops undertook a full invasion of ukraine in february 2022, cpj worked To disburse crucial safety advice for Journalists covering the conflict. Almost as soon as the war began, attacks on Journalists made clear a need for personal protective equipment (ppe) and first aid supplies.cpj set up a temporary "hub" in berlin and traveled To Georgia, norway, and poland To understand the threats Journalists were facing.cpj also partnered with medical supplies company medtrade and ukrainian news outlet zaborona, To distribute hundreds of first aid kits. Cpj also disseminated information safety measures in environments containing unexploded ordnance (uxo) and a guide To bringing personal protective equipment (ppe) into ukraine. Crucially, the organization undertook an innovative step and set up a whatsapp chatbot To provide Journalists with on-demand safety information, and issued a guide To understanding russia's "fake news" laws, To assist the decimated independent press corps trying To continue reporting within russia. Finally, cpj also provided financial and non-financial assistance To more than 200 Journalists affected by the war.when cpj was founded by a group of u.s. Journalists 40 years ago, it was To defend their international colleagues who were at risk. Since then, we have used every tool of journalism To carry out our missionfrom news alerts To special reports, To documentaries, To social media. We have developed an unparalleled reputation for the accuracy and timeliness of our reporting, the quality of our data, and our ability To offer informed policy recommendations and conduct impactful advocacy. Our reporting influences political, news and technology leaders, drives coverage in the media, and shapes public discourse that leads To change. By ensuring Journalists are able To report the news freely, cpj defends the right of people globally To access the critical information they need To make informed decisions in all areas of their lives and To hold decision-makers accountable. When a country's Journalists are silenced, its people are silenced. By protecting Journalists, cpj protects freedom of expression and democracy. A recognized leader in the global fight To Protect press freedom, cpj has been honored with a range of awards, including the 2018 chatham house prize and most recently, with the national union of Journalists of ukraine's certificate of appreciation, in recognition of cpj's contributions To embattled ukrainian Journalists. Similarly, cpj and law firm allen & overy, won the trustlaw impact award for developing a 'know your rights' guide for Journalists covering protests in the us.