The life of the journalist is not always safe, especially in Syria where 70 journalists have been arrested, detained or killed within the past year.
The Advocacy Director for the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) Courtney C. Radsch spoke to AU students about the dangers journalists are facing at the Reporting News without Fear discussion panel on Sept 10.
“Journalists should not be imprisoned for doing their work,” Radsch said.
According to the CPJ, there has been a staggering number of journalists killed, arrested or detained in the past year, Radsch told an audience of 50 students at the event hosted by the Kay Spiritual Life.
She also talked about the efforts that the CPJ has taken to protect journalists, including a petition the organization is working on that focuses on the right to report in the digital age.
The digital age can also be harmful, prompting questions from the students focused on how journalists can protect themselves in combat zones, such as Syria.
“You have to protect yourself digitally if you’re going to report in Syria for example,” Radsch said. “You have to know that the Syrian electronic army is incredibly sophisticated and could potentially hack into your account and surveil where you’re going.”
She encouraged reporters to be aware of their surroundings at all times when reporting in a dangerous territory and to understand the digital tracks that they leave.
The CPJ is also going on “missions,” to help protect reporters. Members of the committee travel to different countries to discuss with officials the mistreatment of journalists in that country.
“What we’ll do is, myself, the executive directors and some board members we’ll go to a country and seek high level visits with government officials,” Radsch said. “The idea of this is to advocate for the release of journalists that are jailed or imprisoned in that country.”
One of the most critical goals of the trips is to show government officials that the public is watching, according to Radsch.
At the end of the day, the CPJ continues to fight for journalists’ rights and freedom of the press, Radsch said.
“Journalists do a public service to the world to inform them on what’s going on,” Radsch said. They deserve to be protected whether or not the governments support what they are reporting. People need to be informed.”
