CPJ: Journalists Stuck Between Terrorist Rock, Government Hard Place

Journalists are getting squeezed between terrorists out to kill or kidnap them and governments who surveilled, censored or imprisoned them, making recent years the most dangerous for journalists.

That is according to the just-released Committee to Protect Journalists report on attacks on the press.

The report is a collection of essays by regional press freedom experts and CPJ staffers that looks at the challenges faced by journalists.

"Journalists are being caught in a terror dynamic, in which they are threatened by non-state actors who target them and governments that restrict civil liberties including press freedom in the name of fighting terror," said Joel Simon, CPJ's executive director.

Among the essay subjects is journalists used as props in videos made by their captors and killers and how safety concerns have changed the way conflicts are covered. Another looks at the safety implications of the increasing use of freelancers. CPJ has joined with other groups to advocate for better protections for freelancers, an issue that was raised at this year's Radio Television Digital News Foundation annual awards dinner.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.