What We Do
The Centre for Freedom of the Media (CFOM) is an interdisciplinary research centre with global outreach on issues of media freedom, journalism safety, editorial standards, impunity and the role of the representational (factual and fictional mass media) and non-representational (performative and visual arts) communication in post-conflict settings.
We aim to inform and advise governments, policymakers and stakeholders internationally on these issues in order to bring about greater media freedom, create safer environments for journalists and journalism and to use the media and communication more widely in a positive and constructive way in peace processes.
We believe in the importance of a free media for civil society and as a way to counter civil diminishment, to build civil norms, engage in civil capacity-building and create civil resistance in democratic and non-democratic as well as in strong and weak states.
CFOM is also home to the Journalism Safety Research Network (JSRN) which is a global network launched in 2016 to strengthen research and multi-stakeholder collaboration within the area of journalism safety.
Advocacy AND PROJECTS
CFOM has been involved in a number of research and advocacy projects throughout the years, working with a number of partners to deliver research and events in the area of media freedom and journalism safety. CFOM has partnered with organisations such as Free Press Unlimited, UNESCO and the Independent Press Standards Organisation.
CFOM is also involved in International Journalism Week (IJW), an annual event hosted in the Department of Journalism studies at the University of Sheffield.
UNESCO CHAIR ON MEDIA FREEDOM, JOURNALISM SAFETY AND THE ISSUE OF IMPUNITY
Prof. Jackie Harrison has been awarded the first UNESCO Chair on Media Freedom, Journalism Safety and the Issue of Impunity.
Read more here.
INTERNATIONAL DIRECTOR’S COLUMN
William Horsley’s column keeps tabs of the watchdog role of the media. Read his latest posts here.