CFOM’s International Director William Horsley was a part of the 5th February 2016 Paris conference “News Organizations Standing Up for the Safety of Media Professionals”. This conference came up with some very practical solutions for addressing the problems of journalists safety and impunity which CFOM has been working on for some time.
CFOM has so far staged two landmark events on the topic of preventing impunity and crimes against journalists.
The proposals from the conference included recommendations to set clear guidelines for how you intend to work in a dangerous environment, and to take advantage of the safety resources already available, including a new app for recording videos of human rights violations in way that protects their safety and provides authentication.
The conference specifically discussed the need for women journalists, and journalists of gender minorities, to be provided extra protection.
Women and gender minorities face particular dangers in reporting conflicts. This includes online harassment, something that is becoming a real problem for thousands of women journalists, forcing many of them to give up the profession altogether, loosing many valuable voices with unique perspectives.
Education of journalists on how to stay safe is of vital importance. CFOM is in the early stages of developing our educational strategy. We hope that, thanks to our position within the Journalism department of the University of Sheffield, we can educate the students of the university so that they may safely go out and report on those most controversial topics without fear.
Awareness-raising was another important recommendation from the conference. This work is particularly relevant to CFOM. We already do a lot to mark the International Day to End Impunity and World Press Freedom day.
Follow these links to find out more about the event and read the recommendations in full.
