UNESCO CHAIR ACTIVITIES 

Established in 2018 here at the Centre for Freedom of the Media, based in the University of Sheffield, the UNESCO Chair on Media Freedom, Journalism Safety and the Issue of Impunity, was awarded to Professor Jackie Harrison. The UNESCO Chair’s role is to act as a bridgehead between academia and policy through the production of high quality research, information, documentation and teaching within the Sustainable Development Goals agenda (16.10) that contribute to the sustainable development of free and independent news media worldwide and ultimately a safer environment for journalists and journalism.

Since being awarded the UNESCO Chair, the Journalism Safety Research Network (JSRN) has grown and now hosts over 300 members worldwide. The Chair has also been involved in the organising of the Academic Conference as part of UNESCO’s World Press Freedom Day. The Chair has also been engaged in a number of different research projects surrounding journalism safety and media freedom, in particular examining how we can better monitor attacks against journalists. The UNESCO Chair has also been involved in the development of the UN Plan of Action on Journalism Safety and the Issue of Impunity (UNPA), including leading the fifth and tenth academic consultation of the UNPA. Alongside this, the Chair has spoken at numerous conferences, workshops and events worlwide, alongside publishing research in this area. 

Click below to find out more about the work of the UNESCO Chair.