The news media were in peril throughout 2020 according to a year-end report issued by the nonprofit organization the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
“In this unforgettably tumultuous year, journalists across the world covered the ongoing pandemic, dangerous protests, natural disasters, active conflicts, elections, and other life-changing events. The reporters, anchors, photographers, camera operators, producers, and technicians who brought 2020’s biggest stories to the public often risked their own physical safety and psychological well-being and found themselves the subjects of increased digital abuse,” the organization said in a new report.
CPJ issued a safety advisory for journalists covering COVD-19. The 2020 elections were considered so hazardous that the organization assembled a “U.S. elections safety kit” for the news media.
The organization highlighted “the risks of protests, rallies, and online and digital attacks against journalists covering the vote.”
CPJ said it documented 60 “election-related press freedom violations” in 2020.
The organization also assisted more than 750 journalists this year through emergency grants, one-on-one safety consultations and other advisories about safety hazards on the job.
“Journalists covering the COVID-19 pandemic had to quickly figure out how to protect themselves from the virus while covering the biggest news story in a generation,” the report said, also citing several overseas events in Beirut and Armednia, as well as wildfires in the U.S., Brazil and Australia.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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