A college journalist, on imagining a future in journalism. A podcast with Rachel Coronell Uribe, FDR's successor by some 120 years as president of the Harvard Crimson.
As an organization founded by journalists, we use the tools of journalism to protect those engaged in acts of journalism. Our credibility rests on a bedrock of accuracy, transparency, fairness, accountability, and independence. Journalist safety is our top priority.
We believe freedom of expression is the foundation for all other human rights. Violations of press freedom often occur in a broader context — including discrimination and oppression based on political beliefs, race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, and socio-economic standing. As enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, every person has the right to freedom of opinion and of expression, regardless of their nationality or identity. Access to independent information enables all people to make decisions and hold the powerful to account.
CPJ is committed to values of equity and free expression in our internal practices as well. As an organization headquartered in the United States, we aspire to build a diverse workplace, and to foster an inclusive and welcoming environment. As an international organization, we strive for our people to be representative of the global community on which we report, and to equip them with the opportunities and resources they need to learn and succeed.
One year after news broke about a list of over 50,000 phone numbers allegedly selected for surveillance with Pegasus spyware, journalists around the world continue to live and work with the fear that their phones can be used to track their conversations and penetrate all the personal and professional data stored on their devices. The Pegasus Project, an investigation by Amnesty International and a consortium of media outlets coordinated by Forbidden Stories, revealed in July 2021 that at least 180 journalists were among those from over 50 countries who may have been targeted with the sophisticated surveillance software.
Three journalists from the West African country of Togo were included on the Pegasus Project list. They told CPJ ‘s Jonathan Rozen at the time about how the revelations had caused “nightmarish nights” and damage to their personal as well as professional lives. Twelve months on, they say the prospect of being monitored still generates pervasive paranoia and hinders their communications with sources.
Safety advice for journalists covering war and related unrest:
* War reporting: English | Ukrainian | Russian
* Arrest and detention: English | Ukrainian | Russian
* Civil disorder: English | Ukrainian | Russian
* Internet shutdowns: English | Ukrainian | Russian
* Risk assessment template: English | Ukrainian | Russian
A delightful discussion, Jim, that must have drawn out many memories besides the many practical lessons (and challenges) of your shared, if technologically incomparable experiences. If anything, it evoked for me a reflection upon the differences between then and now for a budding journalist... or scientist, engineer, lawyer, medical doctor, etc. I was actually tempted to ask you to pose some questions to your young friend, but it all comes down to this: what do you and she think of the state of the art that is still called 'journalism' but that has taken on so many different forms and meanings and degrees of legitimacy these days.
That's too abstract and far-reaching, of course, for a 20 minute interview, but it did get me wondering about the future of your craft (and for that matter, I got to wondering just how much time you and your young colleague had (or have) to spend on your academic studies...).
Thanks on all fronts. Yes, the "Oh, we have to take courses (and exams, and write papers)" part of 24/7 immersion at the Crimson was a challenge, then and now. And I think this is in the category of student/ adult roles where the *basic task* is fundamentally similar, over a half-century period, despite the countless changes in technical.
Committee to Protect Journalists https://cpj.org
Our Values
As an organization founded by journalists, we use the tools of journalism to protect those engaged in acts of journalism. Our credibility rests on a bedrock of accuracy, transparency, fairness, accountability, and independence. Journalist safety is our top priority.
We believe freedom of expression is the foundation for all other human rights. Violations of press freedom often occur in a broader context — including discrimination and oppression based on political beliefs, race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, and socio-economic standing. As enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, every person has the right to freedom of opinion and of expression, regardless of their nationality or identity. Access to independent information enables all people to make decisions and hold the powerful to account.
CPJ is committed to values of equity and free expression in our internal practices as well. As an organization headquartered in the United States, we aspire to build a diverse workplace, and to foster an inclusive and welcoming environment. As an international organization, we strive for our people to be representative of the global community on which we report, and to equip them with the opportunities and resources they need to learn and succeed.
News article at CPJ site:
One year after news broke about a list of over 50,000 phone numbers allegedly selected for surveillance with Pegasus spyware, journalists around the world continue to live and work with the fear that their phones can be used to track their conversations and penetrate all the personal and professional data stored on their devices. The Pegasus Project, an investigation by Amnesty International and a consortium of media outlets coordinated by Forbidden Stories, revealed in July 2021 that at least 180 journalists were among those from over 50 countries who may have been targeted with the sophisticated surveillance software.
Three journalists from the West African country of Togo were included on the Pegasus Project list. They told CPJ ‘s Jonathan Rozen at the time about how the revelations had caused “nightmarish nights” and damage to their personal as well as professional lives. Twelve months on, they say the prospect of being monitored still generates pervasive paranoia and hinders their communications with sources.
Safety advice for journalists covering war and related unrest:
* War reporting: English | Ukrainian | Russian
* Arrest and detention: English | Ukrainian | Russian
* Civil disorder: English | Ukrainian | Russian
* Internet shutdowns: English | Ukrainian | Russian
* Risk assessment template: English | Ukrainian | Russian
* Guide to movement of PPE into Ukraine
A delightful discussion, Jim, that must have drawn out many memories besides the many practical lessons (and challenges) of your shared, if technologically incomparable experiences. If anything, it evoked for me a reflection upon the differences between then and now for a budding journalist... or scientist, engineer, lawyer, medical doctor, etc. I was actually tempted to ask you to pose some questions to your young friend, but it all comes down to this: what do you and she think of the state of the art that is still called 'journalism' but that has taken on so many different forms and meanings and degrees of legitimacy these days.
That's too abstract and far-reaching, of course, for a 20 minute interview, but it did get me wondering about the future of your craft (and for that matter, I got to wondering just how much time you and your young colleague had (or have) to spend on your academic studies...).
Thanks on all fronts. Yes, the "Oh, we have to take courses (and exams, and write papers)" part of 24/7 immersion at the Crimson was a challenge, then and now. And I think this is in the category of student/ adult roles where the *basic task* is fundamentally similar, over a half-century period, despite the countless changes in technical.
Nice, Jim. I loved Raquel's frequent use of "opine." But what was the editorial about? Did I hear BDS? I'm clueless.
It's in the full transcript — the linked item!
I just wanted the topic in the podcast, now I'll read the editorial.