Journalism and Safety An Introduction to the Field

This volume presents key international research on journalism and safety with a focus on conceptual, global, and transnational approaches, as well as conflict, challenges, and consequences for democracy. It offers an overview of the latest research and ongoing developments in the field of journalism and safety and speaks to the ways in which digital developments have worsened the risks surrounding journalists, with online harassments, security breaches, surveillance and so forth challenging their safety like never before.

The first of two volumes, this book comprises a handpicked collection of cutting-edge research articles authored by distinguished international scholars. The chapters in the book were originally published in Digital Journalism, Journalism Studies, and Journalism Practice during the years 2019-2023, and have thus been through rigorous double-blind peer-review. The chapters draw on data from diverse geographical locations such as U.S, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Iraq, Palestine, Latin America, Pakistan, Philippines, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Ethiopia, and Slovakia. The first section of the book focuses on research that either has made significant conceptual advancements on journalism and safety, and/or has contributed with global or transnational approaches, and the second section focuses on challenges in conflict coverage and the impact it has on democracies.

This collection offers important points of entry for understanding this area of research and insights into worthwhile concepts and approaches that can be used to further study and advance knowledge. It will be a key resource for scholars, practitioners and researchers of journalism, media and cultural studies, communication studies, and sociology, while also being of interest to those seeking an introduction to the field.

Introduction to the practice and state of journalism amid dangerous times 1. Conceptual, Global and Transnational Approaches 1. Conceptualizing Journalists’ Safety around the Globe 2. Mob Censorship: Online Harassment of US Journalists in Times of Digital Hate and Populism 3. Stronger and Safer Together: Motivations for and Challenges of (Trans)National Collaboration in Investigative Reporting in Latin America 4. ‘Lockdown’ on Digital Journalism? Mapping Threats to Press Freedom during the COVID-19 Pandemic Crisis 5. Determinants of Journalists’ Autonomy and Safety: Evidence from the Worlds of Journalism Study 6. Moving Barriers to Investigative Journalism in Latin America in Times of Instability and Professional Innovation 7. Promoting Newsafety from the Exile: The Emergence of New Journalistic Roles in Diaspora Journalists’ Networks 2. Conflict, Challenges and Consequences for Democracy 8. Reality on the Ground: Exploring News Production Practices by Syrian Journalists in Times of Conflict 9. Reporting Conflict from Afar: Journalists, Social Media, Communication Technologies, and War 10. Harassment’s Toll on Democracy: The Effects of Harassment Towards US Journalists 11. Human Security as a Conceptual Framework: The Case of Palestinian Journalists 12. The Monitored Watchdogs: Journalists’ Surveillance and its Repercussions for their Professional and Personal Lives in Pakistan 13. Medium-Specific Threats for Journalists: Examples from Philippines, Afghanistan and Venezuela 14. From State Repression to Fear of non-state Actors: Examining Emerging Threats of Journalism Practice in Ethiopia 15. Coping with the Murder: The Impact of Ján Kuciak’s Assassination on Slovak Investigative Journalists

Oscar Westlund (PhD) is Professor at Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway, where he co-leads the OsloMet Digital Journalism Research Group. He holds a secondary appointment at University of Gothenburg and is the Editor-in-Chief of Digital Journalism. He specializes in digital journalism, fact-checking, platforms, epistemology, media management, news consumption, and, mobile media.

Roy Krøvel (PhD) is Professor at Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway, where he co-leads the OsloMet Media, War and Conflict Research Group with Professor Orgeret. He holds a secondary appointment at the Sami University in Kautokeino, Norway, and is the co-organizer of the annual Safety of Journalists conference in Oslo. He specializes in the safety of journalists, investigative and data journalism, the uses of AI in journalism, Indigenous Journalism, and war and peace journalism.

Kristin Skare Orgeret (Dr.Art) is Professor at Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway, where she co-leads the research group MEKK (Media, War and Conflict) and organizes annual international conferences on the safety of journalists. She leads the international research project DD-MAC on the role of digital media in ongoing violent conflicts. She has published extensively within the field of journalism in conflict situations, global journalism and power relations, and media and gender.