The Centre for Freedom of the Media (CFOM) at the University of Sheffield (UK) is an interdisciplinary research centre with global outreach on issues of media freedom, journalism safety, editorial standards and impunity. During the 2022 Academic Consultation on the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, CFOM conducted a literature stocktake to scope out academic literature published in the area of media freedom, journalism safety and impunity. CFOM collated this information and produced a literature database organised by themes or countries for accessibility.  The collection is especially strong on country- and region-specific safety issues and on surveys of emotional wellbeing of journalists. This special collection is curated by gemma.horton@sheffield.ac.uk.

Filter
769
Featured
Topics
Safety of Journalists, Safety Risks of Media Workers
281
Harassment & Intimidation of Journalists
172
Journalists Dealing with Risks & Threats, Resilience & Wellbeing of Media Workers
147
Female Journalists & Media Workers
108
Media Freedom, Press Freedom
89
Conflict Reporting, Armed Conflict Reporting
58
Safety of Journalists: Law & Public Policies
58
Self-Censorship
51
Working Conditions of Journalists & Media Personnel
42
Killings of Journalists & Media Personnel
32
Violence Against Journalists & Media Personnel
28
COVID-19 Pandemic: Effects on Journalism, Media & Communication
27
Journalism Education & Training
25
War Reporting
24
Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists & Media Personnel
23
Press Freedom & Communication Rights Violations
22
Surveillance, Surveillance Technologies, Spyware
17
Investigative Journalism
15
Foreign Correspondents
14
Cybersecurity, Digital Safety, Privacy, Right to Privacy
13
Censorship
12
Journalists: Professional Identity & Values
12
Crime & Violence Reporting
10
Humanitarian Law
10
COVID-19 Communication
10
Media Law & Regulation
10
Gender-Based Online Harassment & Sexual Threats
9
Media Law & Regulation: International Standards & Practices
9
Journalism
9
Freelance Journalists & Media Workers
9
Digital Activism, Cyber Advocacy
8
Gender-Based Harassment, Intimidation & Violence
8
Protests, Protest Movements, Protest Reporting & Media Representation
8
Media Landscapes, Media Systems, Media Situation in General
8
Authoritarian Regimes: Government Communication Strategies
7
United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity
7
Media Assistance: Freedom of Expression & Safety of Journalists
6
Citizen Journalism, Community Journalism
6
Digital Journalism, Online Journalism
6
Social Media in Political Communication
6
Media Capture, Vested Political & Other Interests in the Media
6
Authoritarian Regimes: Media Systems & Landscapes
5
Foreign Conflict Reporting, International War Reporting
5
Journalistic Social Media Use
5
Local Journalism
5
Photojournalism
5
Election Reporting
5
Human Rights Protection
5
Research in Media & Communication
5
Editorial Independence
4
Military: Communication Strategies & Practices
4
Conflict-Sensitive & Peace Journalism
4
Trauma: Media Representation & Reporting
4
Cyberbullying, Cyberharassment
4
Countering Hate Speech, Disinformation & Propaganda
4
Countering Defamation & Harassment
4
Feminism & Communication
4
Russia: Foreign Information Operations, International Broadcasting, Public Diplomacy
4
Transnational Journalism Cooperation & News Exchange
4
UNESCO
4
Journalism Education Curricula
4
Stringers & Fixers (Journalism)
4
Media Assistance
4
Populism
4
Open Data
3
Authoritarian Regimes, Dictatorships
3
Exile Journalism, Exile Media
3
Indirect Censorship, Soft Censorship
3
Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP)
3
Government Communication Strategies
3
Iraq War (2003)
3
Conflict Areas: Media Systems, Media Landscapes, Role of Media
3
Extremism & Terrorism Reporting
3
Disaster & Humanitarian Crisis Reporting
3
Disinformation, Misinformation, Fake News
3
Accountability & Transparency of the Media
3
Council of Europe
3
United Nations (UN)
3
Associations & Networks of Journalists
3
Journalists
3
Media Reporting, Reporting on Journalism & Communication Issues
3
Television Journalism
3
Post-Socialist Media Systems & Landscapes
3
Human Rights Violations
3
Caruana Galizia, Daphne (1964-2017)
3
Right-Wing Extremism
3
Democracy / Democratization and Media
3
Corruption & Combating Corruption
3
Networks & Networking
3
Civic Engagement, Citizen Participation, Civil Society & Media
2
Gender Advocacy & Empowerment, Gender Mainstreaming
2
Media Advocacy, Media Activism
2
Audience Feedback, Interaction & Participation
2
Independent & Oppositional Media in Authoritarian Regimes
2
Data Protection: Law & Regulation
2
Freedom of Expression
2
Freedom of Expression Lobbying & Communication Rights Campaigning
2
Freedom of Expression Principles
2
Internet Censorship Circumvention Tools & Strategies
2
Crisis Communication
2
Genocides
2
Russia-Ukraine War <2014-
2
Transitional Justice Reporting
2
Media Criticism
2
Media Viability & Financial Sustainability
2
Climate Change Communication, Climate Journalism
2
Journalism Ethics
2
Bribery & Corruption in Journalism
2
Objectivity & Veracity of Reporting
2
Fact-Checking & Verification of Sources
2
Gender Discrimination, Gender Inequalities
2
Indigenous Journalists & Communicators
2
Transnational & Comparative Communication Research
2
Journalism Concepts & Cultures
2
Journalism Studies & Research
2
Journalistic Quality
2
Political Reporting
2
Media & Communication Policies
2
Confidential Sources, Whistleblowing, Protection of Journalists' Sources
2
Migration & Refugees Reporting & (Social) Media Representation
2
Conflict & War Photography
2
Military
2
Opinion Leaders, Politicians, Decision Makers, Elites
2
Kompas (Newspaper, Indonesia)
2
Public Media, State Media
2
Islamist Communications & Media
2
Resilience
2
User-Generated Contents
2
Access to Media & Information
1
Access to Media & Information: Migrants, Refugees, Diasporas
1
Access to Public Information, Freedom of Information, Right to Information
1
Access to Information Laws, Right to Information Regulation
1
Editorial Independence: Influence of Advertisers
1
Advocacy
1
Civic Engagement, Citizen Participation, Civil Society & Digital Communication
1
Audiences & Users
1
Audience Expectations & Satisfaction
1
Audience Orientation
1
Social Media Analytics, Web Metrics, User Data Analytics
1
Election Campaigns
1
Catholic Media
1
Film Actors, Directors & Producers, Filmmakers
1
Digital Media Censorship, Control & Filtering, Internet & Social Media Censorship
1
Media / Communication Control
1
Censorship Circumvention Tools & Strategies
1
State Influence on the Media
1
OSCE Representative of Freedom of the Media
1
Government / State Advertising: Allocation Policies & Regulation
1
Alternative Communication & Media
1
Community Radios
1
Conflicts: Victims' Perspectives
1
Perpetrators
1
Terrorism
1
Boko Haram
1
Gaza War (2023-)
1
Humanitarian Interventions
1
Iraq-Kuwait Gulf War (1990-1991)
1
War Crimes
1
Conflict-Sensitive / Peace Communication
1
Dealing With the Past
1
Media Assistance in Conflict Regions & Fragile Countries
1
Trauma, Coping with Trauma, Trauma Therapy
1
Violence in the Media
1
Discourse & Discourse Analysis
1
Theatre
1
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
1
Algorithms & Big Data
1
Digital Media Startups
1
Digital Platform & Intermediaries Regulation
1
Digital Political Communication
1
Online Magazines & Newspapers
1
Social Media
1
Content Moderation & Regulation: Social Media
1
Democratization & Digital Media / Social Media
1
Facebook
1
Twitter & Microblogs
1
Trolling (Social Media)
1
AI in Journalism & Media
1
Generative AI, including ChatGPT et al.
1
Digitalisation, Online Communication & Democracy / Democratization
1
Diaspora Media
1
Minority Journalists
1
Prisoners & Communication / Media
1
Racism
1
Religious Minorities & Media
1
Earthquakes, Floods, Tsunamis, Natural Disasters
1
Conspiracy Narratives, Conspiracy Theories
1
Disinformation & Misinformation Law & Regulation
1
Foreign Disinformation, Foreign Information Manipulation Operations, Foreign Propaganda
1
Health Disinformation & Misinformation
1
Media Literacy: Disinformation, Fake News, Hate Speech
1
Documenting Human Rights Violations
1
Media Commercialisation
1
Media Concentration
1
Media Ownership
1
Political Economy of Media
1
Infotainment, Politainment
1
Sports Reporting
1
Environmental & Land Conflicts Reporting & Media Representation
1
Defamation: Effects on Victims
1
Bias in News Media
1
Evaluation Criteria, Evaluation Indicators
1
Female Opinion Leaders, Politicians, Decision Makers
1
Gender Representation & Stereotypes in the Media
1
Emergency Medical Aid
1
Health Journalism
1
Mental Health (General)
1
History of Journalism
1
History of the Press
1
China: Transnational Information Operations, International Broadcasting, Public Diplomacy
1
Foreign Countries: Reporting & Media Representation
1
Foreign News, International News
1
European Union (EU)
1
OSCE
1
Reporters Sans Frontièrs
1
Collaborative Journalism, Journalism Cooperation
1
Constructive Journalism, Solution-Oriented Journalism
1
Journalism Studies: Research Projects
1
Vox Pop Interviews
1
Journalists: Trust in Public Institutions
1
Labour Market for Journalists
1
Newsroom Management
1
Business & Economics Journalism
1
Corruption Reporting & Role of Media in Curbing Corruption
1
Court Reporting & Media Representation of Judicial System
1
Death & Grief: Reporting & Media Representation
1
Service Journalism, Consumer Information, Lifestyle Journalism
1
Metaphors
1
Translations & Translating
1
Local Television
1
Media Assistance: Financial Sustainability & Management
1
Diversity & Pluralism in Media / Communication
1
Media & Information Literacy
1
Law, Legislation, Judiciary (General)
1
Law & Regulation: Protection of Confidential Sources & Whistleblowers
1
Transitional Justice
1
Contracts, Labour Agreements, Service Contracts
1
Forced Migration, Forced Displacement
1
Cadwalladr, Carole (British Investigative Journalist)
1
Khashoggi, Jamal (1958-2018)
1
Ressa, Maria
1
Photographers
1
Hindu Nationalism
1
Political Extremism
1
Fragile / Post-Conflict States
1
Parliaments
1
Police
1
Politics and Media
1
Election Campaigns: Social Media
1
Independent & Oppositional Media
1
Influence of Media on Politics
1
Political Transition and Media
1
Public Spheres
1
Memory, Memorizing
1
Fundamentalisms (Religious)
1
Communication & Media Indicators
1
Communication & Media Research Associations & Networks
1
Research Methods
1
Digital Sources
1
Political Indicators
1
Interviewing (Journalistic Genre)
1
Crimes, Criminality, Organized Crime
1
Human Security
1
Sexual Violence & Abuse, Rape
1
COVID-19 Pandemic: Economic, Political and Social Effects
1
Rohingya
1
Blockchain Technologies
1
Al-Jazeera
1
Theories of Communication & Media
1
Language
Document type
Countries / Regions
Authors & Publishers
Media focus
Publication Years
Methods applied
Journals
Output Type

Module 7. Combatting online abuse: When journalists and their sources are targeted

In: Journalism, ‘Fake News’ & Disinformation: Handbook for Journalism Education and Training
Cherilyn Ireton, Julie Posetti (eds.)
Paris: UNESCO (2018), pp. 115-127
"The problem of disinformation and misinformation undermining credible journalism and reliable information has escalated dramatically in the social media era. Consequences include the deliberate targeting of journalists and other online publishers, along with their sources, who are seeking to verify ... more

Lobbying for life: Violence against the press and the public interest

In: Public Interest Communication
Jane Johnston, Magda Pieczka (eds.)
London; New York: Routledge (2018), 18 pp.
"This chapter investigates the relationship between civic networking coalitions and public interest communication, and an opportunity to explore how the coalitions produce 'public interest-forming practices'. It examines the ability of civic networking coalitions to act and, next, to investigate whi ... more

Challenges in the Reporting of Environmental Issues in Latin America and the Caribbean

In: News Media Coverage of Environmental Challenges in Latin America and the Caribbean
Bruno Takahashi, Juliet Pinto, Manuel Chavez, Mercedes Vigón (eds.)
Cham: Palgrave Macmillan (2018), pp. 1-15
"The introductory chapter of this volume situates the role of news media in Latin America within the context of the environmental, economic, and sociopolitical challenges that countries in the region face. The authors review the current practical challenges faced by the media and journalists in the ... more
"The objective of the current study was to determine the frequency and severity of symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in journalists covering conflict. Methods: PTSD data (Impact of Event Scale-Revised) collected over an 18-year period from 684 conflict journalists were analyzed retros ... more

TrollBusters: Fighting Online Harassment of Women Journalists

In: Mediating Misogyny: Gender, Technology, and Harassment
Jacqueline Ryan Vickery, Tracy Everbach (eds.)
Cham: Palgrave Macmillan (2018), pp. 311-332
"For women journalists, online harassment may result in emotional stress and may require legal and technological remedies to mitigate the damage caused to their identity and reputation. Perpetrators can use a combination of online and offline attacks that threaten the employment and safety of journa ... more
"As I am writing this, the United Nations has counted 68 journalists killed in the line of duty around the world in 2018 (UNESCO, 2018a). That is nothing unusual. From 2012 to 2016, 530 journalists died on the job - an average of two per week. Very few of these are accidental deaths. Some are killed ... more
"The imprisonment of Al Jazeera English (AJE) journalists (Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed) in Egypt between 2013 and 2015 highlighted the safety of journalists in conflict zones. Building on other studies (Baker, 2014; 2016), this is the third paper in a longitudinal study analysing t ... more
"Journalists' safety as well as media workers has become a subject of discussion on press freedom and the working condition of reporters following dangerous development on the media scene which has become a preoccupation with journalism professional bodies. As such, in order to achieve the objective ... more
"With Kosovo as its case, this article explores the context and challenges of journalism education in transition societies. Journalists in Kosovo have lived through constant changes from authoritarian to democracy. In this struggle, journalism education has never been stable and steady. The past con ... more

The Psychological Wellbeing of Iranian Journalists

In: The Assault on Journalism. Building Knowledge to Protect Freedom of Expression
Ulla Carlsson, Reeta Pöyhtäri (eds.)
Göteborg: Nordicom (2017), pp. 185-190
"Objectives: To determine the emotional wellbeing of journalists who work in Iran. Methods: A website was established and journalists in newsrooms in Iran and the Diaspora were given information to access the site. Responses were received from 114 journalists (76 per per cent cent). The mean age was ... more

What’s Wrong with War Journalism? Why and how legal aspects of conflicts need better reporting

In: The Assault on Journalism. Building Knowledge to Protect Freedom of Expression
Ulla Carlsson, Reeta Pöyhtäri (eds.)
Göteborg: Nordicom (2017), pp. 241-254
"This chapter deals with whether war journalism in mainstream media is fit to take a fourth estate role in reporting the new wars, from the end of the Cold War in 1989 to the present war against the so-called Islamic State. In particular, it is a critical study of shortcomings when it comes to provi ... more
"Comparative studies of journalism have become immensely popular in recent times, yet a range of methodological and logistical challenges persist in existing work. This introduction to the special issue on “Comparing Journalistic Cultures” provides a brief overview of these challenges, before pr ... more
"Although war journalism has existed for centuries, changes in the nature of armed conflict and its coverage have put the danger for modern journalists at an all time high. The traditional war correspondent has been replaced in recent years by the independent freelance journalist. While the former r ... more

Security and Safety Awareness among Journalist in Nigeria

In: Proceedings International Conference on Media Studies 2017
Azahar Kasim, Norsiah Abdul Hamid, Sabrina Mohd Rashid (eds.)
Sintok: School of Multimedia Technology and Communication Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) (2017), pp. 389-394
"Concern on safety and security of journalist is a global phenomenon. This gave rise to security and safety policy documents and protocols for journalists and the need for journalists to know about them to better safeguard themselves while on duty. Studies were conducted on the state of journalist ... more
"Journalism is a dangerous business when one’s "beat" is a war zone. Armoudian reveals the complications facing frontline journalists who cover warzones, hot spots and other hazardous situations. It compares yesterday’s conflict journalism, which was fraught with its own dangers, with today’s ... more

Journalism Schools Must Include Safety Courses in Curricula

In: The Assault on Journalism. Building Knowledge to Protect Freedom of Expression
Ulla Carlsson, Reeta Pöyhtäri (eds.)
Göteborg: Nordicom (2017), pp. 113-118
"Too many journalists are victims of violence and impunity, and more should be done in academia to prepare media students for the perils they are likely to face. I urge all faculty members at this conference to incorporate a course on safety for journalists in their curricula. It’s not a luxury; i ... more

Measuring journalism safety. Methodological challenges

In: The Assault on Journalism. Building Knowledge to Protect Freedom of Expression
Ulla Carlsson, Reeta Pöyhtäri (eds.)
Göteborg: Nordicom (2017), pp. 129-140
"The effectiveness of any measures taken to address the problems of journalism safety ultimately depends on our ability to understand the complex nature and dynamics of risk to journalists. Mapping the scale of the problem through the systematic collection of data on threats over time is therefore a ... more
"It has become a pattern to find academics, professionals and students of journalism bragging with the scope, techniques and dilemmas of investigative journalism. But there is one gaping hole: nowhere was information collated about the heroic contributions, and often the sacrifices, that were made f ... more

Internal Threats and Safety of Journalists: A Study from India

In: The Assault on Journalism. Building Knowledge to Protect Freedom of Expression
Ulla Carlsson, Reeta Pöyhtäri (eds.)
Göteborg: Nordicom (2017), pp. 227-230
"Journalists face numerous threats from different stakeholders. In developing countries, internal threats coming from inside media organizations – threats that have a serious impact on the professional, economic and psychological lives of journalists – are less researched. This research is an at ... more
"This research examines the everyday sexism and workplace sex discrimination experienced by women journalists in India. Nearly all of the popular and scholarly attention to the experiences of Indian women journalists has focused on high profile instances of rape and sexual assault. But this focus on ... more