March 7: Reporting During Tumultuous Times: How Journalists Can Stay Safe
Posted on Feb. 17, 2024 / Subscribe 0
Public intimidation and bullying of journalists have long been part of the job for many editors, producers and reporters. In recent years, however, vitriolic political messaging, not only in the U.S. but in many parts of the world, has caused a deterioration in civil discourse, ratcheting up harassment of journalists and, at times, leading to violence against them. The 2024 Presidential Election is shaping up to be among the most polarizing political contests in U.S. history, and journalists will be in the fray over the coming nine months and beyond.
This panel discussion will examine the many ways that journalists face bullying and intimidation, and what measures they can take to counteract threats and stay safe during what will likely be a tumultuous political cycle, at the local and national levels.
Panel Time and Date: 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 7
Lucy Westcott, Director, Emergencies Department at the Committee to Protect Journalists
Lucy Westcott became director of CPJ’s Emergencies Department in October 2021, overseeing assistance and safety work worldwide. Westcott joined CPJ in 2018 as the James W. Foley Fellow. During her fellowship, she focused on safety issues for women journalists in non-hostile environments and assisted with the creation of safety resources for journalists globally. Before joining CPJ, Westcott was a staff writer for Newsweek, where she covered gender and immigration. She has reported for outlets including The Intercept, Bustle, The Atlantic and Women Under Siege, and was a United Nations correspondent for the Inter Press Service.
Jay Rosen, NYU Journalism Professor and PressThink Author
Jay Rosen has been teaching journalism at New York University since 1986. He is the author of PressThink, a blog about journalism and its ordeals (pressthink.org), which he introduced in September 2003. In 1999, Yale University Press published his book, “What Are Journalists For?”, which is about the rise of the civic journalism movement during the pre-internet era. In 2017 he became director of the Membership Puzzle Project, funded by the Knight Foundation, Democracy Fund and Luminate. It studies membership models for sustainability in news. Rosen is also an active press critic with a focus on problems in the coverage of politics.
Joye Brown, Newsday Associate Editor and Columnist
Joye Brown joined Newsday in 1983 and has worked as a reporter, editor, newsroom administrator and editorial writer. She has been a columnist for Newsday since 2006. Brown was inducted into the Long Island Journalism Hall of Fame in 2022. As well, she was part of the Newsday 1984 Pulitzer Prize-winning team for spot news coverage of the Baby Jane Doe case and was a 2014 Pulitzer finalist for public service as part of a Newsday team that examined police misconduct on Long Island.
Moderators:
Scott Brinton, Hofstra Assistant Professor of Journalism and the Press Club’s Immediate Past President
Denise Civilletti, Editor and Publisher of RiverheadLOCAL and a Press Club Board Member
0 Comments