Postings this week on two Web sites erroneously
attributed statements about young female journalists to the Committee to Protect
Journalists. Because the statements are completely contrary to our fundamental
principles, we are taking a moment to make sure the record is clear.
CPJ makes absolutely no judgments based on age or gender. We
defend all journalists of all backgrounds throughout the world. We offer no
opinions on the multifaceted decisions that journalists in the field must make in
pursuing an assignment--and we certainly make no judgments based on whether the
journalist involved is male or female, young or old.
The erroneous attributions appeared in a June 17 post by
Myles Spicer on Daily Kos and in a
June 19 column by Marney Rich Keenan in The
Detroit News. Spicer has included a note in the comments section of his
post to correct the record; The Detroit
News has removed an attribution to us.
The statements erroneously attributed to CPJ say that
"young, highly educated female journalists" are taking unprecedented risks in
the field and go on to question the motivation of these journalists.
Not only did we not make these statements, we wish to point
out that there is no factual evidence for any such claim about risk-taking.
While we respect everyone's right to express an opinion, we do not in any way make
judgments based on any individual's background.
Every day, journalists of all backgrounds make difficult
decisions in complex situations. We defend their rights without judgment.
The misattributions may have been triggered by a June
8 posting on NowPublic that
includes an accurately rendered statement from CPJ. The post goes on to offer
the author's own comments about female journalists.
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I appreciate your correcting this and I hope that bloggers, journalists and other writers will take extreme care in the future when it comes to representing your valuable organization.
The work that you do is extraordinary and selfless, and provides us with a safer, freer world. Thank you.