Our Impact

Defending press freedom

When CPJ was founded in 1981, it was to defend the rights of journalists all over the world. Today, we are recognized as a leader in the global fight to protect press freedom.

CPJ documented the release of more than 200 journalists from behind bars in 2023. Journalism is not a crime and we advocate at the highest levels of government to secure the release of journalists jailed for doing their jobs.

Since 2019, CPJ’s journalist assistance fund has grown five-fold to $1,000,000 a year—illustrating a growing need for emergency assistance. We provide safety advice, help with relocation, assistance for medical or psychosocial needs, legal support, and more. Last year, we provided assistance to 583 journalists in at least 59 countries.

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CPJ Insider: March edition

Q&A on jailed publisher José Rubén Zamora with CPJ Program Director Carlos Martínez de la Serna It has been over a year and a half since publisher and journalist José Rubén Zamora was imprisoned in Guatemala. In this time, eight journalists have come under investigation for their reporting on Zamora’s case and nearly two dozen…

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CPJ Insider: February edition

PRESS Act passes U.S. House unanimously in a win for press freedom The PRESS (Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying) Act, which unanimously passed in the U.S. House of Representatives on January 19, would create federal protections for journalists’ sources by restricting law enforcement’s ability to access a journalist’s private reporting material and digital records….

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CPJ Insider: New Year edition

Your support helped sustain our work last year—thank you! Your life-saving support in 2023 helped sustain CPJ’s work and mission at a particularly difficult time for journalists. Thank you for being our partner and friend–standing with us throughout the year to champion our right to be informed. Last year, CPJ documented the release of more…

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CPJ Insider: December edition

CPJ honors courageous journalists fighting repression worldwide CPJ held its 33rd annual International Press Freedom Awards (IPFA) in New York City, helping raise a record-breaking $2.8 million to protect journalists around the world. Our 2023 awardees faced government crackdowns, kidnapping, exile, and the rising criminalization of their work. They included Georgian journalist Nika Gvaramia, Indian…

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CPJ Insider: November edition

‘Journalists in Gaza are facing exponential risk:’ a look at CPJ’s response to the war The world is watching in horror the unfolding events in the Israel-Gaza war. Working closely with our partners in the region, CPJ is documenting press freedom violations—with scores of journalists killed, assaulted, detained, threatened, and censored. We offer safety consultations…

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CPJ Insider: October 2023 edition

Iran one year later: key trends from CPJ’s research In the year since Iranians took to the streets to protest the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was arrested by morality police for alleged “improper” wearing of the hijab, CPJ documented the arrests of around 100 journalists swept up in a crackdown on the…

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CPJ Insider: September 2023 edition

Afghanistan Two Years Later: An Analysis by CPJ Asia Program Coordinator Beh Lih Yi and Asia Researcher Waliullah Rahmani So far in 2023, CPJ has provided crucial assistance to at least 30 journalists from Afghanistan  amid continued threats from the Taliban that have forced many into exile. When the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021,…

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CPJ Insider: August 2023 edition

Ecuador on edge: A Q&A with CPJ Program Director Carlos Martínez de la Serna CPJ traveled to Quito, Ecuador, twice this year amid ongoing conversations with government officials to improve the conditions journalists are facing throughout the country. The past few years have seen increased violence against members of the press, including several journalists receiving…

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CPJ Insider: July 2023 edition

CPJ travels to Poland and Georgia to meet with exiled journalists and demand release of Nika Gvaramia ahead of pardon CPJ’s Emergencies team was on the ground in Warsaw, Poland, and Tbilisi, Georgia, in June meeting with exiled journalists and calling for the immediate release of journalist Nika Gvaramia, the only Georgian journalist on CPJ’s…

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CPJ Insider: June 2023 edition

CPJ celebrates World Press Freedom Day For the first time in its 30-year history, World Press Freedom Day was held in New York with journalists, diplomats, and advocates from across the world convening for discussions and activities. CPJ, which is headquartered in New York, hosted a number of events on May 3 and throughout the…

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