A rights-based approach to the safety of journalists

To comprehensively understand threats to the safety of journalists it is necessary to adopt a ‘rights-based approach’. This requires that we understand two related dimensions: a) threats to journalists as violations of the fundamental rights of the individual journalist and of their standing as a rights-holder, and b) that such threats prevent journalists from acting as rights-protectors on behalf of the public when it comes to upholding the collective right of all members of society to stay informed. Two case studies are discussed to understand the value and limitations of current efforts to document threats to the safety of journalists from a rights-based perspective. The first is Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Indicator 16.10.1, a UN-led global agenda to monitor attacks against journalists. The second is the “Journalists Killed” dataset compiled by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). What emerges is that empirical data gaps currently prevent the effective evaluation of the gap between the norms of protection promoted through human rights standards and the degree of success of their implementation. The chapter concludes with a suggestion for an expanded rights-based empirical agenda for the more holistic documentation of the chilling effect and societal implications of human rights violations against journalists.