• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Greentarget

Greentarget

  • Our Culture
    • How We Work
    • Vision & Values
    • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
    • Careers
      • Internships
  • Industries
    • Professional Services
    • Legal
    • Accounting
    • Commercial Real Estate
    • Financial Services
    • Management Consulting
  • Services
    • Earned Media Influence
    • Research & Market Intelligence
    • Content & Editorial
    • Digital & Analytics
    • Special Situations
  • Insights
    • 2022 State of Digital
  • Our Manifesto
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Awards
  • Connect
April 26, 2017

Freedom of the Press and Why It Matters

Written by

Lisa Seidenberg

At Greentarget, we value the work that reporters do every day, and appreciate the privilege to collaborate with writers and editors who impact society through their journalism. Our belief that the principles of journalism play a vital role in the proliferation of knowledge and ideas is part of our DNA. Lately we’ve grown increasingly concerned about journalists’ ability to keep covering the news with independence and integrity. In the last year or so we’ve seen high-profile attacks on the press from the highest levels of government and even threats to curb press freedoms. So we reached out to Courtney Radsch, advocacy director of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), which promotes press freedoms around the world. Radsch says the news media is in the midst of a “galvanizing moment” that’s showing “how important journalism really is.” “The press is the Fourth Estate, the only independent check on power,” she says. “Given the lack of forthcoming information [from Washington], journalists have a more important role to play to make sure that the public is informed and that they are fulfilling their roles to its greatest potential.” Radsch has been heartened in recent months to see the press stand up for the core pillars of journalism, but noted an eye-opening tweet that said, “We’re in trouble when quoting the First Amendment starts to feel like an act of resistance.” Today’s media-government dynamic is a marked departure from the one that had been in place for decades. Despite the adversarial relationship between the media and the government, Washington has stepped up to support CPJ — and the profession — when it mattered. For instance, if a journalist was imprisoned overseas, media organizations could ask the State Department or Defense Department for assistance, and usually, they got it. Radsch isn’t sure that kind of relationship is possible in 2017, and the potential for declining press freedoms here has ramifications around the world because the U.S. sets the global tone on press protections. CPJ is working with similar organizations across the country to collaborate on a range of press freedom, media justice and open government issues at every level of government. Later this year, CPJ, the Freedom of the Press Foundation, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, the Knight First Amendment Center and the Index on Censorship will launch an as-yet unnamed news site to track press-freedom violations in the U.S. Still, the bitter anti-media rhetoric we saw during the election hasn’t softened or dissipated. “We saw the rise in attacks against journalists during the campaign season and hoped the verbal and physical abuse would taper off, but it has continued — and the attacks have increased,” Radsch says. “Women journalists are getting trolled online, and there has been a rise of attacks on Jewish journalists. We’d like to get ahead of these issues and be informed of the true challenges to press freedoms. It’s hard to advocate for change if you don’t know what the incidents are.” So will the recent attacks on press freedoms intimidate reporters and news organizations, or prevent them from telling the stories they feel the public has a right — and likely a need — to know? Radsch acknowledges that journalists aren’t naïve about the dangers facing them, but she hopes it won’t impact their reporting. “We hope this isn’t the way we’re heading,” she says.

Related Posts

  • Why Businesses Should Keep Talking to the Media

    Despite the relentless challenges facing both traditional and emerging news outlets, the media remains a…

  • Why You Probably Shouldn’t Try Trump’s Approach to Authenticity

    Has Donald Trump ushered in an era of hyper-authenticity in public communications? And if so,…

  • Adapting to Remote Work? Your Company’s Values May Be the Reason Why

    It’s the first week of March and on your commute to work you read that…

Related Posts

  • Why Businesses Should Keep Talking to the Media
  • Why You Probably Shouldn’t Try Trump’s Approach to Authenticity
  • Adapting to Remote Work? Your Company’s Values May Be the Reason Why
Director of Media Relations
Lisa Seidenberg

Lisa is a sharpshooter when it comes to media relations. Starting as an intern and one of Greentarget’s first employees, she has gone on to relentlessly deliver high-quality media results for clients

Footer

Connect with us

To reach us by phone, call 312-252-4100.

close
  • We take your privacy seriously. We do not sell or share your data. We use it to enhance your experience with our site and to analyze the performance of our marketing efforts. To learn more, please see our Privacy Notice. Would you like to receive digital marketing insights in your inbox? We'll send you a few emails each month about our newest content, upcoming events, and new services.
  • Our Culture
  • Industries
  • Services
  • Insights
  • Our Manifesto
  • About Us
  • Connect
  • Privacy Notice
Close
Close