The American Journalism Review has called the Committee to Protect Journalists  “Journalism’s Red Cross“

Why We Protect Journalists

The Committee to Protect Journalists is an independent, nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom worldwide. We defend the right of journalists to report the news safely and without fear of reprisal.

Our Mission

The Committee to Protect Journalists promotes press freedom worldwide and defends the right of journalists to report the news safely and without fear of reprisal. CPJ protects the free flow of news and commentary by taking action wherever journalists are under threat.

Our History

The Committee to Protect Journalists was founded in 1981 by a group of U.S. correspondents who realized they could not ignore the plight of colleagues whose reporting put them in peril on a daily basis. 

The idea that journalists around the world should come together to defend the rights of colleagues working in repressive and dangerous environments led to CPJ’s first advocacy campaign in 1982. At the time, three British journalists—Simon Winchester, Ian Mather, and Tony Prime—were arrested in Argentina while covering the Falklands War. A letter from CPJ Honorary Chairman Walter Cronkite helped spring them from prison. 

Today, CPJ’s networks are made up of journalists, researchers, and advocates, working together to support journalists and press freedom around the world.

CPJ is a non-profit organization

Further Reading