Campus & Community

Committee to Protect Journalists honored

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The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has been selected by Harvard’s Nieman Fellows to receive the 2002 Louis Lyons Award for Conscience and Integrity in Journalism.

“The Nieman Fellows selected the Committee to Protect Journalists because of its tireless commitment to guard reporters and editors from persecution, torture, and death in their quests to accurately report and concisely tell the stories of the world,” said Jeffrey Fleishman, spokesman for the Nieman class. “As increasing numbers of journalists face censure and physical intimidation, the CPJ is a loud and aggressive voice against regimes, governments, and terrorists that seek to threaten human rights and pervert the truth.”

For more than 20 years, the CPJ has effectively worked to raise public awareness of the dangers and threats faced by journalists around the world, and to stand up for and protect journalists in peril.

By publicly revealing abuses against the press and by acting on behalf of imprisoned and threatened journalists, the committee effectively warns journalists and news organizations of attacks on press freedom. It organizes vigorous protest at all levels – ranging from local governments to the United Nations – when press freedoms are threatened. When necessary, it works behind the scenes through a variety of other channels to effect change.

In addition to articles, news releases, and special reports, the CPJ publishes a magazine (Dangerous Assignments) and a comprehensive annual report on attacks against the press that take place anywhere around the world.

Announcing this year’s Lyons Award, the fellows also made a special mention of the 10 journalists from eight nations who have lost their lives while covering the conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Middle East.

The Lyons Award, which carries a $1,000 honorarium, will be presented to Ann Cooper, the executive director of the CPJ, by the 2002 Nieman Fellows on May 16 in Cambridge.