The Backstory: A media freedom podcast

Journalists are increasingly the target of insults or threats from individuals or groups online, which can have physical impacts and should no longer be seen as separate from the offline world. The goal of the harassment? Censorship. And women bear the brunt of the abuse, which is usually gendered and sexualised. Journalists have developed ways to deal with online harassment, from shutting down social media accounts, to confronting abusers, to advocating for change on a systemic level. In this episode, we hear about how that works.

- Ceyda Karan, Turkish journalist, very active on Twitter (https://twitter.com/ceydak)

- Marija Vucic, Serbian journalist with KRIK Crime and corruption reporting network (https://www.krik.rs/en/)

- Nighat Dad, lawyer, founder of the Digital rights foundation in Pakistan (https://digitalrightsfoundation.pk/)

- Viktorya Vilk, manager of special projects, Free expression programmes, PEN America (https://pen.org/)

For resources and tips visit Wan-Ifra's press freedom page (www.wan-ifra.org/microsites/press-freedom)

The Backstory production team is Andrew Heslop, Mariona Sanz, Colette Davidson and Sarah Elzas, who edited and mixed the episode.

Music in this episode by Chris Zabriskie (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Chris_Zabriskie/Vendaface/04_-_The_Life_and_Death_of_a_Certain_K_Zabriskie_Patriarch)

Many journalists see and even experience some kind of trauma, whether they're covering a conflict zone, protests or violent crime, and they can experience anxiety, depression or even PTSD. One of the best ways of coping is to talk about the experiences and the feelings they evoke, but few people do - journalists or their editors. Trauma is considered part of the job; but ignoring it only makes it worse. In this episode we look at moral injury, the kind of trauma journalists can experience, and the symptoms they might exhibit. And how to value their mental health as much their as physical safety.

- Amantha Perera, Sri Lankan journalist who covered the civil war and tsunami, Asia-Pacific coordinator, Dart Centre for Journalism & Trauma (https://dartcenter.org/bio/amantha-perera)

- Finbarr O’Reilly (http://www.finbarr-oreilly.com/), British-Canadian photographer who covered conflicts around the world, author of Shooting Ghosts: A U.S. Marine, a Combat Photographer, and Their Journey Back from War.

- Alex Logan, health & safety professional, teaches physical and psychological components of hostile environment training courses for journalists with Key Objectives (http://keyobjectives.net/)

For resources and tips visit Wan-Ifra's press freedom page (www.wan-ifra.org/microsites/press-freedom)

The Backstory production team is Andrew Heslop, Mariona Sanz, Colette Davidson and Sarah Elzas, who edited and mixed the episode.

Music in this episode by Broke for Free (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Broke_For_Free/Directionless_EP/Broke_For_Free_-_Directionless_EP_-_01_Night_Owl)

If journalism protects democracy, then who is protecting journalists? The important role editors and managers play in keeping their reporters safe. In this episode, we hear from editors and safety trainers about starting the safety conversation in newsrooms, to make safety a priority rather than an afterthought. Learn about actual situations that journalists and editors have found themselves facing, and get tips on how to start putting in place safety protocols in your own newsroom.

In this episode:

- Cilla Benko, Director General, Radio Sweden (https://sverigesradio.se/radiosweden)

- Luisa Fernanda Isaza, coordinator for the defence and support of journalists, FLIP, Colombia’s press freedom foundation (https://flip.org.co/index.php/en/)

- Eliot Stempf, Head of High Risk, Buzzfeed news (https://www.buzzfeed.com/)

- Elisabet Cantenys, Executive Director, ACOS Alliance (https://www.acosalliance.org/)

For resources and tips visit Wan-Ifra's press freedom page (https://www.wan-ifra.org/microsites/press-freedom)

The Backstory production team is Andrew Heslop, Mariona Sanz, Colette Davidson and Sarah Elzas, who edited and mixed the episode.

Music in this episode by Swelling (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Swelling/Projector_Music_For_Visual_Media/Swelling_-_Projector-_Music_for_Visual_Media_-_04_Night_II)

It is increasingly rare to find instances of direct censorship of media in the world today. But indirect censorship, called soft censorship, is thriving. It manifests itself through government pressure on media groups through advertising decisions and restrictive legislation. Less violent than kidnapping and murdering journalists, it is as existential a threat to journalism.

In this episode:

- Adrián López Ortiz, CEO of Noroeste (https://www.noroeste.com.mx/), media group in northwestern Mexico

- Don Podesta, author of ‘Soft-Censorship: How governments around the globe use money to manipulate the media’ (https://www.cima.ned.org/resource/soft-censorship-how-governments-around-the-globe-use-money-to-manipulate-the-media/)

- Attila Mong, Hungarian journalist and media consultant (http://attilamong.weebly.com/)

The Backstory production team is Andrew Heslop, Colette Davidson and Sarah Elzas, who edited and mixed the episode.

Music in this episode by Swelling (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Swelling/Projector_Music_For_Visual_Media/Swelling_-_Projector-_Music_for_Visual_Media_-_04_Night_II)

Journalists and news organisations today are seeing a shift in the use of social media, from engagement to propaganda and the spreading of misinformation, or so-called fake news. Facebook and other tech platforms are increasingly under pressure to change how they present information and sort truth from lies. But journalists themselves are also coming up with solutions. This episode looks at their fight to control the narrative of a given story. It’s a fight against propagandists, whether governments or online activists.

Andrew Heslop and Mariona Sanz, of WAN-IFRA’s Press Freedom team speak with:

- Maria Ressa, co-founder, CEO and executive editor of Rappler (https://www.rappler.com), an online news site in the Philippines.

- Lia Valero, founder of the fact-checking project El Poder de Elegir (https://chicaspoderosas.org/el-poder-de-elegir-project) in Colombia

- Fergus Bell, a digital journalist and consultant (http://digdeepermedia.com), who is an expert in verifying user-generated content.

The Backstory production team also includes Colette Davidson and Sarah Elzas, who edited and mixed the episode.

Music in this episode by Chris Zabriskie (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Chris_Zabriskie/Vendaface/04_-_The_Life_and_Death_of_a_Certain_K_Zabriskie_Patriarch)

Journalism can be a dangerous job and for female journalists, there is the added layer of sexual violence. Even when they are not working on stories that put them in physical danger, they face harassment and threats online. This episode looks at the specific threats that female journalists face -- in the field, online and in the workplace -- and what they, and the profession, can do about it.

WAN-IFRA Press Freedom Director, Andrew Heslop, and the production team, speak with:

- Stella Paul, a freelance journalist from India, about how she deals with threats and attacks as she covers covering climate change and its effect on vulnerable women. Find her work for the Inter Press Service here: http://www.ipsnews.net/author/stella-paul/

- Elisa Lees Muñoz, Executive Director of the International Women’s Media Foundation (https://www.iwmf.org/), which is conducting research on online harassment of women journalists in the US, with TrollBusters (http://www.troll-busters.com/)

- Stina Hofgaard Røsjø, Head of administration of VG Media (https://www.vg.no/) which publishes Norway’s most-read newspaper online, and which completely rethought its sexual harassment policy following the stories coming out of the MeToo movement

The Backstory production team includes Mariona Sanz, Colette Davidson and Sarah Elzas, who edited and mixed the episode.

Music in this episode by Broke for Free (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Broke_For_Free/Directionless_EP/Broke_For_Free_-_Directionless_EP_-_01_Night_Owl)

Social media has opened new channels for journalists to connect with their audiences, but with mixed results. With the rise of trolling, online harassment and the manipulation of social media, how do journalists and editors see the role of social media today? How are journalists adapting? How can they move forward in these seemingly chaotic times?

WAN-IFRA Press Freedom Director, Andrew Heslop, speaks with:

- Karabo Rajuili, advocacy coordinator for the AmaBhungane center for Investigative Journalism (http://amabhungane.co.za) and chair of the South Africa WAN-IFRA Media Freedom Committee

- Julie Posetti, Senior Research Fellow with the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford, leading the new Journalism Innovation Project (https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/risj-review/new-journalism-innovation-project)

- Marcelo Rech, editorial Vice-President of the RBS group, Brazil (http://www.gruporbs.com.br) and former president of the World Editors Forum

The Backstory production team includes Mariona Sanz, Colette Davidson and Sarah Elzas, who edited and mixed the episode.

Music in this episode by Chris Zabriskie (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Chris_Zabriskie/Vendaface/04_-_The_Life_and_Death_of_a_Certain_K_Zabriskie_Patriarch)

How do you run an independent media organisation in a country where the government imposes censorship rules? How do you support a successful media company without folding to pressure from your funders or your sponsors? The internet has exploded traditional media funding models. And yet, in some parts of the world, legacy media - even print! - remain a strong source of independent information. How are these companies surviving? In this episode of The Backstory, WAN-IFRA Press Freedom Director, Andrew Heslop, meets some of them to find out:

- Sonny Swe, founder and CEO of Black Knight Media Group and publisher of Frontier Myanmar magazine (https://frontiermyanmar.net/en)

- Harlan Mandel, CEO of the Media Development Investment Fund, which invests in independent media organisations around the world (https://www.mdif.org/)

- Fatemah Farag, founder and CEO of Welad ElBalad Media, a network of local newspapers in Egypt (https://www.weladelbalad.com) and MENA Director for WAN-IFRA’s Women in News Programme

The Backstory production team includes Mariona Sanz, Colette Davidson and Sarah Elzas, who edited and mixed the episode.

Music in this episode by Broke for Free (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Broke_For_Free/Directionless_EP/Broke_For_Free_-_Directionless_EP_-_01_Night_Owl) and Lee Rosevere (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Xeno/Lee_Rosevere_-_Xeno_-_05_Vertex)

We start with the basics: the threats facing journalists worldwide. Too often, journalists put safety aside to “get” the story; editors don’t anticipate the problems that their reporters or their newsrooms can face. How can journalists be prepared? What should editors think about?

To explore the issue, WAN-IFRA Media Freedom Director Andrew Heslop speaks with:

- Javier Garza, a journalist in Mexico and a global journalist security trainer

- Elisabet Cantenys, Executive Director of the ACOS Alliance, a coalition of organisations working to develop worldwide protection standards for journalists (https://www.acosalliance.org/)

- Carol Beyanga, Chair of the Uganda Media Freedom Committee and Managing Editor for digital content at Daily Monitor Publications (https://www.wan-ifra.org/articles/2017/11/20/uganda-media-freedom-committee)

The production team includes Mariona Sanz, Colette Davidson and Sarah Elzas, who also edited and mixed the episode.

Music in this episode by Swelling (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Swelling/Projector_Music_For_Visual_Media/Swelling_-_Projector-_Music_for_Visual_Media_-_04_Night_II) and Lee Rosevere (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Xeno/Lee_Rosevere_-_Xeno_-_05_Vertex)

Investigative journalism is the lifeblood of media, but it is also the most expensive element of any media operation. Yet even as resources to produce investigations dwindle, journalists in Africa continue to dedicate themselves to in-depth reporting into the most serious issues on the continent. Donor-funded investigative centres or platforms have been created to fill in the gaps of legacy media, which often struggle to support this kind of journalism. But are these centres stripping the media companies of their investigative talents, or are they filling badly needed holes? And how hard is it to actually get the job done?

In this episode:

- Naipanoi Lepapa (twitter.com/naipanoilepapa), freelance investigative journalist, Kenya

- Sam Sole (twitter.com/samsoleZA) journalist and managing partner of amaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism (amabhungane.org)

- Mimi Mefo Takambou (twitter.com/mimimefo) Cameroonian investigative journalist, founder of Mimi Mefo Info (mimimefoinfos.com)

- Benon Oluka (twitter.com/benon_oluka), co-founder of The Watchdog, Uganda (watchdoguganda.com) and Africa editor at the Global Investigative Journalism Network (gijn.org)

For more resources and tips visit WAN-IFRA's press freedom page (wan-ifra.org/about-us/press-freedom).

The Backstory production team is Andrew Heslop, Mariona Sanz, Colette Davidson and Sarah Elzas, who edited and mixed the episode.

Music in this episode: Something Elated by Broke for Free(freemusicarchive.org/music/Broke_For_Free/Something_EP/Broke_For_Free_-_Something_EP_-_05_Something_Elated)