“If I didn’t have Media Defence’s support, I would have been condemned .”
– Journalist supported by Media Defence in 2022.
In 2022, we carried out our sixth annual Journalist Impact Survey to look at the longer-term impact of our support to journalists. We designed our Journalist Impact Survey to understand the quality of our legal and financial support to journalists. In addition, the survey enables us to gain a greater appreciation of the role of legal defence in ensuring journalists can continue to report. Finally, the survey allows us to test our theory of change: access to legal defence enables journalists to continue reporting and holding governments and authorities to account for the public. As a result, these findings inform our future casework.
The Results
In 2022, we received 22 responses from journalists whose cases – ending in 2022 – we have supported. The journalists come from all of the regions in which we work, and we are pleased with the representation of our geographic reach. We are also pleased with the strong feedback about our communications and legal support.
Key findings include:
- 64% of respondents reported feeling satisfied with the outcome of their case;
- 100% of respondents would recommend our support to other journalists facing legal action; and
- 95% of respondents reported feeling satisfied or extremely satisfied with the lawyer who handled their case.
The survey found that our support and that of our partners was incredibly effective. For 95% of respondents, this support enabled them to continue reporting on public interest issues.
Read the full report here: Journalist Impact Survey 2022
Recent News
LPM Lintas: Indonesian student magazine shut down after reporting on sexual harassment investigation
At the State Institute of Islamic Studies (IAIN) in Ambon, Indonesia, student magazine LPM Lintas was shut down in March 2022 after publishing the results of an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment at the university. The investigation relied on the testimony of dozens of students. The university’s rector subsequently issued a decree to close […]
Claudia Julieta Duque: Ex agente del DAS condenado por torturas a periodista colombiana
Durante años, la periodista Claudia Julieta Duque fue sometida a una prolongada campaña de tortura psicológica a manos de la extinta policía secreta colombiana, el Departamento Administrativo de Seguridad (DAS). Desde 2001, Duque se enfrentó a una persecución implacable, desde el secuestro hasta la incesante invasión de su intimidad, pasando por la vigilancia ilegal de […]
Claudia Duque: Former DAS agent convicted for torture of Colombian journalist
For over two decades journalist Claudia Duque was subjected to a prolonged campaign of psychological torture at the hands of the now-defunct Colombian secret police, the Department of Security (DAS). Since 2001, Duque faced relentless persecution — from kidnapping to the ceaseless invasion of her privacy, encompassing illegal surveillance of phone calls, emails, and bank […]