Reporting in Pakistan: Protecting Journalists in One of the World’s Most Dangerous Countries, New America, Washington

As Kati Marton, an author, journalist, and board member for both the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the New America Foundation, notes in a recent blog post, Pakistan has long been one of the most dangerous countries in the world for members of the media. According to data collected by the CPJ, 54 journalists have been killed in Pakistan since 1992. At least one journalist and three media workers have been killed in 2014, and several others have been attacked.One such reporter is Raza Rumi, a senior Pakistani journalist. On March 28, Rumi was leaving the office when unidentified gunmen opened fire on his vehicle, killing his driver. Fearing for his life, Rumi left the country and is currently visiting the United States.

Days earlier, Marton and Joel Simon, the executive director of CPJ, met with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to discuss ways the Pakistani government could better protect its journalists, and bring their attackers to justice. While they received several positive commitments from Sharif and his delegation, the subsequent attacks on Rumi and Hamid Mir, another prominent Pakistani journalist, show that much more work needs to be done.

The Committee to Protect Journalists and the New America Foundation are pleased to welcome Marton, Rumi, and Simon for a general discussion about reporting in Pakistan, as well as CPJ’s mission to protect Pakistan’s freedom of the press.

Join the conversation online using #Pakpress and following @NatSecNAF.

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