What is the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)?
The Committee to Protect Journalists is a New York non-profit, founded in 1981, that documents journalists killed and jailed. Who runs it and who funds it.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is an independent non-profit organization, founded in 1981 and based in New York, that documents journalists killed, imprisoned and threatened around the world and advocates for them (glossary; FAQ). CPJ says it is funded by individuals, corporations and foundations, does not accept government funding, and is led by its chief executive, Jodie Ginsberg (FAQ; staff list).
Who is the Committee to Protect Journalists?
CPJ describes itself as "an independent, nonprofit organization founded in 1981" that "promotes press freedom worldwide by defending the rights of journalists to report the news without fear of reprisal" (FAQ). Its mission statement reads: "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" (about page).
"In 1981, a group of U.S. foreign correspondents created CPJ," according to the organization (FAQ). It has headquarters in New York, an office in Washington, D.C., and representatives in cities including Bangkok, Beirut, Istanbul, Mexico City and Nairobi, and "a board of prominent journalists directs CPJ's activities."
Who is the CEO of the Committee to Protect Journalists?
Jodie Ginsberg is chief executive officer. She joined CPJ in 2022 from Internews Europe, where she was chief executive, after a career at the Reuters news agency and six years leading a London-based freedom of expression group (staff list).
Who funds the Committee to Protect Journalists?
"CPJ is funded solely by contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations. CPJ does not accept government funding," the organization states (FAQ). It publishes its United States tax filings (Form 990) and audited financial statements (financial statements).
What does CPJ do?
CPJ's stated reason for its work is that "without a free press, few other human rights are attainable" (FAQ). CPJ counted 132 journalists and media workers killed in 2025 and 336 imprisoned as of December 1, 2025, and says it gave training or emergency assistance to 2,300 journalists in 2025 (about page). It says it works in "more than 120 countries" and that each case it classifies "is corroborated by more than one source for factual accuracy" (FAQ). In 2013 it published a report on Espionage Act prosecutions of sources in the United States (record).
What has CPJ said about the White House ban?
On September 18, 2026, CPJ said the order to ban news outlets CNN, MS NOW and Politico from White House news coverage "violates First Amendment rights and is an alarming escalation of how far this administration will go to control the narrative and silence critical, fact-based, news coverage" (statement, 2026-09-18; record).
On September 21, 2026, leading news organizations, including the Associated Press, The New York Times and The Washington Post, joined a CPJ statement saying the ban "sets a dangerous precedent, one in which the President decides what the American people can know" (statement, 2026-09-21). Ginsberg said: "Enough is enough."
What does CPJ report outside the United States?
On September 22, 2026, CPJ wrote that "as Serbians prepare to vote in October parliamentary elections, journalists covering the polls are at serious risk of threats, violence and hostility of the sort that has become increasingly common during President Aleksandar Vučić's time in office" (report, 2026-09-22). It had documented at least 28 Serbian journalists reporting being struck, detained or sprayed with chemical irritants by police between June and September 2025 (record).
What other organizations protect journalists?
Others include Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in Paris, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and the Freedom of the Press Foundation, which runs the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.