About
The Project
Journalists have always been under fire for doing their job. But in recent years, both the numbers and degree of violence have exploded in the United States. According to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, in just one week, from May 29 - June 4, more reporters were arrested in the U.S. than in the previous three years combined.
Voices from the Home Front: Journalists Under Attack at Home is a website of expanded narratives from journalists who’ve been in the news themselves recently, for being attacked, harassed, arrested, or threatened. Listen to a podcast, watch video excerpts, and learn more about these frightening moments, these journalists, and why their safety matters to everyone. Go to the Voices page to choose from their stories.
This project also seeks to amplify another “Voice,” that of the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, an effort to document all domestic incidents occurring every day, in a time when “Fake News” and “Enemy of the People” are terms used with alarming frequency. See more about them below.
Lisa R. Cohen
As Director of Professional Prizes at Columbia Journalism School, Lisa R. Cohen runs the duPont-Columbia Awards and the John Chancellor Awards for Excellence in Journalism, after 30 plus years as a network news producer, author, documentary filmmaker, and adjunct professor. She is also currently a Masters Candidate in the Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Science’s Oral History (OHMA) department.
At Columbia Journalism School, Cohen taught reporting, video production, and long form narrative video classes for over a decade, while also directing/producing documentaries for HBO and OWN. Prior to that she produced long form stories and documentaries at ABC and CBS News for over two decades.
U.S. Press Freedom Tracker
When journalists are obstructed, so is the public’s right to be informed and hold power to account. The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker brings together more than two dozen press freedom groups to create a centralized repository for documenting incidents of domestic press attacks. The data they gather will help inform advocacy, journalism, and legal action.