The University of Liverpool is one of the top UK universities, member of the prestigious Russell Group of 24 leading UK universities.
The Worlds of Journalism Study is a cross-national collaborative project assessing the state of journalism in the world through representative surveys with journalists.
UNESCO is the lead UN Agency for promoting freedom of expression and safety of journalists as part of its mandate to “promote the free flow of ideas by word and image”.
Summer Harlow
Associate director, Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas at University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University , USA
social media Latin America journalism activism threats freedom of expression
My work examines the links between journalism, activism, and emerging technologies. In particular I focus on Latin America and the ways social media and other digital technologies present new risks, security challenges, and threats for journalists while at the same time also offering new opportunities for combatting and coping with that insecurity.
Definition of journalists' safety
Freedom to practice independent journalism in their home country without fear of negative repercussions on journalists' physical, financial, familial, or mental wellbeing. Safety requires online and offline security and wellbeing.Future plans for research on journalists' safety
Currently I am the PI for Guatemala and El Salvador for the Worlds of Journalism Study, and I am studying exiled journalists as well as the way journalists respond to social media harassment as a form of media activism.- Research focuses:
- Physical, Psychological, Digital, Financial, Legal
- Methods used in research:
- Surveys, Focus groups, Interviews, Quantitative content analysis, Qualitative content analysis, Ethnography
- Countries of research focus:
- Latin America, especially Guatemala and El Salvador