Human Rights and Journalism

Steve Crawshaw was a journalist at The Independent, which he joined at launch in 1986. His roles there included chief foreign correspondent, foreign news editor, Russia and East Europe Editor and Germany bureau chief. He covered the fall of the Berlin Wall, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Balkan wars. Other countries he reported from included China, Myanmar, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

From The Independent, he moved to become the first UK director and then UN advocacy director at Human Rights Watch (2002-2010). He was then international advocacy director and Director of the Office of the Secretary General at Amnesty International (2010-2018). He was policy and advocacy director at Freedom from Torture (2018-2022). He is now writing Prosecuting the Powerful,  a book on war crimes and international justice, including reporting from Ukraine.

He is a trustee of the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) and chair of trustees at Rights and Accountability in Development (RAID).

He is the author of Goodbye to the USSR (1992), Easier Fatherland: Germany and the Twenty-First Century (2004; German edition, 2005), Small Acts of Resistance (foreword by Václav Havel, 2010), and Street Spirit: The Power of Protest and Mischief (foreword by Ai Weiwei, 2016). Prosecuting the Powerful (The Bridge Street Press) is scheduled for publication in 2025. 

He studied Russian and German at the universities of Oxford and St Petersburg (Leningrad), and was a Visiting Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Human Rights, London School of Economics.

The course will draw on experience of media behaviours and responsibilities in different contexts around the world. Discussion based on the different experiences in participants’ own countries will be welcome.

The Human Rights and Journalism course is held over four days, for four and a half hours per day (from 11.00 – 15.30 UK Time), over two weeks and consists of a mixture of lectures, interactive exercises and discussion.

Week One

• Day one: Monday 4 September 2023 - 11.00 – 15.30 UK Time
• Day two: Tuesday 5 September 2023  - 11.00 – 15.30 UK Time

Week Two

• Day Three: Monday 11 September 2023 - 11.00 – 15.30 UK Time
• Day Four: Tuesday 12 September 2023 - 11.00 – 15.30 UK Time

Each Module runs for 4.5 hours with a half hour break: 

• 11am - 1pm
• 1.30pm - 3.30pm

For ease of global access, the course will be held virtually. There may also be reading outside of those hours. Participants are advised to allow additional time for this.

The teaching programme will address the following themes:

Day 1: Introduction. In journalism, why do human rights matter?

• Introduction to the course and objectives
• The fragile and changing world we live in. 

Responsibility and truth in a “post-truth world”. Models to condemn, models to admire? What sort of journalism do we most want to achieve? What is the difference between “straight news” reporting and campaigning journalism? Do both have a role, if so how and when? Calling out lies: how best to do it and when? Sources of news: what matters most in different countries: Radio? TV? Print? Online? Social media? How much has that changed, how much does it vary in different parts of the world?

Day 2: Truth to power: when things go wrong

Reporting on atrocities, avoiding incitement and “hate media” : Humanity, “fair” coverage, context; reducing vs increasing likelihood of violence/abuses/conflict

• “Objectivity” vs taking a stand. Where are the appropriate borders?
• Information, disinformation, “alternative facts”, in autocracies and democracies

Day 3: Covering conflict. Human rights abuses, war crimes, humanitarian disasters, international humanitarian law

• Security issues, mitigating risks
• What readers most need. Sustaining interest, avoiding reader/viewer “fatigue”. Reporting on war crimes that may contribute towards accountability in a court of law

Day 4: New ways of reporting information

• Social media – what has changed, what has not changed?
• Digital documentation, open-source investigation: Challenges and opportunities
• Wrap-up and conclusions

Why take this course?

In taking this course participants will:

• Gain insights into the intersections between good journalism and respect for human rights, including based on practical examples
• Understand the pitfalls of biased journalism, the benefits of fair journalism, and how to tell the difference
• Acquire a good understanding of the role of journalism in helping pave the way for accountability for mass atrocities

The content of the course is tailored for those who are already working or plan to work as journalists, either in established print, broadcast or online media or as independent creators of online content.

The course is delivered entirely in English. Thus, you are required to have a good command of spoken and written English.

The application form includes a brief questionnaire regarding the basis and extent of your journalistic experience and credentials, which you are required to complete as part of your application.

The Fees for the Human Rights and Journalism course are;

Applications for this short course are now closed.