A total of 13 entities will make up the National Committee for the Safety of Journalists and Other Social Communication Professionals (CNSJ). The initiative was created by the Government in March 2025 for, among other objectives, the “development of protection mechanisms against online threats, taking into account the criminogenic potential of the digital environment”.
Some of these participating entities will have to nominate their representatives, namely: the Superior Council of the Judiciary, the Regulatory Council of the Regulatory Entity for Social Communication, the Union of Journalists, the Commission for the Professional Card of Journalists and the Confederation of Media.
Other members will be the national directors of the Judiciary Police (PJ), the Public Security Police (PSP) and the National Cybersecurity Center, in addition to the Attorney General of the Republic (PGR), the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces and the General Commander of the Republican National Guard. The work will be coordinated by the director of the Mission Structure for Social Communication, Sérgio Gomes da Silva.
The Government assesses that the creation of this entity has a preventive nature. “Although the situation in Portugal is not currently particularly serious, it is important to act preventively”says the publication. “A specific strategy is advocated, which ensures and guarantees the sustained exercise of freedoms of expression and information, as well as that of the press and the media”.
At the same time, it is understood that violence against journalists is a phenomenon that occurs throughout the world. “Recognized as a problem on a global scale, the security of journalists and other media professionals has gained prominence due to the worsening of a threat situation increasingly associated withcompromising both the exercise of the profession and the rights and values that protect and promote a free and democratic society”.
Among the activities planned is the carrying out of a campaign to “raising awareness in society about the relevance of journalistic activity and the protection of journalists in supporting and defending democratic values”. One of the focuses is precisely to highlight this importance “particularly during electoral periods, times of crisis, public demonstrations and conflict zones”.
In the digital sphere, the aim is to promote “dialogue with major digital platforms to make commitments to respond to online threats against journalists”. Another defined action is the “organization of regular training initiatives for journalists related to security onlinesuch as the confidentiality of communications, the security of information and personal data, strengthening cyber-resilience, as well as identifying and managing threats in digital discourse”.
The activity plan also foresees the production of statistics on threats against journalists, through censuses. One of the focuses of attention will be “women and individuals from minority groups, or those dedicated to covering issues related to equality”. This data should include the collection of information on associated crime and victimization, as well as strategic legal actions against the public participation of journalists. The CNSJ will have a budget allocation of €195,000, coming from the budget of the #PortugalMediaLab program.
amanda.lima@dn.pt
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