Jim Cone, MD, MPH

(212) 442-2402

jcone@health.nyc.gov

One of the most memorable sessions at APHA last year was a plenary session on public health as a human rights issue.  This past year I have been struck repeatedly by how important this perspective is on our work in occupational health and safety.  The issue of human rights is so integrally linked with virtually every current issue in occupational health, particularly when it involves immigrant, low wage or contingent workers.

Article 19 of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights states that “everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression: this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”   Journalists, in particular, perhaps best reflect the importance of this basic human right.  As so aptly demonstrated in the history of the flu pandemic of 1918, journalists are essential to defending public health in general.  Much of the advances in occupational health have been a result of journalists' coverage of particular occupational health issues, from coal mine disasters to needlestick injuries. 

The health and safety of journalists traditionally has focused in the United States and Northern Europe on issues of stress and repetitive motion injuries.   The emergence of new technologies and media outlets has increased the need for up-to-date information, with pressures on journalists to be first on the scene, and deliver first-hand accounts of breaking stories.  Some journalists, photographers and camera operators may be subject to hazards unforeseen in their attempts to cover the story. Such situations may include coverage of refinery explosions or chemical spills, entering construction sites or quarries and other workplaces which may constitute hazards the journalists or other members of the team might be unaware of and ill-prepared for in advance.

We rarely think of it as an occupational health issue, but journalists, as a profession, are also increasingly subject to violations of their human rights.   Journalists have become frequent targets of kidnapping and assaults.   The number of reported deaths among journalists now exceeds several dozen per year. According to Reporters Without Borders (http://www.rsf.org/ ), more than 792 journalists have been killed on the job since 1992, 389 in war zones.  Coverage of the most important international events in recent times, including the war in Iraq and civil wars in Africa, is now so dangerous that independent journalists no longer can effectively cover these stories.   A total of 167 journalists have been killed in Iraq alone since the latest war began in March 2003, more than were killed in 20 years in Vietnam.  Local journalists now are often the only first-hand observers, and they risk their lives daily to provide us with crucial information. 

Media organizations sending their crew to war-torn countries or areas with potential for violence and other crises need to offer advice and training prior to deployment. This should include first aid, risk assessment training, survival skills and protective clothing as well as vital information about the terrain in which they will be working.

What can our Section of APHA do to help?  One suggestion we discussed at a recent leadership meeting was to develop a policy resolution regarding the issue in order to motivate APHA to speak up about this.  Should we sponsor a session on occupational hazards to journalists at the 2008 Annual Meeting, in conjunction with groups like Reporters Without Borders?   Do you have other suggestions?  Please let me know if you would like to discuss further what actions we might be able to take.