Brigham Young University BYU ScholarsArchive Theses and Dissertations 2004-03-15 An Exploratory Study of the Effectiveness of the CPJ in Defending Journalists and Press Freedom Ideals in Latin America: Transnational Advocacy in the International Sphere Leticia A. Adams Brigham Young University - Provo Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd Part of the Communication Commons BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Adams, Leticia A., "An Exploratory Study of the Effectiveness of the CPJ in Defending Journalists and Press Freedom Ideals in Latin America: Transnational Advocacy in the International Sphere" (2004). Theses and Dissertations. 241. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/241 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE CPJ IN DEFENDING JOURNALISTS AND PRESS FREEDOM IDEALS IN LATIN AMERICA: TRANSNATIONAL ADVOCACY IN THE INTERNATIONAL SPHERE by Leticia A. Adams A thesis submitted to the faculty of Brigham Young University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Department of Communications Brigham Young University April 2004 Copyright © 2004 Leticia A. Adams All Rights Reserved BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY GRADUATE COMMITTEE APPROVAL of a thesis submitted by Leticia A. Adams This thesis has been read by each member of the following graduate committee and by majority vote has been found to be satisfactory. _____________________ __________________________________________ Date Eliza A. Tanner Hawkins, Chair _____________________ __________________________________________ Date Darren G. Hawkins _____________________ __________________________________________ Date Allen W. Palmer BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY As chair of the candidate’s graduate committee, I have read the thesis of Leticia A. Adams in its final form and have found that (1) its format, citations, and bibliographical style are consistent and acceptable and fulfill university and department style requirements; (2) its illustrative materials including figures, tables, and charts are in place; and (3) the final manuscript is satisfactory to the graduate committee and is ready for submission to the university library. _____________________ _________________________________________ Date Eliza A. Tanner Hawkins Chair, Graduate Committee Accepted for the Department __________________________________________ Sherry L. Baker Graduate Coordinator Accepted for the College __________________________________________ Stephen M. Jones Dean, College of Fine Arts and Communications ABSTRACT AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE CPJ IN DEFENDING JOURNALISTS AND PRESS FREEDOM IDEALS IN LATIN AMERICA: TRANSNATIONAL ADVOCACY IN THE INTERNATIONAL SPHERE Leticia A. Adams Department of Communications Master of Arts The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is one of many nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations that work to defend press freedom and the safety of journalists in Latin America. Based on qualitative interviews with employees at the CPJ, open surveys with journalists who have been helped by the CPJ, historical archive research, and informal participant observation, this study shows that organized domestic and international nongovernmental groups can and do make improvements on behalf of journalists and press freedom in Latin America. The CPJ’s activities raise issues and place them on the agenda, and they influence discourse, policy, institutional procedures, and state behavior. Effectiveness at these levels is conditioned upon the involvement of local press groups, target audiences, the issues addressed, the credibility and authority of the CPJ, and the organization’s connections within the worldwide press freedom network. This case study helps fill a significant gap in the research on transnational advocacy and its influence, and provides a foundation upon which to further explore the roles of advocacy networks in the international community. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This thesis would not have been possible without the guidance of my friend and mentor, Dr. Eliza Tanner Hawkins, whose wisdom, wonderful example, and constant support have motivated and inspired me throughout this project. Many thanks go to my committee members, Dr. Darren Hawkins, Dr. Allen Palmer, and the late Dr. Michael Perkins, and also my graduate coordinator, Dr. Sherry Baker, for offering their additional expertise and advice throughout this endeavor. I am deeply indebted to Carole and her two darling children for opening their home to me while I conducted my interviews in New York. I am also thankful to the CPJ fulltime staff and the journalists they helped for sharing their insights and perspectives into its activities. Of course, the conclusions of this study do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the CPJ or the journalists it tried to help. Finally, I give a heartfelt thank you to all of my friends and family who have always encouraged me to follow my dreams. I would especially like to thank my mother and father for helping me realize this study; Lauren, James, and Mark for their inspiration; Roxanne, for her willingness to always help me; and Ben, one of my best friends, for his love, patience, interest, and unfailing support. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: Introduction ..............................................................................................1 The Project..............................................................................................................1 Justifications ...........................................................................................................3 Overview of Contents .............................................................................................3 Chapter 2: Literature Review......................................................................................5 Press Freedom in Latin America ............................................................................5 Nonphysical attacks. ...........................................................................................6 Physical attacks...................................................................................................7 Free speech and democracy. ...............................................................................9 Explanations for attacks on press freedom. ......................................................11 Efforts to Improve the Protection of Journalists and Press Freedom Ideals.........12 The Transnational Advocacy Network: A Basic Description ..............................14 A Theory on the Effectiveness of Transnational Networks: Norms Socialization and Levels of Influence.........................................................................................17 Case Studies..........................................................................................................21 Conclusions...........................................................................................................24 Chapter 3: Methods...................................................................................................26 Research Design ...................................................................................................26 Research questions and initial expectations......................................................26 Definitions and variables. .................................................................................29 Qualitative interviews at the CPJ and open-ended survey for participants abroad ......................................................................................34 Informal participant observation and field study..............................................36 Historical archive research and survey of activities. ........................................36 Data collection and analysis. ............................................................................37 Limitations and Delimitations ..............................................................................38 Conclusions...........................................................................................................39 Chapter 4: The CPJ's Background, Goals, and Organizational Structure………… 40 The Development of the CPJ................................................................................40 The CPJ’s Goals....................................................................................................43 The CPJ’s Organization........................................................................................44 Conclusions...........................................................................................................46 Chapter 5: Overview of the CPJ's Campaigns and Activities...................................48 Information Politics ..............................................................................................48 Gathering information.......................................................................................49 Drawing attention to information. ....................................................................52 Symbolic Politics..................................................................................................56 Accountability Politics..........................................................................................57