AFTRA Expresses Support for Journalist Cami McCormick Injured in Afghanistan

LOS ANGELES (Aug. 31, 2009)—Roberta Reardon, National President of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, issued this statement today following a CBS News report that AFTRA New York member and CBS Correspondent Cami McCormick has been injured by a roadside bomb while on assignment in Afghanistan:

“On behalf of Cami’s more than 70,000 fellow AFTRA members around the nation, we extend our thoughts of concern and well-being to her and her family, and we wish Cami a quick and full recovery. Cami is a gifted journalist and her bravery is yet another reminder of the many courageous journalists who routinely put themselves in harm’s way to report the stories that inform our democracy. This incident is also a reminder of the importance of ensuring journalists’ safety in combat areas. AFTRA is committed to continuing efforts to protect the safety of journalists deployed to hazardous assignments.”

The AFTRA Foundation, the union’s nonprofit charitable organization, is the U.S. umbrella organization for the International News Safety Institute (INSI)—the only global organization solely dedicated to the safety of journalists and other news professionals. Under the aegis of the AFTRA Foundation, the institute has charitable status under the Internal Revenue Code. INSI was created in 2003 by a unique coalition of news organizations, journalist support groups, and concerned individuals alarmed by the rising numbers of colleagues injured or killed in the course of reporting the news.

Based in Brussels, INSI is international in scope and enjoys the support of 100 other organizations around the world, including most of the global broadcasting networks and agencies, AFTRA and other journalists’ unions, and journalist support groups as well as individuals. Major support organizations—such as the International Press Institute, International Federation of Journalists, Committee to Protect Journalists, World Association of Newspapers, and others—come together under INSI's safety umbrella.

Find out more information about the work of INSI at http://www.newssafety.org.