Covering Protests and Staying Safe in Person and Online

If you experience intimidation, interference or worse,

please report it to the Freedom of the Press Foundation tracker.

 

 

Articles  |  Funding  |  Resources  |  Events

 

Articles

 

Funding

 

U.S. Journalism Emergency Fund: Offered by the International Women's Media Foundation with support from Craig Newmark Philanthropies, this fund is for staff or freelance journalists – regardless of gender – to access the resources they need to report safely on politics and unrest in the U.S.

 

Resources

Cover of IWMF's 'A Guide to Protecting Newsrooms and Journalists Against Online Violence'

 

Events

July 31, 2024 Deadline
Reporting Safely in Crisis Zones Course. The Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, in partnership with the ACOS Alliance and the Bronx Documentary Center, is offering its annual four-day crisis zones reporting course to 16 freelance journalists at no cost. The course will be held October 3-6, 2024 in New York City. NOTE: While the course is intended for full-time freelance journalists at no cost, five spots have been reserved for paying participants (staff or freelance) from small news organizations, nonprofits and public media. If you would like to be considered for a paid spot ($1295), please reach out to Dart Center Program Manager Krystal Grow at krystal.grow@dartcenter.org.

July 11, 2024
IJ4EU Workshop: Digital Security. Are you working on a story that can get you in trouble? Are you covering a sensitive or a dangerous topic? Are your sources well protected? How safe is your online identity and your data? Register for this Investigative Journalism for Europe workshop offering security training for journalists. 12:30-15:00 CEST // 6:30-9:00 a.m. ET.

May 3, 2024
World Press Freedom Day. Between May 2 and 4, Chile and UNESCO will host the 31st World Press Freedom Day Conference in Santiago. This year's theme is "A Press for the Planet: Journalism in the face of the Environmental Crisis."

May 2, 2024
The Intersections of Press Freedom and the Environment. Join Freedom of the Press Foundation and SEJ for a virtual discussion on obstacles U.S. journalists face when reporting urgent climate change and environmental issues for their communities — whether violence or arrest when covering environmental protests or denials of access and legal obstructions when investigating centers of political and corporate power. The discussion will be moderated by A. Adam Glenn, deputy editor at Freedom of the Press Foundation and consulting editorial director for the Society of Environmental Journalists. Halle Parker, journalist for WWNO's Coastal Desk and Society of Environmental Journalists board member, is one of the speakers. Q&A to follow. 12-1 p.m. ET/9-10 a.m. PT.

May 1, 2024
Environmental Journalists on the Frontlines of Democracy. Prior to this year's World Press Freedom Day, the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program, in partnership with SEJ, will celebrate the important role of environmental journalism and highlight the need to protect journalists around the world from surveillance, censorship, oppression and violence. The discussion will be moderated by Meaghan Parker, Public Policy Fellow, Wilson Center's Environmental Change & Security Program and Chair, Future Council of the Society of Environmental Journalists. Watch the recording.

Oct 5, 2023
IJ4EU Workshop: How To Analyse, Mitigate and Prevent Online Attacks. Join Investigative Journalism for Europe for an analytical and hands-on online workshop on tackling online hate and smear campaigns. While the event is chiefly for past and present grantees of the IJ4EU programme, five seats are available to other investigative journalists who may benefit from this workshop.

Sep 21-22, 2022
OWM Global Reporting Summit 2022. This year's One World Media summit will be held over two days in Ramallah, Palestine (free, Sep 21) and in London (ticketed, Sep 22) as well as online. Speakers will explore the stories from spyware and cyber threats to forgotten conflicts and progress in press freedom. Discounts for students.

Jul 15, 2022
Protest Protocol: How Journalists Can Stay Safe in Times of Unrest. Registration is open for a National Press Club Journalism Institute virtual safety training on how to cover political protests and civil unrest while limiting your legal exposure and physical safety risks. 11:30 a.m. ET.

Jun 16-Jul 25, 2022
The Digital Safety Snacks series features bite-sized videos and four half-hour hands-on workshops to protect writers and journalists from doxing, hacking and other abusive tactics. Co-organized by PEN America, the International Women's Media Foundation and the Online News Association.

July 7, 14, 21 and 22, 2021
Summer Bootcamp: Digital Safety & Online Abuse Defense. The Society of Environmental Journalists is partnering with PEN America, the Freedom of the Press Foundation and Global Cyber Alliance for a free webinar series offering a crash course on digital safety and online abuse defense for journalists, writers and media organizations. Whether you’re concerned about surveillance, hacking, doxing, cyber mobs or other abusive tactics, we’ll equip you with concrete tools and strategies to keep yourself, your work and your sources safer. 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET.

May 6, 2021
How Vicious Disinformation Campaigns Aim to Silence Women Journalists. Join in a conversation with Filipino-American journalist Maria Ressa and International Center for Journalists' Global Director of Research Julie Posetti to discuss new ICFJ-UNESCO research on online violence as a weapon of disinformation and evolving strategies for fighting back. 10:30 a.m. ET.

Sep 16, 2020
Journalists in Peril: Creating a safer, equitable future together. Safety for journalists has taken on a renewed sense of importance as newsrooms grapple with the convergence of hostility toward those in the field and systemic racism that pervades even the most revered journalistic institutions. It seems journalists have more reason than ever to be allies for each other as the industry confronts itself while serving conflicted communities. Moderation by Jill Geisler, Bill Plante Chair in Leadership and Media Integrity at Loyola University Chicago and the Freedom Forum Fellow in Women’s Leadership. 11:30 a.m. ET.

Jul 30, 2020
Race, Protests and Journalism Ethics. From the Tom Cotton op-ed in the New York Times, to covering protests, to publishing faces of protesters, this SPJ panel of experts will discuss the challenges — and solutions — for editors, reporters, photographers and videographers as they face difficult decisions every day regarding news coverage. Noon ET.

Jul 25, 2020
When the Press Badge Doesn't Protect You. The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker reports more than 430 aggressions against reporters during these protests. This online program, 2:00-4:00 p.m. ET, will offer firsthand accounts of attacks as well as commentary on such incidents. Confirmed panelists: Independent journalist Maria Trahan Martinez and Kirstin McCudden of the Freedom of the Press Foundation. For updates, follow us at www.facebook.com/HoustonSPJ or sign up for our newsletter by emailing houstonspj@gmail.com.

Jun 18, 2020
Staying Sane: Managing Threat and Trauma. Fourth of four free webinars focused on journalists' safety and health, from PEN America in partnership with the Committee to Protect Journalists, International Women's Media Foundation, Freedom of the Press Foundation and Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma.

Jun 17, 2020
Press, Protests and the Pandemic: The State of Reporting in the Triad. The Triad of Black Journalists discussed how recent events are being covered in the Piedmont-Triad region of North Carolina, self-care when on the scene, forging relationships, responsible journalism and how to cover the communities that we live in with black and brown skin.

Jun 16, 2020
Digital Safety, Surveillance & Privacy. Third of four free webinars focused on journalists' safety and health, from PEN America in partnership with the Committee to Protect Journalists, International Women's Media Foundation, Freedom of the Press Foundation and Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma.

Jun 12, 2020
Ethnic Media Dialogue: Covering Racial Injustice Protests and COVID-19. The Maynard Institute for Journalism Education hosted a digital dialogue with ethnic media journalists on the impacts of racial prejudice and the pandemic on communities of color.

Jun 12, 2020
Protest & Disinformation: Using Media Literacy to Spot It & Stop It. In the past couple of weeks, amid mass demonstrations against police violence, misinformation and disinformation about the protests have been spreading fast online. In response to this influx of false information, PEN America has adapted our media literacy trainings to address these renewed threats to accurate information. Co-sponsored by the EveryLibrary Institute and the Daily Kos Liberation League.

Jun 12, 2020
Physical Safety Strategies for Reporters. Second of four free webinars focused on journalists' safety and health, from PEN America in partnership with the Committee to Protect Journalists, International Women's Media Foundation, Freedom of the Press Foundation and Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma. Video recording.

Jun 11, 2020
Know Your Rights: A Legal Training for Reporters. First of four free webinars focused on journalists' safety and health, from PEN America in partnership with the Committee to Protect Journalists, International Women's Media Foundation, Freedom of the Press Foundation and Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma. Video recording.

Jun 10, 2020
Covering Unrest: When Journalists of Color Become the Target. In this Center for Health Journalism webinar, we’ll take a deep look at the physical and mental health risks, identify coping strategies, and offer practical tips and suggestions on staying safe while covering two overlapping crises — nationwide protests and COVID-19. Watch the recording.

Jun 5, 2020
Covering Protests: Journalists Under Attack. The International Center for Journalists hosted a special event on the alarming trend of police targetting journalists covering protests, featuring Linda Tirado, a freelance photojournalist who was blinded in one eye while covering the Minneapolis protests; Branden Hunter, neighborhood reporter for the Detroit Free Press; Maria Salazar-Ferro, emergencies director at CPJ; and Ahmer Khan, winner of the 2020 Human Rights Press Award for his coverage of unrest in Kashmir. Summary and recording.

Jun 5, 2020
Stories From the Frontlines: Journalists and Protests with CNN's Brian Stelter. CNN Reliable Sources host Brian Stelter spoke with journalists covering the protests over the death of George Floyd. Why have journalists faced such unprecedented harassment, intimidation and detainment during this fast-moving story? How can they protect themselves and get the access they need to keep their communities informed going forward? An SPJ Live Online Session. Video recording.

Jun 4, 2020
Strategies for Safely Covering Protests. Hosted in partnership with the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) this webinar was led by journalist safety experts Jean-François Belzil, Alison Baskerville and Colin Pereira, and highlighted strategies to help journalists stay safe while covering protests, including how to prepare for and react to threats against their physical safety. The discussion also provided guidance specifically tailored to covering protests during a pandemic, and situations that women journalists and journalists of color may encounter in the field. Recording and resources.

 

Topics on the Beat: