Safety Notes

2019

  
Artwork: Jack Forbes

Physical Safety: War Reporting

Reporting from the front lines of a conflict is one of the most challenging assignments a journalist can undertake. All war correspondents should have hostile environment training, up-to-date medical training, and the correct safety equipment before going on assignment in a conflict zone.

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Artwork: Jack Forbes

Psychological safety: Online harassment and how to protect your mental health

Journalists are frequently at risk of being harassed online in an attempt by hostile actors to intimidate or force them into silence. The harassment, most commonly directed at female journalists, often includes threats of violence against the journalist and their family and friends.

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Artwork: Jack Forbes

Physical safety: Solo reporting

Solo work is becoming more common, especially for broadcast and video journalists. However, working alone can make journalists vulnerable to physical assault. For assignments in locations such as neighborhoods with high crime rates, protests, or remote areas, it is advisable that journalists do not work alone.

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Artwork: Jack Forbes

Digital Safety: Remove personal data from the internet

Journalists have long faced threats in reprisal for their work, and in the internet era, attackers can leverage information published on social media and professional websites to hack, abuse, shame, or defame their target.

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Artwork: Jack Forbes

Digital Safety: DIY guides for better protecting against online abuse

Strong digital security is crucial for journalists, but dedicated training may be expensive or inaccessible. Luckily, there is a wealth of information online.

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Artwork: Jack Forbes

Physical safety: Mitigating sexual violence

Sexual violence can take many forms, including sexual and physical assaults. Any individual can be the subject of sexual misconduct, but journalists are often at risk from a range of people, including sources and members of the public, while they are reporting. That risk is heightened for female or gender non-conforming journalists.

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Artwork: Jack Forbes

Digital Safety Kit

Journalists should protect themselves and their sources by keeping up-to-date on the latest digital security news and threats such as hacking, phishing, and surveillance. Journalists should think about the information they are responsible for and what could happen if it falls into the wrong hands, and take measures to defend their accounts, devices, communications, and…

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Security keys, like the one pictured, are the safest way to secure online accounts. (CPJ)

Digital Safety: Using security keys to secure accounts against phishing

Hackers are using more sophisticated methods to target journalists, including those who use two-step authentication (2FA).

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2019