Register for our free training for journalists to enhance their safety
ABOUT THE COURSE
The safety of journalists has become ever more important in recent years with an increasing number of journalists facing threats, harassment and injuries in relation to their daily work. While some threats require a broader political and cultural change among multi-stakeholders, others can be mitigated by individuals and organisational level by journalists and media organisations.
With this in mind, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) as part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) has developed this course to address individual journalists with the aims to enhance their personal capacities in making aware of operational media associated risks and provide them with practical tools and operational media field experience to mitigate those risks.
The risk assessment tool can be applied by journalists, including freelance journalists, in any situation such as covering demonstrations, assignment/fieldwork or conducting investigative reporting, etc. Following the course, journalists will learn about operational media associated risks, how to assess risk using our tools and how to apply countermeasures to risks.
The course will be hosted by Thomson Foundation. It is part of the MFRR project co-funded by the European Commission.
- Risk platform assessment
- Media Platform Road Map
- Methods of Monitoring and Assessing Risk
- Defining risk
- Risk Matrix
- Components of a Risk assessment
- Communications Planning
- Contingency Planning
- Best practices for filling risk assessments
- Final assessment and test
The course will last for a consecutive 8-week period with a two-hour live session each week. The course will start at the beginning of 2022, the concrete starting date will be announced soon. Online support and coaching will be provided after the live sections. Participants can gain access to tailor-made video tutoring and a safety handbook with safety tips and advice. The course materials will also be available.
The course and materials will be in English only.
This course is designed to train highly committed journalists or journalists’ representatives who can then become trainers to pass on knowledge and expertise gained to fellow journalists in their newsrooms or workplaces. He/she needs to demonstrate a real commitment and certain level of knowledge on safety and risk assessment. He/She will have to speak good English.
The course is free of charge. Participants must be from EU and candidate countries. They are required to attend all the courses in order to receive the certificate of completion. Exceptions may be granted if valid reasons were provided in advance. A limited number of spaces for the live sections is available. A pre-selection test will be carried out and the selection of participants will take into account the gender balance.
Please complete the application form online. Successful candidates will be contacted by the EFJ.
Deadline: 8 November 2021
David Bevan, Operations Director of Cadre Consultants
David Bevan is the Operations Director of Cadre Consultants, a media-specific risk consultancy company. He has spent 30 years managing risk and safety issues in hazardous environments with 18 years dedicated specifically to media field safety. Over this time, he has worked for various international media organisations (i.e. CNN, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, Deutsche Welle, etc.) and freelance federations having worked in both conflict and non-conflict environments. He has also trained 6,000 freelance and staff journalists in safety and risk management protocol. He is the author of three media safety booklets written in the last seven years.
This training programme has been developed by the European Federation of Journalists as part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), which tracks, monitors and responds to violations of press and media freedom in EU Member States and Candidate Countries. This project provides legal and practical support, public advocacy and information to protect journalists and media workers. The MFRR is organised by a consortium led by the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) including ARTICLE 19, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), Free Press Unlimited (FPU), the Institute for Applied Informatics at the University of Leipzig (InfAI), International Press Institute (IPI) and CCI/Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT). The project is co-funded by the European Commission.
