By Allaa Azzam, NPCJI Press Freedom Fellow
Journalists covering demonstrations, courthouse detentions, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) related activity must increasingly learn how to navigate confrontations with law enforcement, equipment seizures, attempts to block filming while reporting in public spaces, and even detention while carrying out their newsgathering.
While U.S. laws generally protect journalists’ right to report freely in public areas, press freedom organizations have documented cases where those protections were violated during fast-moving situations on the ground.
To better understand how journalists can prepare for these assignments safely, the National Press Club Journalism Institute spoke with veteran conflict reporter and journalism safety trainer Judith Matloff.
Matloff teaches hostile environment reporting at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. She has trained journalists covering wars, civil unrest, protests, and politically tense situations around the world, and is the author of “How to Drag a Body and Other Safety Tips You Hope to Never Need.”
Proper preparation can significantly reduce one’s risk once events begin to escalate, Matloff stressed. Download the file below for key recommendations for journalists before they cover a protest, immigration enforcement action, or similar event:
Tags: journalism safety