Basic preparedness

Basic bulleted advice on assignment preparation – CPJ. Information on solo reporting and the necessary preparations needed for before and during fieldwork. 

Security Assessment form – CPJ. A checklist to aid in the knowledge and preparation of assessing the security of a situation. 

Guide to completing a risk assessment and security protocol – Rory Peck Trust (PDF).

Risk assessment and security protocol template – Rory Peck Trust (Word document).

Editors’ Checklist – CPJ. A checklist enables commissioners and editors to understand how well prepared journalists and other media workers are as they cover US protests over police violence.

Safety Advisory: Covering US protests over police violence – CPJ.

List of insurance providers for journalists – Details of insurance policy recommendations for journalists, local media, RSF and IFJ by ACOS Alliance. 

Shield laws – Page about the shield laws that protect journalists but not citizen journalists.

International humanitarian law – ICRC. A set of answers to questions asked about journalists protection by the International Committee of the Red Cross. 

Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Journalists – RJI. Statements on the rights of journalists. 

Digital security

Digital Safety Kit – CPJ.

Security in-a-Box – Front Line Defenders. A guide to digital security for activists and human rights defenders.

Preserving Truth to Power, a guide by OpenArchive which provides ethical and safety tips for citizen reporters and human rights defenders storing sensitive mobile media.

Online harassment

Online harassment – Troll Busters. Infographic showing how to deal with website attacks, being impersonated or doxed, or what to do if threats escalate. 

Online harassment – Pen America. A field manual on the preparation, response, legal and support systems that are useful to journalists. 

Online harassment – CPJ. Specific to psychological safety and mental health, this article outlines pre-emptive and immediate steps on how to protect yourself. 

Dealing with trolls – The Guardian. A step-by-step guide on how to deal with internet attackers.

Trolling and doxing –  The Rory Peck Trust.

Online trolls shouldn’t be allowed to intimidate journalists – The Conversation. Statistics of online harassment and journalists and how they specifically target as well as ways to deal with them.

Online violence towards women – IJNet.

Physical safety

Basic First Aid Youtube Videos – CPJ. A series of first aid videos aimed at journalists facing serious injuries and situations.

Protecting Sources – CPJ(”Assessing and Responding to Risk”, Chapter 2). Useful article on protecting resources and information when covering topics such as armed conflict and national security. 

Sexual Violence – CPJ (”Assessing and Responding to Risk”, Chapter 4). First-hand advice on the precautions to take to avoid sexual violence in a series of situations. 

Captive Situations – CPJ (“Assessing and responding to risk”, Chapter 5). A description of possible captive situations and actions to take to protect yourself. 

Know Your Rights: Workplace Sexual Harassment – AAUW. Information on workplace rights in Q&A format. 

What is sexual harassment? – New York Times. An article outlining what sexual harassment is and what can be done within the workplace to combat and prevent it. 

Mental health

How to deal with the effects of reporting on trauma  The DART Center for Journalism & Trauma. Highlights the before and after effects of reporting trauma and how to uphold community and self maintenance throughout your reporting.

Working with Traumatic Imagery  – The DART Center for Journalism & Trauma.

FCC HK’s video with Paul Yip on mental health discusses the sensitivities when writing about suicide. This can be found in section four of the document.

Trauma Reporting: A Journalist’s Guide to Covering Sensitive Stories – Jo Healey. Guide to interviewing people who have undergone trauma.

Suicide reporting for media professionals – The Hong Kong Jockey Club Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention. A guide on how suicides have been reported in Hong Kong in the past. Outlines how suicide media can be reported in a more sensitive manner.