Basic preparedness
Basic bulleted advice on assignment preparation – Committee to Protect Journalists (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.
List of insurance providers for journalists – Details of insurance policy recommendations for journalists, local media, RSF and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) by ACOS Alliance (A Culture Of Safety Alliance).
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 – International Journalists’ Network (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.
Safety Advisory: Covering US protests over police violence – CPJ.
Know Your Rights: Workplace Sexual Harassment – American Association of University Women (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.
Legal advice
Shield laws – Page about the shield laws that protect journalists but not citizen journalists.
International humanitarian law – International Committee of the Red Cross (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 – Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI). Statements on the rights of journalists.
Mental health
How to deal with the effects of reporting on trauma – The DART Center for Journalism & Trauma. It 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.