25 guidelines for journalists to safely cover unrest
Your goal should be to get close enough to observe the scene without endangering yourself or others, or interfering with security or rescue operations
We’re republishing this 2021 safety guidance for journalists amid renewed unrest and deadly confrontations involving federal immigration agents in Minneapolis.
A mob that laid siege to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 quickly identified the journalists assigned to cover the attack as targets. Reporters on the scene were threatened, harassed and physically assaulted. Later that evening, police briefly arrested two journalists while their cameras rolled.
Journalists will likely continue to find themselves in harm’s way as they document turbulent stories. Poynter has prepared a handout of safety guidelines (updated from a previous list for covering 2020’s protests) for you to use and circulate to staff.
Some of these guidelines have been adapted from the Radio Television Digital News Association Coverage Guidelines, the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.
Related Knowledge Center: Inside the newsroom
As newsrooms struggle with rickety business models and precarious finances — as well as new technologies — they are deploying an array of editorial responses.
The Times and its critics | Washington Post mortem
Related Knowledge Center: Free speech and public protest
The First Amendment is facing challenging times: Crackdowns on campus protests prompted both-sides claims of intolerance. Attempts to head off dangerous health misinformation have been characterized as violations of free speech. Donald Trump is publicly punishing news outlets that deviate from his administration’s version of events while privately suing some outlets into submission.
The White House vs. the press | Voiceless America