Safety

We aim to empower and improve the skills of journalists to conduct cross-border investigative journalism in Europe, enabling networking and knowledge sharing, and stimulating durable collaborative networks.

The European Federation of Journalists will be responsible for conducting a series of safety trainings, tailor- made for the needs of local journalists who want to conduct investigative journalism, including the grantees of the grant and mentoring programme. The course will be offered to 30 eligible journalists and an ad hoc safety advice from the safety expert will be given to eligible journalists upon request, with a total of 50 hours.

The safety of journalists has become more and more challenging in recent years, especially for investigative journalists. There are numerous incidents recorded that were targeted at journalists. These come from local mafia, local politicians, right-wing extremists, and increasingly hostile citizens. The risks faced by investigative journalists are wide and can include online harassment, physical attacks and even murder. In this context, journalists need to be aware of the risks their stories lead them to and be prepared for mitigating such risks before their investigation with the objective to minimise the risks and increase preparedness.

This training programme will put an emphasis on allowing journalist to operate in a safe environment, putting its safety first at the forefront. As part of the programme, the eligible journalists will follow an online risk assessment course developed by EFJ to address various safety aspects/scenarios that could be faced by journalists.

The participants will be asked to complete the course and produce a risk assessment associated with their project. An experienced safety expert who has been providing safety training to journalists and media houses will carry out the training. The expert will evaluate the assessment they have conducted, test its robustness and provide additional tailored-made advice and recommendations through a series of online consultation and coaching/mentoring programmes.