2024 Reporting Safely in Crisis Zones Course

In partnership with the ACOS Alliance and the Bronx Documentary Center, the Dart Center is offering its annual four-day crisis zones reporting safely course for 16 freelance journalists at no cost. The course will be held October 3-6, 2024 at the Bronx Documentary Center in New York City.

This reporting safely course will teach you how to operate with caution in volatile situations, with an emphasis on conflicts and civil unrest. The training is also relevant to working in natural disaster situations such as earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis.

While most hostile environment training for journalists deals with ducking crossfire and kidnappers, this course will teach you how to avoid unnecessary peril through preparation and planning before, during and after assignments. Participants will emerge from the course with a better understanding of how to work with local producers, shun attackers and protect their digital footprints.

Expert trainers will provide instruction in the following areas:

• Risk assessment: setting limits, making the right decisions before and during an assignment; sound practices amid riots, snipers, mines, shootings, roadblocks, infiltrators and general mayhem.
• Digital Security: safeguarding sensitive computer data and communicating with others in a secure manner.
• Emergency first aid: tourniquets, triage, fractures and bullet wounds.
• Trauma awareness: emotional self-care while covering difficult stories.
• Rape/sexual assault prevention: setting boundaries, delay tactics, basic self-defense and healing.

Eligibility

The course is open to freelance journalists working in print, photography, video, and/or audio with at least two years of professional experience. Sixteen freelance journalists from around the world will be selected. All course sessions will be conducted in English. Applicants must be fluent in spoken English to be eligible to apply.

Logistics

Course tuition has been underwritten by the ACOS Alliance, the Bronx Documentary Center, and the Dart Center; therefore selected participants will not be responsible for tuition or other fees. However, all participants are responsible for their own travel, lodging, insurance, ground transportation and meals.

How to apply

The deadline for applications is July 31, 2024. To learn more and apply, please click here.