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JUNE 2016 - AUG 2019
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EDITORS' SAFETY WORKSHOP IN MEXICO
Posted August 2019
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In August, the Alliance offered a one day safety workshop to a group of selected editors from some of the most dangerous states in Mexico. The workshop was organized in partnership with Article 19-Mexico and IWMF.
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ACOS ALLIANCE AT THE GLOBAL CONFERENCE FOR MEDIA FREEDOM
Posted July 2019
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The ACOS Alliance is participating at the Global Conference for Media Freedom on 10-11 July, in London. Together with the Frontline Freelance Register (FFR) and the Rory Peck Trust, the Alliance has curated the Freelancers Hub, a space dedicated to the safety of freelancers where we hold a series of panel discussions over the course of the two days featuring freelance journalists, producers, editors and safety experts.
The FFR is making its first presentation of key findings from its recent wide-reaching survey The State of Freelancing in 2019 and in an effort to focus on practical solutions, our sessions will deliver practical advice and tools on how freelancers and commissioning editors can better manage dangerous assignments. Please have a look at the Freelancers Hub agenda and follow the conversation on Twitter @ACOSalliance #freelancershub
EDITORS' SAFETY WORKSHOP AT THE GLASGOW WAN-IFRA WORLD CONGRESS
Posted April 2019
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In June, the Alliance is offering a three-hour safety workshop dedicated to editors attending the 2019 WAN-IFRA World Congress in Glasgow. The workshop will run on Monday, June 3, from 9.30am to 12.30pm, and is open to accredited participants of the Congress. To register, please complete this form. You can see the online program for the Congress here.
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TRAVEL BURSARIES AVAILABLE TO ATTEND 2LIVES HEFAT
Posted April 2019
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The ACOS Alliance is offering a limited number of travel grants for freelance journalist to attend the 2Lives Steven Joel Sotloff Memorial Foundation 2nd Annual Security Training. This fully certified three-day HEFAT course will take place in June 5-7, in Miami, Florida. Course fee and lodging are being covered by 2 LIVES. The ACOS Alliance will provide a limited number of travel bursaries to Central and Latin America or US based freelance journalists in need of safety training due to the nature of their reporting, and unable to cover their own travel costs.
Apply here by April 19. State in your cover letter whether you need a travel bursary. Applicants need to take care of their visa applications.
The course is provided by Global Journalist Security in English.
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DIGITAL SECURITY ACTIVITIES AT WORLD PRESS PHOTO FESTIVAL
Posted March 2019
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As part of World Press Photo Festival 2019, the ACOS Alliance, Committee to Protect Journalists, Free Press Unlimited, Frontline Freelance Register and Rory Peck Trust are hosting a Digital Safety Meetup, followed by one-on-one digital security consultations for photojournalists and documentary photographers. These activities will be held the afternoon of Friday, April 12, 2019, in Amsterdam.
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The Digital Safety Meetup will address the key digital threats facing photojournalists and documentary photographers, including online harassment. CPJ's Safety Technologist Ela Stapley will advise on mitigating the risks posed by social media platforms. No advance registration is required.
The one-on-one consultations will provide personal, tailored guidance on how to improve digital security skills and other relevant knowledge. Consultations are available for 30-minute intervals and spots are limited. Those interested should submit a request by April 8.
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For more information and to apply for a consultation, please use this form.
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HEFAT OPPORTUNITIES IN NYC & LA
Posted March 2019
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BuzzFeed is offering a limited number of free spots for freelance journalists to participate in their in-house safety trainings in Los Angeles (May 14-17) and New York (October 8-11).
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BuzzFeed's four-day Adversarial Reporting Training (ART, traditionally referred to as HEFAT) Class is designed to help journalists more safely pursue aggressive, adversarial reporting and operate in higher-risk environments. It is taught in a seminar style with medical and surveillance exercises to build skill sets and confidence. Modules are assignment-driven and focus on covering civil unrest, natural disasters, conflict, and conducting investigations. Topics covered include digital security, anti-surveillance (both physical and digital), legal considerations and gender-based security issues, alongside traditional instruction on trauma medical care, personal protective equipment (PPE), weapons and vehicle safety. Medical instruction is provided by a highly experienced medic and professor of emergency medicine.
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To apply for the LA course, please complete this form by Monday, April 15, 2019.
To apply for the NYC course, please complete this form by Monday, September 2, 2019.
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Participants are expected to make their own travel and accommodation arrangements and cover their own expenses. The Alliance has a limited number of travel bursaries.
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BURSARIES AVAILABLE FOR HEFAT COURSES IN INDONESIA & UGANDA
Posted March 2019
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The ACOS Alliance and WAN-IFRA are partnering to offer bursaries for local journalists to participate in two separate, fully certified 3-day HEFAT (Hostile Environment and First Aid Training) courses. The bursaries will cover 16 participants in each location (32 total).
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The first course will be held in Bali, Indonesia, from April 1-3, 2019. Interested applicants should fill out this form by Friday, March 8.
The second course will be held in Kampala, Uganda, and will take place May 6-8, 2019. Applicants can fill out this form by Friday, March 15.
Selected participants for each course will be notified by email.
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In line with the ACOS Principles, these courses are designed to help journalists who face risks and safety challenges to be better prepared. The courses comprise classroom and group discussion work interspersed with exercises to build skills and confidence. The Indonesia training will pay special attention to covering natural disasters and elections, while the Uganda course will focus on digital security and first aid.
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The ACOS Alliance and WAN-IFRA are covering the course fee, accommodation and travel to and from the training venues.
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AP OPPORTUNITY: 3-DAY HEFAT COURSE IN COLOMBIA
Posted March 2019
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The ACOS Alliance and the Associated Press (AP) are partnering to offer two bursaries for freelance or local journalists to participate in a fully certified three-day HEFAT (Hostile Environment and First Aid Training) course in Colombia. The course is mainly dedicated to those covering the conflict in Venezuela, and it will take place from Monday through Wednesday, March 25-27, 2019.
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Interested applicants should complete our form by Thursday, March 14.
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The AP is covering the course fees, while the ACOS Alliance will cover accommodation and travel costs.
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In line with the ACOS Principles, this course is designed to help journalists who face risks and safety challenges to be better prepared. The course comprises classroom and group discussion work interspersed with exercises to build skills and confidence. First aid will be taught by an experienced and qualified medic.
The course is delivered by Global Journalist Security.
ACOS ALLIANCE WELCOMES NEW BOARD MEMBERS
Posted February 2019
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The ACOS Alliance has reshaped its board of directors to expand the organization’s geographic reach and to draw in an excellent cross-selection of media organizations, non-profit organizations and experienced freelancers.
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The seven newly appointed directors are: Mathias Dreissig, editor at Deutsche Welle News in Germany; Sally Fitton, High Risk Advisor at the BBC in the United Kingdom; Elisa Lees Muñoz, Executive Director at the International Women's Media Foundation, based in Washington, D.C.; Finbarr O'Reilly, award-winning freelance photographer and writer based in London; Andréa Schmidt, award-winning freelance journalist and independent filmmaker based in Toronto; Art Sotloff, founder of the 2LIVES Steven Sotloff Memorial Foundation based in Miami; and award-winning photojournalist Daniella Zalcman, based in New York and London.
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The new board members bring a wealth of experience in safety issues that directly affect freelancers and local journalists and share a passion and commitment towards the ACOS Alliance mission. “Our board has been a terrific resource for us,” Elisabet Cantenys, ACOS Alliance Executive Director, said. “We are thrilled to welcome these new voices. These appointments will help us to expand our reach in many ways.”
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The ACOS board of directors is carefully balanced among representatives from news organizations, press freedom NGOs and individual freelancers, the three key sectors the coalition brings together to champion safe and responsible journalistic practices and embed a culture of safety across newsrooms and among freelance and local journalists worldwide. ACOS has established principles for the engagement between assigning editors and freelancers in the field. It offers training to both editors and freelancers.
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“We have busy times ahead of us, with many practical safety initiatives, from editors’ safety workshops to safety training for freelancers,” Cantenys said. “We are fortunate to add more energy and talent to our board.”
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FOURTH ANNUAL COORDINATION MEETING HELD IN NEW YORK
Posted December 2018
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On December 10, the ACOS Alliance held its fourth annual coordination meeting at Columbia University in New York. This day-long series of workshops and discussions brought together more than 70 participants representing news outlets, journalism NGOs and freelance journalists.
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The 2018 gathering was by far the most participatory of our annual meetings, featuring concrete, substantive sessions including a 3-hour safety workshop for editors, a plenary session outlining the work of the gender working group, a closed-door workshop for grant-makers to discuss safety protocols for freelancers, a session for sharing safety and security plans for 2019, a last-stages discussion for freelancers and news organizations to define a model contract template, and more.
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The meeting was an opportunity to move forward on building industry standards for safety training and to exchange ideas for best practices across a variety of fields related to keeping freelance and local journalists safe while they carry out their work around the world.
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In 2019, participants of the various working groups that fall under the ACOS Alliance agenda will continue to push ahead with the many resources, tools and ideas discussed at the annual coordination meeting.
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OPPORTUNITY: 2-DAY HEFAT REFRESHER IN NAIROBI NEXT MONTH
Posted November 2018
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The ACOS Alliance, in partnership with the Foreign Correspondents' Association of East Africa and the Frontline Freelance Register, is offering 16 bursaries for freelancers to participate in a fully certified two-day Hostile Environment and First Aid Training (HEFAT) refresher course in Nairobi. The course will take place December 12 and 13, 2018.
This is a refresher course and the expectation is that participants will have completed a full HEFAT course within the last three years. We encourage international freelancers and local journalists based in the region to APPLY HERE. Applicants should fill out this form by Thursday, November 29.
In line with the ACOS Principles, this course is designed to help journalists who face risks and safety challenges in their work to be better prepared. The course comprises classroom and group discussion work interspersed with exercises to build skills and confidence. The course will pay special attention to first aid, taught by an experienced and qualified medic. The training will be conducted in English.
The ACOS Alliance is covering the course fee and meals for two days. Participants are expected to cover transport to the venue, and travel and accommodation when coming from outside Nairobi or Kenya.
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HEFAT AND REFRESHER COURSES IN BEIRUT
Posted October 2018
The ACOS Alliance, Frontline Freelance Register (FFR), Gulf Center for Human Rights (GCHR), International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF), Marie Colvin Journalists' Network (MCJN), Rory Peck Trust (RPT) and SKeyes Center for Media and Cultural Freedom worked in partnership to deliver two separate safety training courses in Beirut: a 4-day HEFAT (Hostile Environment and First Aid Training) course and a 2-day refresher course. A total of 24 freelance and local journalists across the region benefited from this opportunity.
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In line with the ACOS Principles, these two courses were designed to help journalists covering conflict or exposed to safety challenges in their work to be better prepared. The courses comprised classroom and group discussion work interspersed with realistic exercises to build skills and confidence. A vital element of these courses is the medical training, and this course paid special attention to digital security and gender issues.
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ACOS ALLIANCE EDITORS' TRAINING LANDS IN COLOMBIA
Posted October 2018
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Earlier this month, the ACOS Alliance was invited to participate at the Festival García Marquez. In partnership with the ACOS Alliance’s signatory Fundación Para la Libertad de Prensa (FLIP), the Alliance held a three-hour safety workshop that brought together 20 editors and directors from news organizations in Colombia and across the region.
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Led by ACOS board member Jason Reich, BuzzFeed’s Global Security Director, the workshop addressed relevant safety concerns when working on sensible and risky stories, paying special attention to the vulnerability of freelancers and local reporters. Reich offered valuable practical tools and tips that can be implemented with modest resources or at no cost. In particular, editors welcomed the digital security aspect of the session -- how to enhance safety communications with reporters and sources, how to better protect devices, what a good communications plan looks like.
At the festival, the Alliance shared a stand with FLIP and CPJ that provided information on safety resources for journalists. At the stand, Reich also offered a follow-up to one of the sessions editors participated in during the workshop.
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ACOS & PARTNERS LAUNCH INITIATIVE ON MINIMUM SAFETY STANDARDS
Posted October 2018
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The Frontline Club, Frontline Freelance Register and the ACOS Alliance have launched the Minimum Standard in Safety Training for Freelance Journalists Initiative.
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News organizations increasingly rely on freelancers and local journalists to maintain their foreign news output, particularly to cover stories from places that are difficult to access and report from. Safety training is now considered essential best practice for journalists working on challenging stories. However, the absence of industry-wide standards on safety training leaves both journalists and outlets at a disadvantage: it discourages freelancers from investing in their own safety skills and, at the same time, it is difficult for news organizations to assess whether a freelancer has done a course that meets their requirements.
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This initiative seeks to address these issues by working with key stakeholders to identify safety training courses which meet minimum requirements that will be widely recognized by the news media industry. This will encourage freelance and local journalists to make informed decisions about their safety training choices and opportunities. And news organizations will be able to identify freelance and local journalists who have completed safety training that meets their safety standards and duty of care.
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The wider objective of the initiative seeks to raise standards and consensus around best practices for safety training, promote professionalism and duty of care in the news-gathering community, and contribute towards creating a culture of safety.
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The initiative was launched at a meeting at the Frontline Club on October 10 that brought together key stakeholders from news media organizations, training providers and NGOs.
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Vaughan Smith, co-founder of Frontline Club and chair of FFR, noted, “I have been pushing this initiative for many years, and in that time I have encountered many people who have seen its difficulties but never anybody who thinks it’s a bad idea. It will save lives and support freelance journalism, and will benefit the news industry as a whole.”
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Senior Vice President of Worldwide Newsgathering of NBC News, David Verdi, who took part in the meeting, said “NBC News has a proud history of supporting freelance journalists around the world in their pursuit of the truth. We are pleased to work with the Frontline Club, FFR and the ACOS Alliance in developing new tools that will enable current and future freelancers to prepare and work safely in some of the harshest environments.”
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During the first phase of implementation, we will be working with key stakeholders in shaping and rolling out the initiative. The next stage will be sharing an online resource setting out the initial minimum requirements for safety training as agreed at the London meeting, which key stakeholders are currently discussing and outlining.
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We call on news media organizations, training providers and media NGOs not only to endorse this initiative but to collaborate with us for its successful implementation.
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For more information or to be involved, please contact us here.
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UPCOMING HEFAT AND REFRESHER COURSES OFFERED IN BEIRUT
Posted October 2018
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The ACOS Alliance, Frontline Freelance Register (FFR), Gulf Center for Human Rights (GCHR), International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF), Marie Colvin Journalists' Network (MCJN), Rory Peck Trust (RPT) and SKeyes Center for Media and Cultural Freedom are working in partnership to offer two separate safety training courses in Beirut: a 5-day HEFAT (Hostile Environment and First Aid Training) course and a 2-day refresher course. These are two different courses and both are open to a maximum of 16 participants each.
The 5-day HEFAT course runs from October 22nd to 26th (both inclusive), and is open to English and Arabic speakers. Course fees and accommodation are covered. A limited number of travel grants are available to eligible applicants based in the region.
The 2-day refresher course takes place October 26th and 27th, and is only available in English for applicants who have completed a HEFAT course within the last 3 years. Course fees are covered. Selected applicants are expected to pay for their own travel and accommodation in Beirut. A limited number of travel grants are available to eligible applicants based in the region.
To apply, please complete this form.
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In line with the ACOS Principles, these two courses are designed to help journalists covering conflict or exposed to safety challenges in their work to be better prepared. The courses include classroom and group discussion work interspersed with realistic exercises to build skills and confidence, and will pay special attention to digital security. A vital element of these courses is the medical training -- an experienced and qualified medic will teach life-saving techniques.
Upon successfully completing the course, participants will receive industry-recognized certification.
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ACOS ALLIANCE AT PHOTOVILLE FESTIVAL THIS MONTH
Posted September 2018
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The ACOS Alliance is once again participating at the Photoville Festival in Brooklyn, NY. This year, we are supporting two events:
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Sunday, Sept. 16th, 1:30-2:30PM -- The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is holding a panel entitled, “Photography and Trauma: Psychological stress and the occupational hazards of exposure to traumatic imagery,” supported by ACOS. This panel aims to highlight how common psychological stress and trauma is among journalists and discuss related topics such as: why are photographers and photo editors at particular risk? what are the barriers to treating trauma and how do we address them? what are the available resources? The discussion will feature Nicole Schilit, Bruce Shapiro, Ashley Gilberston, Cengiz Yar and Alison Baskerville.
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Sunday, Sept. 23 -- In partnership with Women Photograph, the ACOS Alliance has organized a safety workshop dedicated to female photojournalists. Based on last year’s success and feedback, we are adding a self-defense element to the training. Registration is now closed, but if you are interested in having access to similar safety workshops and training, please complete the ACOS Standard Application Form so we can keep you in mind when future opportunities arise.
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PARTICIPATION AT PERPIGNAN PHOTOJOURNALISM FESTIVAL
Posted August 2018
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This year’s Visa Pour l’Image photojournalism festival will be held in Perpignan, France, from Sept. 1-16, 2018. The ACOS Alliance has reserved a booth at the Palais des Congrès and is supporting several activities in collaboration with Frontline Freelance Register (FFR), the Rory Peck Trust (RPT) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), as follows:
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Individual consultations, Sept. 6 & 7: CPJ Journalist Safety Specialist Colin Pereira and Safety Technologist Ela Stapley will be available to provide personal, one-on-one guidance on general safety issues, risk assessment, assignment planning and digital security. Sessions are free of charge and will last up to 30 minutes. Guidance is intended to give photojournalists access to knowledge and expertise that will help them improve their safety practice, as well as answer questions. Colin and Ela will be available on Thursday & Friday, Sept. 6 & 7, between 12:00-16:00, at the ACOS booth. Please fill out this form to book a slot.
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Editors’ safety workshop, Sept. 7: The ACOS Alliance is organizing a Safety Workshop for Editors & Picture Editors on Friday, Sept. 7. As freelancers continue to professionalize and many media assistance organizations invest in their safety training, it’s essential that those commissioning them have an appropriate level of understanding of best practices for safe commissioning. This workshop is organized in an effort to develop editing and security practices that newsrooms can implement with minimal cost and rapid deployment, paying special attention to working with freelancers. The session, developed by a small group of editors and led by security experts at BuzzFeed, will serve as a confidential forum for exchanging best practices for commissioning and managing dangerous assignments. Participation at this ACOS workshop is by invitation only.
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If you are an editor and would like to participate in the workshop, please send us a message on our contact page with “Perpignan” as the subject line. If you are freelancer, feel free to forward this information to your editor/s or share contact details with us so we can send them an invitation.
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RISC ADDS SAFETY AWARENESS TO TRAINING COURSE IN BRAZIL
Posted June 2018
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RISC (Reporters Instructed in Saving Colleagues) has delivered its first course including not only medical training but safety awareness. The ACOS Alliance has been a strong advocate for this since consulting with RISC alumni who had later completed an additional hostile environment and first aid training (HEFAT) course to supplement skills learned. The Alliance has contributed towards the costs of adding the safety awareness component to this new course in Brazil. At the training, RISC made use of the ACOS Principles translated into Portuguese by CPJ, to coordinate with the ABRAJI Congress, held the same month.
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PARTICIPATION AT ABRAJI CONGRESS
Posted June 2018
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The ACOS Alliance was invited to participate at the 13th international congress of the Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism (ABRAJI). Jason Reich, BuzzFeed Global Security Director, delivered a two-hour editors’ safety workshop for participants on behalf of the Alliance. Reich also made a presentation and participated in a panel on online harassment. To coordinate with the occasion, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) translated into Portuguese the ACOS Principles, which are also currently available in Arabic, French, Hebrew, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Turkish.
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5-DAY HEFAT COURSE IN ATHENS
Posted June 2018
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Together with the Frontline Freelance Register (FFR) and the Foreign Press Association (FPA) in Greece, the Alliance organized a five-day hostile environment and first aid training (HEFAT) course for 12 freelancers combined with a two-day refresher for another seven freelancers in Athens. The idea behind this course was to facilitate access and lower costs by choosing a hub like Athens, as an alternative to holding the course in the UK or US. Freelancers saved travel expenses and we managed to substantially lower the costs of the course by combining both courses (full HEFAT and refresher), negotiating discounted fees with the course provider (First Option) and sourcing venues for free through the FPA in Greece. Digital security was a priority need for participants and CPJ’s digital security adviser delivered a workshop and provided one-on-one advice to participants as part of this initiative.
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HEFAT IN THAILAND ORGANIZED BY THE RORY PECK TRUST
Posted June 2018
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The Rory Peck Trust held a four-day HEFAT course in Thailand mainly dedicated to regional and international journalists preparing to cover the upcoming national elections in Cambodia. The ACOS Alliance provided input and shared knowledge from the course we organized in Thailand last year, and contributed towards the costs together with Free Press Unlimited.
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COLLABORATION WITH PULITZER CENTER ON FREELANCE SAFETY TRAINING
Posted June 2018
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After partnering on two successful safety trainings for freelancers in 2017, ACOS and the Pulitzer Center once again collaborated on a US-based course. The training, carried out over five days in rural Virginia with course operator 1st Option Safety, was accessed by 14 freelance journalists from eight countries. Significant emphasis was placed on smart preparation prior to entering a conflict zone.
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The Center also arranged for participants to attend their two-day conference titled, "Beyond War: Causes of Conflict, Prospects for Peace," that was held at the National Press Club in Washington, DC the same week.
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CPJ AND RSF DOCUMENTING CASES OF JOURNALIST SEARCHES AT U.S. BORDER
Posted May 2018
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A group led by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is working on behalf of the ACOS Alliance to address an increasing number of incidents journalists -- many of them freelancers -- are facing at the border when entering the United States. The group is concerned about authorities targeting journalists at borders with additional inspections, device searches, and delayed or denied entry.
Are you a journalist whose device was searched at the US border? Were you stopped for extra screening? Please fill out this form, which will be shared with CPJ and RSF. The group is working to understand the scope of the problems facing journalists entering and exiting via the US border, and coordinating with a coalition of groups to address these issues and refer individual journalists to advisories and assistance where needed. Please contact Alex Ellerbeck at CPJ (aellerbeck@cpj.org) or Margaux Ewen at RSF (mewen@rsf.org) to report concerns -- which can remain anonymous -- or seek advice.
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ACOS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SPEAKS AT UN ON WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY
Posted May 2018
Marking the 25th Anniversary of World Press Freedom Day on May 3, 2018, ACOS Executive Director Elisabet Cantenys participated in a panel discussion at United Nations Headquarters in New York on this year’s theme, “Keeping Power in Check: the Protection of Journalists and Media Workers.”
The event featured representatives from the UN and Member States, followed by a panel discussion with media practitioners and academics.
A video of the event is available here.
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EDITORS' SECURITY TRAINING WORKSHOP HELD IN NEW YORK
Posted May 2018
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On May 1, the ACOS Alliance held a day-long editors' safety training workshop at Columbia University in New York. Led by ACOS board members Jason Reich (BuzzFeed’s Global Security Director) and David Rohde (Online News Editor at The New Yorker), with contributions from Andrèa Schmidt and other experts, the workshop gathered nearly 50 editors from major outlets, together with media security and legal advisers, mainly from New York and Washington newsrooms.
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Participants were eager to learn how best to improve their safety protocols and procedures, and discuss some of the challenges they face -- from how to develop a solid safety protocol, to how to keep best practices up-to-date and reviewed, and how to implement across newsrooms and include freelancers. Although our emphasis was on freelancers and local journalists, ACOS Executive Director Elisabet Cantenys notes that “creating a culture of safety involves deep changes in our ecosystem and the workshop approached safety from an organizational point of view.” The day also included a session dedicated to psychological trauma, delivered by Bruce Shapiro from the Dart Center.
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BUZZFEED OFFERS ACCESS TO IN-HOUSE SAFETY TRAINING
Posted April 2018
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BuzzFeed has offered ACOS and its partners access to their in-house safety training courses on a regular basis and where possible. This month, they offered free spots for journalists to attend their in-house four-day hostile environment safety training course in London. Frontline Freelance Register (FFR) and ACOS worked together to select three international freelancers based in Europe to benefit from this opportunity.
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ONE-DAY SAFETY WORKSHOP FOR WOMEN PHOTOJOURNALISTS
Posted January 2018
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This month the ACOS Alliance organized a one-day safety workshop for 30 female photojournalists in Washington, DC, in partnership with National Geographic, the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF), Women Photograph and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. After the course, National Geographic became an official signatory to the ACOS Principles.
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ACOS ALLIANCE ANNUAL COORDINATION MEETING HELD IN NEW YORK
Posted December 2017
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Earlier this month, the Alliance organized its annual coordination meeting at Columbia University’s journalism school in New York. The one-day meeting gathered together 50 representatives from news organizations, journalism NGOs and the freelance community. The sessions offered an opportunity to embrace a constructive conversation and share knowledge and views on safety issues. We held dedicated sessions to discuss the impact of safety training (Dart presented preliminary results from their survey and report), deficiencies and needs, and how best to enhance coordination among international NGOs on safety training. We held an editors’ session, focused on their security training needs, where the BBC presented their new editors’ safety course and different news organizations shared their views and experiences. Although the meeting focused on safety training, the Alliance also organized sessions dedicated to discuss best practices among grant-makers or content-supporting NGOs to promote journalists’ safety, combat sexual harassment, and discuss how best to encourage adherence to the ACOS principles. These sessions have prompted follow-up initiatives currently under development.
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INFOSHARE PILOT LAUNCH
Posted November 2017
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The Infoshare working group, led by Jason Reich at BuzzFeed, responds to the lack of institutional support that the freelance community has when it comes to advice on security. The group has been working towards the creation of a network of security professionals willing to assist the freelance community, and to provide some of the support freelancers lack in comparison to staff reporters at news organizations. In practice, this includes contributing assessments, advisories and modeling sound decision-making processes.
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This month, we launched an initial six-month pilot on Slack that includes a selected group of 40 freelancers and 12 involved security experts. We are currently extending the number of participants and are working on the input received so we can improve and expand this initiative.
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UK SAFETY TRAINING FOR 10 FREELANCERS
Posted November 2017
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This month, 10 freelance journalists participated in a five-day HEFAT course in the UK organized in conjunction with course provider AK&P, The Guardian and Frontline Freelance Register. Doing this course with The Guardian allowed us to benefit from a reduced fee. The course benefited from input by five specialized instructors actively involved in high-risk deployments.
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BURSARIES FOR FREELANCERS ATTENDING DART CENTER SAFETY TRAINING COURSE
Posted October 2017
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The Alliance provided bursaries to two freelance journalists attending the four-day safety training course "Reporting Safely in Crisis Zones," organized by the Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma. The course took place in New York and gathered a group of 16 freelance journalists. Our bursaries covered 40 percent of the course fee.
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SESSION AT PHOTOVILLE WITH WOMEN PHOTOGRAPH
Posted September 2017
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The ACOS Alliance participated in a day-long workshop dedicated to the professional development of female photographers at the New York Photoville Festival. ACOS delivered a two-hour safety session addressing the particular challenges that female photojournalists face and the importance of being prepared. The workshop gathered a group of 50 female photojournalists.
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Although brief sessions like this should not be considered a substitute for a full safety training course, we saw this as an opportunity to raise awareness, educate a large group of photojournalists and promote the ACOS Principles.
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SAFETY TRAININGS IN US & UK, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PULITZER CENTER & NYT
Posted August 2017
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The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, The New York Times and the ACOS Alliance partnered for first time to offer a total of 29 grants for freelance journalists covering conflict to attend two hostile environment and first aid training (HEFAT) courses. The first course took place in June in the US, and a second course was held this month in the UK. Having each course in a different continent facilitated participation from freelancers based in different parts of the world. The grants covered course fees, accommodation and food, while travel grants were also distributed as needed. The New York Times contributed towards the cost of the course while the Pulitzer Center managed the selection of participants and the logistical aspects.
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ACOS ALLIANCE INTRODUCES STANDARD APPLICATION FORM
Posted August 2017
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The Alliance has launched a Standard Safety Training Application Form for freelance journalists in need of hostile environment safety training. As discussed at the ACOS coordination meeting last year, this form aims to build a database of freelance journalists in need of this type of training. The form will help us to reach out to individual freelancers when relevant opportunities for safety training arise, and the data collected can help us to articulate a coordinated response to current needs in partnership with news organizations, press freedom NGOs and funders.
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The data collected is being stored securely and, as we gain more information, this will be accessible to relevant ACOS partners. Sharing this data is key for us in order to support collaboration and coordination. We composed the form with input from IWMF, FFR, RPT, RISC and others.
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JAMES FOLEY FOUNDATION SUPPORTS U.S. SAFETY TRAINING COURSE FOR FREELANCERS
Posted August 2017
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The ACOS Alliance, together with the Frontline Freelance Register, assisted the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation in organizing a three-day HEFAT course in the United States at a very low rate, to benefit 12 freelance journalists.
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SAFETY TRAINING IN KENYA, SUPPORTED BY VICE MEDIA & RORY PECK TRUST
Posted July 2017
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Together with VICE Media and the Rory Peck Trust (RPT), this month we supported a four-day HEFAT course in Kenya for 15 freelance journalists covering the region. The course brought together a great mix of international and regional freelancers. VICE Media financed most of the course, while RPT and ACOS made a small contribution towards fees and travel for some participants. The timing for this training was key, as Kenya was heading towards a disputed national election.
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PARTICIPATION AT WAN-IFRA WORLD CONGRESS IN DURBAN
Posted June 2017
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The Alliance participated in the WAN-IFRA Strengthening Media and Society Master Class Program, with a workshop dedicated to raising safety awareness among a group of editors from Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Mexico, Ecuador and Colombia. The session included a group discussion with the participation of Zaffar Abbas, Editor of Dawn (Pakistan); Guy Berger, Director for Freedom of Expression and Media Development at UNESCO; and Hannah Storm, Director of INSI. This opportunity helped us to crystallize the editors’ training courses we plan to roll out in upcoming months.
SIX FREELANCERS ATTEND HEFAT IN TURKEY
Posted May 2017
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Six international freelance journalists attended a four-day HEFAT course organized by The Associated Press (AP) and Global Journalist Security (GJS) in Turkey. AP and GJS secured a reduced fee for freelancers, who made up 50 percent of the trainees. In addition, hosting the course in Turkey meant freelancers based in the region had easy access to the training.
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HEFAT COURSE FOR FREELANCERS BASED IN S.E. ASIA, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH IWMF & FFR
Posted May 2017
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Fifteen Southeast Asia-based freelance journalists completed a four-day HEFAT course in Thailand this month. Thanks to the support of the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) and Frontline Freelance Register (FFR), both international and local journalists spread across the region had access to this training. Participants reminded us how relevant it was for this training to take place in Thailand, in terms of access and content. The training was delivered by IWMF’s in-house trainer and course provider RPS.
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One of our participants, Julian Hadden, edited a video to capture the experience of the training.
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SAFETY TRAINING SESSION AT VALENCIA'S INTERNET FREEDOM FESTIVAL
Posted March 2017
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This month we participated at the IFF by organizing and chairing a session dedicated to online safety training. We invited Free Press Unlimited and Greenhost to present a new project focused on training of trainers; the Rory peck Trust introduced their new risk assessment online course; and Article 19 Mexico shared lessons learned from their safety awareness videos. The session was well attended and instigated a discussion around the role of online safety training as an effective complement to face-to-face training.
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ELISABET CANTENYS NAMED FIRST EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ACOS ALLIANCE
Posted August 2016
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The ACOS Alliance announced this month that Elisabet Cantenys, the former Head of Programmes at the Rory Peck Trust, will become the Alliance’s first-ever Executive Director. The selection of Cantenys is another step forward for the ACOS Alliance, a global coalition of freelance journalists, major news organizations and journalism NGOs, as they strive to create a culture of safety in the news industry.
“I am committed and passionate about the Alliance’s cause and mission,” Cantenys said. “Over the last twelve years, I’ve seen too often freelancers, their families, and editors going through horrific times. I’m driven by the conviction that the Alliance can make a difference.”
In light of the murder of freelance journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff in Syria in 2014, the unprecedented coalition gathered to develop and endorse worldwide freelance protection standards, which now have 87 signatory organizations from more than a dozen countries. The core of the movement is the Freelance Journalist Safety Principles, a comprehensive set of practices aimed at embedding this culture of safety with international news organizations and the freelancers who work with them.
“We’re thrilled to name Elisabet as ACOS’s first executive director,” said David Rohde, a co-chair of the ACOS Executive Board and an investigative editor and reporter at Reuters. “In an era of unprecedented attacks on journalists by governments, extremist groups and criminals, her passion, experience and commitment is exactly what we need.”
The ACOS Alliance is an unprecedented collaborative effort to spread the Safety Principles globally and improve access to the resources needed to keep journalists safe. Its work is currently focused on new security information-sharing, safety training, insurance, and communications initiatives. The Alliance encourages news organizations, journalists, and citizens across the world to read the principles, endorse them, and work to embed a culture of safety and to promote safe practices.
As Head of Programmes at the Rory Peck Trust, Cantenys oversaw, managed and implemented more than a dozen journalist safety projects worldwide. A native of Barcelona, Spain, Cantenys joined the Rory Peck Trust in 2004 as a researcher. Over the next six years, she rose to the role of Head of programmes in 2010.
Before joining Rory Peck, Cantenys worked as a freelance documentary producer, radio journalist and writer in New York, London and Barcelona. She received a master’s degree in global politics from the University of London in 2007 and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Ramon Llull University in Barcelona in 1998.
This spring, Cantenys decided to move from London to her native Barcelona with her husband and daughter. Cantenys, who served as an ACOS board member before applying to become executive director, will work for ACOS from her home in Barcelona.
“I am truly excited about the challenges ahead of us and so look forward to working towards improving the safety of freelancers under the Alliance,” said Cantenys. “It is an honor to dedicate myself to ACOS.”
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SAFETY CHECKLIST FOR NEWSROOMS AVAILABLE ON ACOS WEBSITE
Posted June 2016
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The ACOS Alliance has created a safety checklist for news organizations commissioning work from freelance journalists, available on our website. The checklist provides a tool for editors and freelancers to review safety practices and protocols that affect journalists in the field, in advance of the assignment, to ensure both parties are in agreement on expectations. The list should help news organizations to identify and better understand their own weaknesses and strengths in relation to the security of all the individuals exposed to danger, and aims to promote a constructive internal conversation around best practices.