Staying Safe on Assignment: Navigating Law Enforcement
Reporting in the field increasingly exposes journalists to complex safety, legal, and digital challenges — from covering ICE operations and protests to navigating surveillance tools and law enforcement encounters in cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, and beyond. Recent discussions among journalists have highlighted real and pressing concerns — from how reporters can safely navigate interactions with ICE, to how to distinguish between agencies such as ICE, local police, and the National Guard.
On Nov. 20, Jeff Belzil, Security Director, and Tat Bellamy-Walker, Program Coordinator at the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF), led a practical session on assessing and managing these risks. The IWMF team will share strategies on how to distinguish between law enforcement agencies and mitigating digital and on-the-ground threats, including top tips for covering protests and ICE actions.
This webinar is part of a larger safety and security series brought to you in partnership with IWMF and is generously supported by the Ford Foundation.
Video Chapters
- 0:13 - Welcome and Intro
- 02:31 - Digital Security & Risks
- 06:21 - Haitian Times case study
- 07:28 - Doing a digital security assessment
- 17:44 - Protecting sources, accounts and devices for protests, border, and high risk areas
- 27:35 - Addressing harm from online violence
- 32:23 - Risk Mitigation 101
- 35:48 - DHS Breakdown: ICE (ERO, HSI) and CBP
- 46:42 - Other federal law enforcement
- 48:11 - Targeting factors during ICE raids/border patrols
- 51:25 - Situational awareness
- 55:24 - What to bring when covering ICE/border patrol raid
- 56:50 - Positioning, distance, movement
- 01:00:45 - What to bring when covering protests
- 01:05:29 - Five safety practices for covering protests
- 01:08:31 - Protest security force tactics
- 01:11:48 - Protective gear sources
- 01:14:49 - Protecting video/photography equipment
- 01:16:15 - Tips for being in containment
- 01:17:42 - What to do if reporter is detained
- 01:21:14 - Officer interactions
- 01:23:20 - Feedback & future training