Political protests and civil unrest are expected across America this summer and fall. The combination of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade, ongoing right-wing conspiracies about the validity of U.S. elections, and the prospect of domestic terrorist attacks have produced a climate that forebodes tense confrontations between protesters, counter-protesters, and the police.
Journalists are already in the mix covering these clashes, sometimes being mistreated, physically harmed, or even targeted in the process. In the days following the Roe v. Wade ruling, journalists already have been shoved and clubbed in Los Angeles while covering protests.
Are you familiar with your rights as a journalist to cover political protests and police responses to them? Do you have a plan on what to do if those rights are challenged — or ignored — by police or protesters? What steps are you taking to keep yourself and your equipment safe and secure, physically and legally?
The National Press Club Journalism Institute invites you to a virtual safety training on how to cover political protests and civil unrest while limiting your legal exposure and physical safety risks.
Speakers:
- Corinne Chin, Emmy-award winning video journalist, and Associated Press director of news talent
- Kamesha Laurry, Borealis Racial Equity in Journalism Fund Legal Fellow for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
- Mickey Osterreicher, general counsel for the National Press Photographers Association
The conversation will be moderated by Rachel Oswald, National Press Club press freedom team lead and a foreign policy reporter for CQ Roll Call.