holistic safety for newsrooms
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Domain specific obligations
Domain Specific Obligations
Physical Safety
- How am I feeling physically, emotionally, and mentally today?
- What stressors am I currently carrying?
- What is helping me cope right now?
- What support might I need this week?
- What is one action I can take today to support my wellbeing?
Digital Safety
- Digital threats are treated as occupational hazards.
- The organization is encouraged to provide technical and psychological mitigation.
- Journalists may be temporarily reassigned during active digital targeting.
Emotional & Psychological Safety
- Exposure to traumatic material should be assisted with access to clinician-informed support.
- Debriefing should be routine, not contingent on visible distress.
- Journalists may rotate beats without stigma or career penalty.
Reputational Safety
- The organization should consider publicly defending journalists facing bad-faith attacks.
- Silence or neutrality in the face of reputational harm is considered institutional failure.
- Reputational harm is recognized as a form of occupational injury.
Financial Safety
- Journalists should not accept unsafe work due to financial coercion.
- High-risk assignments should include fair compensation and emergency coverage.
- It is strongly encouraged that mental health care be financially accessible.
Legal Safety
- Legal ambiguity requires proactive briefing and counsel access.
- Journalists facing legal exposure should not navigate risk alone.
- It is strongly encouraged that psychological support accompany prolonged legal processes.
Accountability & enforcement
Accountability & Enforcement
- Editors should be accountable for implementing this policy.
- Failure to respond to red flags is a breach of duty of care.
- It is encouraged that this framework apply to staff, contractors, freelancers, and students, where applicable.
