Journalists do not have to wait until a threat becomes a crisis to seek help, representatives from four press freedom and journalist safety organizations told SPJ 2026 attendees during a workshop on protecting the press.
The session, “How to Protect the Press: A Workshop with Journalists and Press Freedom Groups,” brought together representatives from Reporters Without Borders, the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Freedom of the Press Foundation and Crisis Ready Media to discuss physical, digital and legal threats facing journalists.
Ben Grazda of Reporters Without Borders North America, Sophie Hagen of the Freedom of the Press Foundation, Anastasia Tkach of the Committee to Protect Journalists and Bryan Woolston of Crisis Ready Media led “How to Protect the Press: A Workshop with Journalists and Press Freedom Groups” at SPJ 2026. Photo by Javon Huynh.
Ben Grazda, U.S. advocacy manager for Reporters Without Borders, said his organization works on legal advocacy, international press freedom cases and emergency support for journalists.
Reporters Without Borders also operates the PRESS Fund, which provides safety equipment to journalists working in high-risk environments in the United States. The equipment can include helmets, eye protection, respirator masks and individual first-aid kits; the program prioritizes freelancers, independent journalists and reporters from under-resourced newsrooms.
Bryan Woolston, executive director of Crisis Ready Media, said his organization focuses on making safety training accessible to journalists who may not have those resources through their employers. “We concentrate mostly on freelance journalists, student journalists, journalists working for under-resourced newsrooms,” he said.
Crisis Ready Media’s training covers physical safety, digital security, emergency first aid, mental wellness and newsroom responsibilities for journalist’s safety. The organization also provides individual safety planning for journalists preparing for assignments.
Woolston said preparation should happen before journalists find themselves in dangerous situations. “We can no longer just react to bad things that happen when bad things happen to us,” he said. “We need plans in place.”
That need for preparation was echoed by journalists in the audience.
A freelance health writer from Minneapolis described covering unrest in the city while working for The New York Times. She said the outlet provided training and equipment, but having a dedicated safety person available to call at any time made the biggest difference.
“That was what made me feel safe,” she said.
Anastasia Tkach, journalist safety manager at the Committee to Protect Journalists, said CPJ provides short-term emergency grants for journalists dealing with incidents related to their work. The grants can help cover medical expenses, legal fees and mental health support.
The organization also provides safety training and individual advice, including risk assessments before an assignment, Tkach said.
Sophie Hagen, program manager for the advocacy team at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, said journalists and newsrooms should also take steps to address digital threats.
“If someone else besides that journalist can own monitoring all of those threats,” Hagen said, “someone else should own looking at those comments.”
Hagen said the organization also runs the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, which documents incidents including assaults, arrests, subpoenas and equipment damage involving journalists.
The panel also heard from Lori Falce, community engagement editor and opinion columnist at TribLIVE, who said death threats have become a regular part of her work. “I get death threats on a weekly basis,” she said.
Falce described finding a box on her desk containing newspaper clippings she had written about, with portions circled in red. She said the threats can become “background noise” when they happen frequently.
Speakers said newsroom leaders should establish protocols for dealing with threats rather than leaving individual journalists to handle them alone. Those protocols can include procedures for monitoring online harassment and responding to physical threats.
Student journalists raised similar concerns. One from Miami University in Ohio described covering drug raids and stories involving Greek life and said reporters sometimes worried about retaliation after their stories were published.
The concern, the student said, can reach a point where journalists question whether they can safely take on certain stories.
Panelists encouraged journalists to elevate concerns to newsroom or university leadership and to seek assistance from press freedom organizations when necessary.
Woolston said the responsibility for journalist safety should extend beyond individual reporters.
“Journalism safety is too big to be a newsroom-level discussion,” he said. “This is what we do full time.”
Featured photo by Javon Huynh.