freelance
New international press card will help to keep freelance journalists safe
The Frontline Club Charitable Trust today announced the launch of the Frontline Club Charitable Trust Press Card at the FCO’s Defending Media Conference in London. This practical initiative will provide safety and protection for freelance journalists across the world, especially those working in difficult or hostile environments. Press cards are an essential part of a […]
Targeting Yemen: Screening + Q&A
Join us for an exclusive screening of Targeting Yemen, followed by a Q&A with freelance filmmaker Safa Al Ahmad, BBC Arabic Documentaries Editor Christopher Mitchell and field producer, analyst and academic Farea Al-Muslimi. Safa Al Ahmad travelled to Yemen to investigate the escalation of US strikes against Al Qaeda. This is a campaign that has largely […]
The Best Defense: Threats to Journalists’ Safety Demand Fresh Approach
Following a new report on journalist safety and the launch of CPJ’s new Emergencies Response Team, this evening will bring together a variety of perspectives on how the safety landscape for journalists and media workers has changed in recent years.
Redefining Foreign Correspondence
The role of the foreign correspondent has changed immeasurably in the past 20 years. With phones tracked by enemy satellites and an ever increasing kidnap bounty on their head, the days of journalists passing through a checkpoint with 200 cigarettes and a bottle of scotch are over. On Tuesday 1st November, in an event organised […]
VICE News and English PEN Present: Ethics of News Gathering – Safeguarding Fixers & Translators
The Frontline Club, VICE News and English PEN present a panel discussion on the role of local fixers and translators in foreign news gathering and the responsibility of news organisations. An expert panel reveals how international news gathering really works, considers the risks in getting the story out and assesses the role of international news organisations in safeguarding the unsung heroes of foreign reporting.
The Kidnapping of Journalists: Reporting from High-Risk Conflict Zones
This event is organised by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism and the International News Safety Institute (INSI).
The vulnerability of journalists to kidnappings was starkly illustrated by the killing of James Foley and Steven Sotloff by Islamic militants in 2014. Their murder underscored the risks taken by journalists and news organisations trying to cover developments in dangerous regions of the world and has forced news enterprises to more clearly prepare for and confront issues of safety.
We will be discussing how news organisations prepare for and respond to the risk of kidnap, and how insurers, victim recovery firms, journalists’ families, and governments influence the actions of news enterprises – and why freelancers are particularly at risk.
War Zone Freelance Exhibition – in Pictures
Photos by Tolly Robinson Thursday 28 January 2016 – panel discussion with journalists Benjamin Hiller, Osie Greenway, Jeffry Ruigendijk and Anne Alling on the subject of freelance conflict reporting and the War Zone Freelance Exhibition.
War Zone Freelance Exhibition – The Story Behind the News
By Thomas Colson A panel of freelance journalists and photographers joined an audience at the Frontline Club on Thursday 28 January 2016 to discuss the story behind a new exhibition of freelance war photography. Osie Greenway, Anne Alling, Benjamin Hiller and Jeffry Ruigendijk introduced photography and footage from their time in the Middle East – particularly Iraq, Syria and Lebanon […]
How to Freelance Safely – Part Two
By Graham Lanktree As many major news organisations close foreign bureaus, freelancers are called on more and more to cover global conflicts. They face risks often without the structure, training and resources that come with having a large media outlet behind you. Continuing a conversation that began at the end of October in New York at the […]
First Aid for Conflicts and Challenging Environments
If you have done a first aid course before or a hostile environment course, then this is the one day programme to refresh those skills. This practical workshop will allow you to update your core skills to save someone’s life in the field. Basic Life support – breathing and bleeding and other useful tips as well as how to do this in a hostile environment. Our practical simulations will provide you with a good reminder of what to do, refresh those forgotten skills.
How to Freelance Safely – Part Two
Following our event in New York with the Overseas Press Club of America (OPC), they will be coming to London to continue the discussion.
We will be bringing together a panel of freelance journalists and editors to examine what more needs to be done to make sure freelancers are supported by the news industry and have the resources available to prepare themselves for the risks of front-line reporting.
The Frontline Club in New York: How to Freelance Safely – Part One
This event will take place at Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs Building, 420 West 118th Street #1, room 1302, New York.
We are delighted to be teaming up with the Overseas Press Club of America (OPC) for two events on freelance safety. The first will be held at Club Quarters in New York and the second in November at the Frontline Club in London.
Syria: Changing Media Coverage?
The conflict in Syria has taken the lives of many journalists and many more have been kidnapped and remain missing. The level of risk for journalists in the country is extremely high and yet the imperative to cover what is happening there is equally so.
In partnership with the Overseas Press Club we will be bringing together a panel of journalists and editors to talk about the challenges to journalism that have arisen from the high risk of covering the conflict in Syria and the work that needs to be done to better ensure the safety of journalists working there.
RISC training at the Frontline Club
The Frontline Club will be hosting the first RISC (Reporters Instructed in Saving Colleagues) training course in the UK. The four-days of training will end with a Group Show that is open to everyone on Wednesday 9 October at 7pm, to register to attend see HERE.
Sheffield Doc/Fest Session: Surviving Syria – Filmmaking in Extremis
Heading to Sheffield Doc/Fest this year? Not only does the programme contain a fantastic selection of films, everyone with a full festival pass also has access to the diverse and inspiring conference programme. Join Frontline Club founder, Vaughan Smith on Friday 14 June at 2.30 PM at the Crucible Studio, for the panel Surviving Syria: Filmmaking in Extremis.
Published: Newsgathering Safety and the Welfare of Freelancers
Today we are pleased to announce the publication of our white paper, Newsgathering Safety and the Welfare of Freelancers. A year ago, we invited freelancers, editors, managers, trainers and safety advisors to come together and discuss the issues of safety in the field. Since then, professionals from across the industry have been collaborating and sharing their experiences […]
Calls to support fledgling freelancers as more flock to war zones
By Helena Williams Calls to support the next generation of independent journalists working in conflict zones were made just days after French freelance photographer Olivier Voisin was killed by shrapnel in Syria.
On the media: Unprepared, inexperienced and in a war zone
As more and more freelance journalists choose to cut their teeth in the field rather than in local newsrooms, we will be joined by a panel of journalists and editors to discuss what precautions need to be taken to keep them safe. Should they be deterred from heading straight to conflict zones, or should the training, insurance and guidance be more freely available?
Freelance journalism and the Leveson Inquiry
Throughout the Leveson Inquiry, news executives have consistently vilified freelance journalists, who provide a means to assign blame for a paper’s illegal activities without indicting any of its full-time staff. Guest writer Daanish Alam investigates the possible effects of the Leveson Inquiry on freelancers.
Donate to Reporters Instructed in Saving Colleagues (RISC)
Reporters Instructed in Saving Colleagues (RISC) was founded by Sebastian Junger in reaction to the death of his friend and colleague Tim Hetherington, who lost his life covering combat in the Libyan city of Misrata a year and a half ago. RISC trains freelance journalists in battlefield medicine and in April they completed their first […]
The First Freelance News Safety Survey
The Frontline Club’s News Safety Initiative was launched on 8 May 2012 with a meeting of news industry decision-makers, leading practitioners and freelances, at the Frontline Club. The meeting was a great success and it was clear that everyone wanted us to take the best ideas forward.
Launch of Frontline Club journalism safety initiative
Editors, producers, practitioners and others involved in the news industry will gather at the Frontline Club in early May to discuss issues of safety.
How to become a freelance foreign correspondent
By Helena Williams Last year was the year of the freelance foreign correspondent. The tumultuous events of 2011 gave freelance journalists unprecedented access to breathless, breaking news stories in the Arab world – unlike Iraq and Afghanistan, where embedding restrictions applied, freelancers were free to travel and compete on the frontline. With the increasing attraction […]
FULLY BOOKED On the media: Becoming a freelance foreign correspondent
This event is now fully booked but you will be able to watch it live here and follow the discussion on #fcfreelance.
With uprisings across the Middle East and North Africa setting a relentless pace in this year’s news agenda, media outlets have frequently turned to freelances to cover events in countries where they are without staff bureaus and wire services.
The Frontline Club, in association with the BBC College of Journalism, will be bringing together a panel of freelances who will discuss the practicalities of life as a freelance foreign correspondent from setting up in a country to finding and pitching stories and dealing with the realities of conflict.
Reporting conflict: competition, pressure and risks
View in iTunes Watch the event here. By Helena Williams In a year where 100 journalists have been killed so far while trying to tell the story, and as the media’s coverage of events rocking the Middle East have been brought into sharp relief, it seems high time to examine the delicate relationship between ensuring the […]
The Frontline Club Award and the Frontline Memorial Tribute Award for excellence in journalism.
The Frontline Club Award and the Frontline Memorial Tribute Award for excellence in journalism aim to recognise recognise journalistic integrity, courage and the independence of spirit, regardless of nationality or media discipline and include the work of freelances. The Frontline Club Award is given annually in recognition of an outstanding body of work or series of contributions […]
On the Media: Going at it alone as a foreign correspondent
View in iTunes Watch the event here. The rise of a new breed of foreign correspondent, a multimedia-savvy reporter who is comfortable working solo without the backup of a big news organisation – was the topic of Tuesday’s On the Media discussion. Chaired by Matthew Eltringham, editor of BBC College of Journalism website, the […]
FULLY BOOKED On the Media: Going it alone as a foreign correspondent
As many established media organisations are forced to cut back on their foreign bureaux, new opportunities are emerging for a new type of foreign correspondent – the independent multimedia journalist.
We’ll be bringing together a panel of experts to talk about their experiences of reporting, including kit, the realities of going it alone, and working relationships with the established news organisations.
Going Solo: Freelance multimedia journalism is nothing to be scared of
By Jasper Jackson Journalists embarking on a freelance career should not be afraid of going it alone, but they must take advantage of new technology and multimedia toll to get noticed, according to a Frontline Club panel of freelance experts. If you couldn’t make the event, here is a video of the whole thing in […]