This requires an interconnected security system that prioritizes physical, emotional, digital and legal security.
Global Press created the world's leading Duty of Care program to meet the specific needs of local female journalists, for whom extraction is not an option.
At Global Press, Duty of Care is implemented in three distinct ways: training (20%), day-to-day protocols (75%) and crisis response (5%).
Duty of Care is alive in our employee handbooks, editorial policies, communication tools and daily operations to keep reporters safe and healthy in a wide range of global circumstances. Our reporters live full-time in the communities they report on, which means they might face violent clashes among armed groups (Democratic Republic of Congo), runaway inflation that impoverishes them overnight (Zimbabwe), or a blanket internet shutdown that cuts them off from the outside world (Indian-Administered Kashmir).
Physical security is a focal point of Duty of Care training, which is delivered in each of the six primary languages our reporters speak. Physical security training includes situational awareness, stress-based decision making, emergency first aid, surveillance detection and more. In-person training is supported by a robust system of policies and protocols designed to ensure that reporters’ safety is prioritized constantly.
Did you know that journalists experience extremely high rates of trauma, stress and anxiety? Yet, mental health conversations are still taboo in the news industry and mental health resources are limited in many Global Press coverage communities. So, we built the Global Press Wellness Network, a group of licensed mental health practitioners who provide language-appropriate counseling for our team of reporters. Sessions are free and unlimited. In 2019, half of our reporters took advantage of counseling sessions. In 2021, 85% of our team said they planned to use the service.
Online harassment is pervasive for local journalists. Keeping our reporters digitally safe includes training on the link between physical and digital security, source protection, hacking and phishing and ensuring digital security in both high and low-tech environments.
Global Press retains both legal and global counsel to ensure our team has ample representation. In training, reporters learn key laws, penal codes and strategies for navigating press freedom specific to their local community.
In 2020, Global Press received the Chester M. Pierce Human Rights Award from the American Psychiatric Association for its Duty of Care program and its “extraordinary efforts to prioritize the mental health of journalists around the world."
In 2021, Global Press was shortlisted for the SOS International Awards for the "remote resilience" of its Duty of Care program.
