
A massive wave of solidarity protests against racial injustice have been staged across the United States and worldwide following a series of killings in the US, including of unarmed African American man, George Floyd, by police on May 25th.
#TFnothingbutthetruth
In this time, millions of people around the world have moved in solidarity towards a single mission: to demonstrate that Black Lives Matter.
Journalists have given a voice to the moment by covering demonstrations and providing an unbiased, nonpartisan perspective. However, many have reported being wrongfully arrested or assaulted by security forces, using teargas, rubber bullets and pepper spray - even when clearly identified as members of the news media - as well as being intimidated by crowds.
It is easy to dismiss concerns about media freedom as relevant only to countries led by repressive regimes. But freedom of the media in the US continues to suffer under President Trump's administration, according to media watchdog group, Reporters Without Borders.
In the week after the murder of George Floyd, the US Press Freedom Tracker - managed by the Freedom of the Press Foundation - received more than 279 claims of violations to media freedom in the US.
Journalists on the frontlines may find themselves in harm's way as they continue to document this important story. But for black journalists in particular, being able to do their work freely is proving harder than ever, according to Sudanese/British journalist and Thomson Foundation alumnus, Yousra Elbagir.
Employers and managers need to understand the heightened risks that black journalists face, she says. Police can often mistake black journalists for protesters and, as we've seen, are heavy-handed in their approach.
Yousra played a critical role in breaking the media silence on the Sudan uprising last summer. She is now covering the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as speaking up on the racial discrimination inside newsrooms, and against the limiting cultural narratives that contextualise the black female experience.
As a journalist trained in trauma and conflict reporting, she is also actively supporting black journalists to deal with traumatic news content. The job of a journalist is not easy, especially when you are processing the struggle of your own people, she says.
Here, Yousra offers specific information to black frontline journalists regarding solidarity protests with Black Lives Matter and similarly aligned groups. However, her advice applies to most protests.
-- Play
-- --
A critical time for press freedom The recent attacks on journalists in the US bear a striking resemblance to police brutality against journalists around the world over the years - ones that have been swiftly condemned by US officials.
Iraq-based freelance journalist, Pesha Magid, says this is a picture of widespread and growing attacks on the profession. Pesha, who received training from the foundation, was the trusted voice from Baghdad when she documented civil unrest and an outbreak of anti-government protests in 2019.
In Iraq, these protests were met by a severe crackdown from the security forces, she says. The crackdown included light bullets. It included security forces firing teargas canisters directly at protesters' heads, as well as a campaign of intimidation and harassment against protesters and journalists. That included threats and, in some cases, kidnapping and torture.
Here, Pesha reviews the risks that journalists face when covering demonstrations or repressive security forces, and offers advice on covering protests smartly.
-- Play
-- --
A unique moment of protests Attacks on journalists have proved deadly to individuals and chilling to broader freedoms. But now Covid-19 is also threatening the right to reliable information.
Iraq, like everywhere else, has been affected by Covid-19, continues Pesha. The pandemic has exacerbated a lot of the very severe issues that led to protests in the first place because of the economic issues. People aren't able to go out and work while there are these mass curfews in place.
How this is going to develop remains to be seen, but that's why it's our job as journalists to try to stay on the ground and keep covering these things as safely as possible.
It can be dangerous but it's also a special moment where people from various walks of life are all meeting together in this physical space and where people are in the midst of a very dynamic change.
It's a really unique moment of protests and a moment of change across the world.
It's a really unique moment of protests and a moment of change across the world.
Pesha Magid, Baghdad-based journalist
This is a critical time for media freedom and journalists need at least a working understanding of how to stay safe while covering protests.
Here are 10 safety basics:
1. Plan your escape routes Map out the physical environment and what your potential escape routes can be. You want to have more than one way to get out of town if things start to get dodgy - Pesha
2. Clearly identify yourself Make sure you always have your press card at hand and have a security contact at the office who can confirm your employment there - Yousra
3. Strength in numbers Do not go to the protests alone. Have someone to talk to when you're making security choices and have someone who can call your backup people if you get into trouble - Pesha
4. Practice situational awareness When you're interviewing someone in the middle of a protest, you can easily get sucked in. Keep an eye on whether things are changing or whether a big group of people is forming around you. That will make you stand out and that puts you at risk - Pesha
5. Keep moving When you're in one place, you become a target. Pass throu
More from Thomson
10/07/2025
The current holder of the prestigious Thomson Foundation Young Journalist of the Year Award has been forced to stop reporting over fears for her safety in Afgha...
08/07/2025
In an era where digital threats to journalists are becoming increasingly aggressive and widespread, MediaSafe Africa launches as a vital online resource to help...
24/06/2025
Have you got what it takes to be Thomson's Young Journalist of the Year 2025? If youre a journalist aged 30 or under, this is your moment. Entries are now o...
03/06/2025
What does it take to push back against disinformation in a world of fragmented a...
16/05/2025
Across Central and Eastern Europe, journalism is no longer the default source of information. It competes and often loses against a chaotic content stream drive...
16/05/2025
Journalists working in investigative reporting across the Western Balkans and T rkiye are encouraged to enter their published work for the 2025 edition of the E...
12/05/2025
As newsrooms around the world begin to experiment with artificial intelligence, many are asking the same question: how do we move beyond isolated pilots and emb...
09/05/2025
At the Frontline Club in London, a venue long associated with media freedom and ...
01/05/2025
As Tanzania approaches a pivotal election year marked by both promise and concern over the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on media, more than 300 journa...
23/04/2025
In 2024, Thomson's Total Turnout project played a pivotal role in elevating ethical election reporting and strengthening journalist safety in Pakistan.
Wit...
16/04/2025
At a time when Sudanese women journalists face unprecedented challenges, She Speaks Sudan has provided a critical platform for training, mentorship, and collabo...
15/04/2025
As women in Afghanistan are stripped of their rights - banned from education, barred from public life and rendered invisible - a number of women journalists con...
14/04/2025
Rwanda's vulnerability to climate change is underscored by its ranking of 124th out of 182 countries in the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative's in...
19/03/2025
Applications are open for the second cycle of the Validation Booster programme, offering European media outlets, networks, and content creators the opportunity ...
07/03/2025
Increasing restrictions on women and girls in Afghanistan is forcing women journalists take extraordinary risks to their own safety to tell their stories.
The ...
21/01/2025
Two senior war reporters from the BBC and Sky News have joined an outstanding array of experts in a unique series of training courses for journalists covering p...
16/01/2025
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Gary Mundy as Thomsons new Director of Research, Policy and Impact. Gary will join the organisation in March 2025,...
15/01/2025
The buzz around artificial intelligence (AI) in journalism reached a crescendo a...
08/01/2025
A landmark document examining key issues into how the media industry is grappling with the challenges of explaining how its using AI in its publications and bro...
30/12/2024
Leaving Thomson after 21 years, former Managing Director David Quin reflects on a career spent navigating the shifting sands of global media development. From r...
20/12/2024
Podcasting has become one of the most popular ways to tell stories and connect with audiences, but getting started can be intimidating, especially when it comes...
16/12/2024
Thomson's Executive Learning Series wrapped up its 2024 calendar with a landmark event in Prague. The AI in Media masterclass brought together 24 media lead...
13/12/2024
Reporting in secret under the oppressive shadow of Taliban rule in Afghanistan, ...
04/12/2024
Somaiyah Hafeez, one of this year's finalists for Thomson's Young Journalist of the Year Award, had a transformative visit to London. As the only finali...
26/11/2024
A woman journalist from Afghanistan has been named Thomson Foundation's Young Journalist of the Year 2024.
The journalist, who we are not naming for her ow...
13/11/2024
Award-winning journalists from the Western Balkans and T rkiye break new ground with impactful investigations on healthcare, environmental threats, human rights...
05/11/2024
Somaiyah Hafeez, a journalist and writer from Balochistan, Pakistan, stands out for her commitment to telling the stories of overlooked communities in her regio...
05/11/2024
Aisha Farrukh a multimedia journalist from Pakistan focuses on human interest stories and aims to create change through her storytelling. Twenty eight year old ...
05/11/2024
One of the three finalists for the Young Journalist of the Year 2024 is a woman journalist working in secret in Afghanistan because of the restrictions imposed ...
31/10/2024
Three journalists whose stories give a voice to people who are oppressed or marginalised have been chosen as the finalists for the 2024 Young Journalist of the ...
16/10/2024
We are pleased to announce that Federica Varalda has been appointed as Managing Director - Development for the Thomson Group. She will be leading project develo...
23/09/2024
Reporting from a female journalist who is working in secret due to Taliban restr...
30/07/2024
We caught up with Yara El Murr, winner of the Young Journalist Award 2023, to find out how her life has changed since scooping the main prize for her investigat...
23/07/2024
Brussels was the location of our third Thomson Talks with Madhav Chinnappa held on 25 June 2024, focused on the specific subject of AI/News & Regulation. Four k...
03/07/2024
AI's integration into journalism has sparked a mix of enthusiasm and scepticism across Central Europe, according to research led by Thomson Foundation in co...
01/07/2024
This was such a confidence boost and so much motivation to keep pushing forward in my work and public service journalism.
Yara El Murr from Lebanon recollecti...
21/06/2024
A new platform dedicated to helping journalists win audience trust and tackle disinformation has been launched and with it a competition offering newsrooms (fro...
30/05/2024
Navigating Strategy, Ethics, and Innovation in the evolving European media lands...
28/05/2024
This is a summary of the report commissioned by Thomson on AI Disinformation Attacks during Taiwans 2024 Presidential Elections, written by Professor Chen-ling ...
13/05/2024
Journalists from the Western Balkans and T rkiye can now submit their investigative stories published in 2023 for the EU Award for Investigative Journalism 2024...
03/05/2024
An innovative learning tool to help media and civil society better understand ho...
29/04/2024
A groundbreaking initiative offering training and mentoring to 30 women journali...
23/04/2024
Psychology can play an important role in helping us understand what audiences respond to (Dr Jon Roozenbeek, Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab)
For newsroo...
10/04/2024
A regulator, a technologist and a politician walking into a conference room - the beginning of a very geeky joke - or more accurately, the start of the second T...
09/04/2024
This is a summary of the report commissioned by Thomson on AI Disinformation Attacks during Taiwans 2024 Presidential Elections, written by Professor Chen-ling ...
04/04/2024
This fantastic course will help you understand and fight disinformation, an absolutely essential skill to acquire during this global election season. Sign up an...
02/04/2024
Thomson's work in captive, closed and repressive media landscapes has long been about making sure we get the best possible idea of what people really need f...
28/03/2024
Out of an estimated 20,000 journalists in Pakistan, less than one thousand are women according to a recent Gender Disparity Report published by the Internationa...
15/03/2024
To help empower Sudanese journalists living in exile amidst the ongoing conflict in their homeland, Thomson trainers have been delivering workshops designed to ...
01/03/2024
MoJo is something I want to pursue further and include, not as a last thought, but as a one of the components of my daily work. Michelle Banda Vodacom Young Jou...