As independent media globally face unprecedented threats, the ACOS Alliance and WAN-IFRA have joined forces to launch the Editor Safety Hub, a free-to-access training platform for news editors and managers.
The Editor Safety Hub launches with The Fundamentals of Safe Commissioning, a self-paced training course that equips editors with the skills they need to safely commission journalistic work, support the safety of freelancers they work with, and embed a culture of safety within their everyday practice. The course’s content has been created with Aegis Safety Alliance and in consultation with news editors, safety trainers and educational consultants.
The Fundamentals of Safe Commissioning leads participants through the essential elements of risk management via videos, case studies, scenarios, visualisations, quizzes and downloadable templates that allow for engagement and feedback. The training is designed to encourage ongoing thought processes around safety and covers digital, legal, physical and psychological safety aspects. On completion editors will be able to:
- Understand their safety role and responsibilities, including duty of care
- Conduct a safety self-assessment and risk assessments with freelancers
- Know procedures for incident reporting and undertake safety protocols
- Implement sound editorial versus safety decisions
- Support the psychological wellness of their teams and undertake self-care
The course is aimed at a global audience, with Arabic and Spanish versions launching later in the year. The Editor Safety Hub will add further courses covering safety topics in greater depth in 2025 and beyond.
Elisabet Cantenys, Executive Director of the ACOS Alliance said: “News editors and managers have the potential to positively impact the safety of the journalists they work with, yet they are often overlooked when it comes to safety training. The Editor Safety Hub fills this critical gap, providing news organisations large and small with an efficient way to improve their safety culture and practice safe commissioning.”
Andrew Heslop, Executive Director, Press Freedom at WAN-IFRA said: “The Editor Safety Hub is a vital additional resource for newsrooms as they navigate increasing threats to their journalism and aim to instil good safety practices throughout an industry facing challenges from every direction. Keeping their people safe is a top priority for our members and partners worldwide: by engaging with the Hub, we’re confident editors and managers will gain the knowledge and tools needed to help them along the way to doing just that.”
To join the Editor Safety Hub, take the course and find out more, visit editorsafetyhub.org.
The ACOS (A Culture Of Safety) Alliance is a unique global coalition of 150+ news organizations, journalist associations and press freedom NGOs working together to champion safe and responsible journalism practices, with a focus on freelance and local journalists. The Alliance’s mission is to embed a culture of safety within journalism so that independent media and journalists globally can play their essential role in upholding democracy. See more at acosalliance.org.
WAN-IFRA, the World Association of News Publishers, is the global organisation of the world’s press. Its mission is to protect the rights of journalists and publishers around the world to operate independent media, providing members with expertise and services to innovate and prosper in a digital world and perform their crucial role in society. Its global network includes 3,000 news publishing companies and technology entrepreneurs as well as 60 member publisher associations, representing 18,000 publications in 120 countries. See more at wan-ifra.org.