November 8, 2024

How to Freelance Safely

The brutal murders of James Foley and Steven Sotloff have made it even more imperative that freelance journalists learn how to protect themselves as well as how to get the story.

The OPC and the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma have invited experts in the safety field to talk to members and guests on Oct. 21 at the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs Building, 420 West 118th Street, between Amsterdam Avenue and Morningside Drive, room 1302

Speakers include Bruce Shapiro, executive director of the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma; Sawyer Alberi, chief trainer for RISC (Reporters Instructed in Saving Colleagues); Judith Matloff, a veteran foreign correspondent who teaches a safety training course at the Columbia University School of Journalism; Vaughn Smith, founder of London’s Frontline Club and member of the board of representatives for the Frontline Freelance Register (FFR); and Micah Garen, an independent documentary filmmaker and multimedia journalist and founder of Four Corners Media who has worked in conflict and post-conflict zones around the world including Iraq, Afghanistan and Egypt. Garen was kidnapped in southern Iraq and held for 10 days in 2004 while filming a documentary about the looting of archaeological sites.

The OPC is co-sponsoring the event with the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma.


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