South Africa elections 2019: Journalist safety kit

By Editor, CPJ Reprint | | Print |

Art: Jack Forbes

Mar 4 2019 - South Africa, one of the media freedom beacons in sub-Saharan Africa, will hold national and provincial elections on May 8. As the country celebrates 25 years of democracy, the press in South Africa faces old and new challenges, including physical harassment and cyber bullying. The press freedom environment, including the safety of journalists, will be one of the key indicators for the health of the country’s democracy and the freeness and fairness of its polls.

CPJ’s Emergencies Response Team (ERT) has compiled a Safety Kit for journalists covering South Africa’s election. The kit contains information for editors, reporters, and photojournalists on how to prepare for the election and how to mitigate digital, physical and psychological risk.

Journalists requiring assistance can contact CPJ via emergencies@cpj.org.

CPJ’s Journalist Security Guide has additional information on basic preparedness and assessing and responding to risk. CPJ’s resource center has additional information and tools for pre-assignment preparation and post-incident assistance.

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Editor’s Safety Checklist
Physical Safety: Covering rallies and protests
Physical Safety: Covering hostile communities
Physical Safety: Covering crime
Digital Safety: Basic device preparedness
Digital Safety: Identifying bots
Digital Safety: Online harassment
Digital Safety: Securing and storing materials
Psychological Safety: Managing trauma in the newsroom
Psychological Safety: Trauma-related stress