Protecting the press: Staying safe vs securing the story 

Keeping the media safe in dangerous environments, by Ali Hassan, Intelligence Analyst, Healix.

Anyone with a camera and internet access can break a news story.

Some of the most consequential news stories from the past ten years, including the London Grenfell Tower Fire, Boston Marathon Bombing and California Wildfires, were all first shared by those impacted, or other members of the public, via live streaming.  

There has always been pressure on journalists due to the requirement of the role.

Citizen journalism has arguably put additional pressure on media houses and their reporters to move quicker and further for a scoop – often prioritising the story above their own safety.

Sometimes, the story comes at the cost of journalist lives, with 122 journalists and media workers killed in 2024, according to the National Union of Journalists, one of the deadliest years since the survey began in 1990.  

Media security is a different beast, with 86% of security managers agreeing that media outlets require a fundamentally different approach from traditional security risk management – according to a Healix study. The unique nature of the media industry requires a similarly unique approach to safety and security. 

Situations where security managers do not fully understand the requirements of a journalist’s role can be unnecessarily fraught and subsequently dangerous – leading to reporters putting themselves at risk.

For example, at a Healix workshop on media security held last year, security managers at national media houses shared stories of journalists giving security personnel “the slip” – so they could investigate unchaperoned. 

Couple this with the additional danger involved in gathering and reporting sensitive information, both from a physical and digital perspective given the ever-rising threat of cyber-crime, and media focused security personnel face a flush of challenges.

So, how can you protect the kind of people who will accept the risks as part of their job description, to secure a story? 

Specialised training for third-party personnel 

Standard security training for third-party security personnel, or High-Risk Advisers (HRAs), is generally not suitable for those working within the media industry. It is too generic, rather than specific to the unique challenges posed by, for instance, war reporting. 

Any third-party providers brought in to support journalists in the field need to be adequately trained and equipped by those who understand the industry. They need to be able to make dynamic decisions. To validate this expertise, any tailored programs should also be certified. 

This is a challenge, given there are currently no industry standards in place for the media industry for HRAs to adhere to. Collaboration and communication between industry stakeholders is required to set, and promote the adoption of, consistent security practices.

Dedicated forums for media security personnel, such as online communities, conferences and workshops, can help to facilitate these conversations, alongside exchanges in knowledge. 

Building trust through discussion  

Often, effective security is about people management. It’s more about soft skills than it is traditional security skills, such as conflict management approaches or de-escalation techniques.

According to research by Healix, security managers view ‘the story itself’ as the second most influential factor when assessing risk factors. 

This means an understanding of the journalist, and the story the journalist is trying to tell, is more likely to set HRAs up for success, when it comes to collaboration and building trust.  

Open communication between security personnel and journalists encourages better decision-making, reducing the journalists’ feeling of operating without requisite knowledge or advice.

It’s beneficial for the security team and journalist to compile a pre-determined list of what is ideally achieved for the story, pre-planning risk management at every stage.  

An intelligence-led approach  

An intelligence-led security strategy for the media also relies on effective relationship management with local stakeholders. Any intelligence that informs decision making should be vetted, processed and obtained from multiple sources. 

A part of this is building relationships over time, through reading people and a deep understanding of cultural nuances.

Media personnel who have previously been deployed to a high-risk area should themselves be able to provide information on the risk environment to their security teams.  

HRAs can also work with third-party intelligence teams that track emerging threats and geopolitical trends.

For example, by monitoring reports of malicious activity targeting hotels, a security manager could take proactive measures to protect their organisation’s personnel, such as conducting vulnerability assessments, implementing enhanced security protocols and providing specific security training to staff. 

Timely and verified security updates can also help HRAs ‘cut through noise’ during the initial flurry of information following an incident, enabling decision-making based on verified information and reliable assessment. 

Navigating the industry 

The unique nature of journalism means HRAs working to protect reporters face challenges that others in security do not.

The industries where personnel knowingly put themselves in danger, sometimes deliberately ignoring security instructions, are few and far between.  

The key is to recognise this and deploy soft skills in conjunction with traditional security skills, to navigate an industry that is – ironically – far from black and white.  

Healix provides healthcare and risk management solutions around the world, offering bespoke services to clients who want control over their health, travel and risk provision.