INSI members tuned into a webinar hosted by our board member Salim Amin on covering the re-run of the disputed Kenyan presidential elections.

Nairobi-based Amin, the chairman of Camerapix, discussed potential flashpoints for violence during this new poll and warned of the possibility of civil war in Kenya. The full webinar is available for INSI members, but here is a snapshot of the advice:

• Security officials are cracking down on journalists wearing personal protective equipment, and tear gas is being used as demonstrations increase.
• The government is showing less restraint than before the August poll and is highly sensitive to unfavourable reporting.
• Local journalists are particularly under threat from strong-arm tactics, as is anyone doing investigative reporting.

Storm at Media Days conference

Director Hannah Storm was at the Media Days Conference in Gothenburg, Sweden to discuss how journalists were affected by reporting on the arrival of millions of refugees in Europe.  “The emotional toll on journalists covering the story was unprecedented,” said Storm, presenting INSI’s groundbreaking report into the response of news media professionals to covering a humanitarian crisis. “The story was far more traumatic for refugees, but from talking to our members we also began to get a sense there was something amiss with the journalists covering the story, that the emotional safety of journalists was not as it should be.”
 
While in Sweden, Storm also met with INSI members to discuss a range of issues from domestic terror to online safety.

INSI at Frontline Club
Storm will be at London’s Frontline Club on 18 October to present INSI's report and discuss navigating this new terrain in mental health along with co-author Professor Anthony Feinstein and award-winning journalists Yannis Behrakis and Will Vassilopoulos.

Countering online harassment 
Online harassment is one of the most insidious safety concerns facing our industry and members, with wide-ranging implications for press freedom and media plurality. INSI assistant director Anna Bevan explained what some in the media industry are doing. Speaking at an OSCE conference on online safety for journalists in Vienna, she highlighted what individuals and organisations can do to counter social media misogyny and overcome the threat of digital harassment. The forum discussed possible mechanisms including creating peer support networks, offering an online harassment hotline and minimising the amount of personal information online.

INSI AGM
Our annual general meeting will take place this year in Amsterdam on 14 November. All are welcome, but only members of INSI may vote. Please email info@newssafety.org for further information.
Photo by AFP