About this project

Over the past two years, the IWMF has supported more than 40 newsrooms with policy development and training around issues related to online abuse. In 2022, we launched our guide to supporting newsrooms with this issue and a year later we set up our News Safety Cohort, a unique training model that incorporates policy development, training and peer-to-peer learning.

As the U.S. heads into an election year, support for online abuse is more critical than ever. Journalists are likely to see an uptick in online attacks and newsrooms need to be well prepared but may not have the time to do so. To respond to this, the IWMF is adapting its cohort model to ensure as many newsrooms are as protected as possible over a shorter period of time. 

What does our support look like?

If you want to better protect your newsroom from online violence but are short on time and unsure where to start then our cohort program may be a good fit for you.

We offer:

• A short needs-based assessment to understand what policies you need and which policies you can realistically implement.
• An initial hour-long call with an online abuse expert who will start working on policy development with you in the meeting.
• Policy templates that you can easily adapt for your newsroom.
• Real-life example of policies and guides written by newsrooms we have worked with.
• Minimal meetings with written feedback on policies provided instead.
• Training for staff and freelancers if requested. 

Who is this support for?

If you are a newsroom who is looking for support with issues on online violence then please complete this brief intake form.