Safety Ambassadors Fellowship

With support from the Press Forward, the International Women’s Media Foundation is expanding its Newsroom Safety Across America initiative to train 3,000 local journalists across the U.S. and to support small newsrooms build and implement safety policies. This initiative focuses on creating a sustainable safety infrastructure for local news through the development of a cohort of dedicated Safety Ambassadors.

Safety Ambassadors will serve as a resource within their journalism communities, gaining the knowledge and tools to serve as the first line of defense against the evolving risks U.S. reporters and newsrooms face. They will become experts on risk assessment and gain a holistic understanding of the physical, digital and psychosocial safety threats facing local journalists and newsrooms today. 

After completing the program, Safety Ambassadors will be equipped to:

• Deliver virtual and in-person workshops on areas of relevant safety expertise
• Support your peers in the news profession and future cohorts of Safety Ambassadors
• Be featured as IWMF Safety Ambassadors at journalism conferences, trainings, and other industry events.

Over the course of the program fellows will receive:

• Individualized mentoring and advice from leading journalism safety experts
• A small stipend to support their participation in the program
• Potential for paid opportunities with IWMF and partners upon successful completion of the program

Eligibility

• Must be working in journalism and passionate about supporting safety of journalists, especially in local newsrooms.
• Must have a desire to teach, train and learn.
• Must be willing to commit 10 hours per month over a 6-month period.
• Must commit to delivering 4 training sessions upon successful completion of the program.
• We seek diversity of lived experiences as well as geographic diversity in this program. Applicants must be based in the U.S.
• This program is open to journalists of all genders.

Please reach out to programs@iwmf.org if you have any questions or accessibility needs. 

About the IWMF's Safety Work

As the leading provider of identity-informed, holistic safety training and resources for journalists and newsrooms – with a focus on women and nonbinary reporters – in the U.S. and globally, the IWMF has trained thousands of journalists to enhance their safety online and offline.