30 JULY 2020, LONDON – Today, on the second anniversary of the vicious murders of the Russian journalists Orkhan Dzhemal, Kirill Radchenko, and Alexander Rastorguev in the Central African Republic, we are launching online Media Safety Academy, which has been named in memory of Orkhan Dzhemal.
“The data from daily monitoring оf attacks on journalists and surveys of more than two hundred journalists and online activists from 12 post-Soviet countries have allowed us to piece together a detailed picture of the professional risks they face. On this basis, we have developed a curriculum and have brought in specialists who will be able to help Russian-speaking media workers acquire the skills and knowledge they need to ensure their own safety,” announced Maria Ordzhonikidze.
The online courses being offered by the Academy have been developed for professional and citizen journalists, freelancers, bloggers, and online activists who use Russian as one of their working languages. Tuition is free – those who wish to participate need only register their interest on our website.
The 14 instructors of the Academy, who come from nine countries, include Galina Arapova (Media Rights Defence Centre; Russia), Grigory Pasko (Community of Investigative Journalists – Foundation 19/29; Czech Republic), Svitlana Valko (Truth Hounds Human Rights Organisation; Ukraine, Georgia), the Silk Road Training team (Great Britain), Shahida Tulganova (documentary maker and producer; Uzbekistan, Great Britain), and Arzu Geybulla (journalist, cyber-security specialist; Azerbaijan, Turkey). They will be offering video courses in the following subjects:
- Risk Analysis and Structured Analytical Techniques
- Physical Security and First Aid
- Information and Cyber Security
- Psychological and Emotional Safety, Overcoming the Trauma
- Media Risks and Legal Security
“Although you cannot foresee and protect yourself from everything, proper training could save your life. It is for the sake of the lives of journalists, for the sake of their loved ones, and in memory of those who have died, that we are launching this programme,” noted Advisory Board member of the Justice for Journalists Foundation, Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
We invite professional and citizen journalists and online activists to apply for study at the Academy. The programme is structured in the form of thematic modules – you can do all of the modules or select just those you consider the most relevant to your specific situation. Academy students who have done all of the modules and have successfully passed all the tests will receive a certificate.