NAHJ Calls for More Protections for Multimedia Journalists

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

January 28, 2021

NAHJ Calls for More Protections for Multimedia Journalists

Washington, D.C. – The National Association for Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) calls on newsrooms to address the rising safety threats against multimedia journalists (MMJs), especially in light of a recent incident in which reporter Tori Yorgey was hit by a car while reporting on a live broadcast. NAHJ calls on  newsrooms to implement safety policies and guidelines to help improve the increasingly dangerous and taxing environment in which MMJs are required to work. 

MMJs are often sent to assignments on their own to do work that previously would have been assigned to a crew of two to three people, in some cases using their own equipment to film, photograph, and set up their own shots – often in dangerous or emotionally charged situations including protests, areas with heavy traffic, crime scenes, and more. While MMJs are aware of and take on certain risks when they accept an assignment, there is often little room to push back against newsroom managers, especially for freelancers. Incidents including attacks on members of the press at protests, and other attacks on journalists reporting live, have illustrated the need for more robust safety measures. 

“There have been many more attacks and incidents than we are aware of because they are rarely reported,” said Julio César Chávez, National Vice President of Broadcast. “Requiring that reporters go stand in extreme weather, or in the midst of intense or otherwise dangerous situations, just for the sake of getting the shot is a practice that we must interrogate. The safety of journalists should come first and foremost and they should not be required to take unnecessary risks just to do their job,” he continued. 

NAHJ calls on newsrooms to prioritize reporter safety before sending MMJs on solo assignments. The responsibility of ensuring safe working conditions should not fall solely on the shoulders of the crews, but should be addressed by managers, producers, and other leaders in the newsroom and established as policy. Action must be taken before more journalists’ lives are put at risk.

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