The National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP) along with The Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) will present a training session for journalists to help them prepare for covering the 2020 elections and in particular the Democratic National Convention (DNC) to be held in Milwaukee later this summer.
The program will consist of three 50-minute sessions on Friday, March 20. (See the schedule here.)
The first will be a training on election law, led by Shannon Jankowski, the E.W. Scripps Legal Fellow at Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. The training will review RCFP’s newly updated Election Legal Guide for journalists and cover topics such as access to polling places, exit polling, and ballot selfies, generally and in Wisconsin specifically.
NPPA General Counsel, Mickey H. Osterreicher will present the second session — an informative program about the rights and limitations of journalists and citizens to photograph and record police officers and first responders performing their official duties in public. The discussion will include First, Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights. The objective is to foster improved police-press-public relations in an era when they are most needed. The session will include a constructive discussion of the rights and responsibilities of journalists, the public, and police and will encourage greater respect and understanding for the role each plays. The session will also focus on how to safely report on high profile events such as the DNC convention and public demonstrations.
Lucy Westcott from the Emergencies team at the Committee to Protect Journalists will present the third session — simple tools for reporters and editors preparing to safely cover the 2020 U.S. election. Westcott will talk about a crucial tool — how to conduct a risk assessment— and will delve deeper into basic physical and digital safety tips with an emphasis on preparing for, and responding to, online harassment.
The program is being presented with the generous support of the Society of Professional Journalists Foundation.
