ARIJ, in collaboration with the Rory Peck Trust, announced a number of  open workshops for participants during its annual 17th forum. These workshops cover legal, digital, psychological, and physical safety topics and are delivered by a group of trainers and specialists in these fields. No prior registration is required for these workshops.

Below are the four open workshops that will be offered during the forum:

Workshop: Risk Management for Investigative Journalism  

Have you developed a security plan before starting your assignment or investigation? Have you identified the expected risks and how to manage them? Why can the risks of investigative journalism sometimes be similar to the risks of working in war and disaster zones? What is a hostile environment, and how can an investigative journalist assess risks? What is the holistic concept of safety in this case? If you receive threats while conducting an investigative project, how can you evaluate those threats scientifically and practically?

How can you conduct sensitive interviews with your sources, whether they are witnesses to corruption cases or survivors of violent incidents? What are the limits of your protection of sources? What are the rules for working undercover?

These questions will be addressed and discussed with Abeer Alsaady, physical safety expert, during the workshop organised by the Rory Peck Trust in cooperation with ARIJ, during the ARIJ 17th annual forum.

Workshop: Managing Psychological and Professional Challenges in the Life of a Freelance Journalist:

Impostor Syndrome, Procrastination, and Lack of Confidence

In the world of freelance journalism, some freelance journalists face individual challenges that require advanced organisational and self-management skills. These challenges become more complex when journalists experience environmental symptoms of ADHD, even if they are not diagnosed with the condition but may encounter some of its symptoms at certain points in their lives.

Freelance journalists may also struggle with recurring feelings of self-doubt, lack of confidence, or financial insecurity. The workshop aims to shed light on the psychological challenges that some freelance journalists may face and how to deal with them, focusing on effective strategies to overcome procrastination, manage self-doubt, achieve a balance between professional and personal life, and foster a sense of worthiness.

Freelance journalists often experience feelings of insecurity about their performance and ability to succeed, especially under constant pressure to achieve in an unstable financial environment with no fixed schedules. These negative emotions, combined with symptoms resembling ADHD, can impact their ability to manage time, organise tasks, and navigate the unpredictable nature of freelance work. The workshop will provide tools and techniques to enhance self-confidence, combat procrastination, and create a supportive work environment.

These themes and questions will be explored with Dr. Khaled Nasser during the workshop organised by the Rory Peck Trust in collaboration with ARIJ as part of ARIJ’s 17th Annual Forum.

Note: This workshop does not aim to provide a medical diagnosis but rather to raise awareness of certain personal traits and offer guidance for managing the mentioned symptoms. If you feel the need for an accurate diagnosis, we recommend consulting a specialised therapist for appropriate advice.

Workshop: Legal Awareness and Safety

Legal protection for journalists is crucial. Journalists should be well-versed in the legal rules and publishing laws in their country to avoid any legal mistakes that could result in imprisonment or fines. 

Having legal awareness can help journalists avoid legal loopholes that may be used against them by entities affected by media content. Knowledge of legal rights and duties is also crucial in case a journalist is arbitrarily arrested, which unfortunately happens in many countries experiencing conflicts with internal and external parties. In these situations, authorities and groups may take advantage of journalists’ lack of awareness to implement customs and procedures against them. It is important to note that all  journalists have legal rights.

To talk about these points, Rory Peck Trust invites journalists to attend the workshop titled ‘’Legal Awareness and Safety’’ with Khalid Khleifat, a Jordanian lawyer and a member of the Jordan Bar Association since 1995, specialising in media, publications, and cybercrime cases. 

Khalifat is a trainer on legal protection for journalists and media legislation, as well as on monitoring and documenting violations against media and media professionals. He worked on implementing specialised legal training in Jordan and several Arab countries. He works as a lawyer and consultant for many media organisations and worked on providing many legal consultations related to the laws of publications and publishing, audio-visual media, protection of state documents and secrets, guaranteeing the right to information, and cyber crimes committed by the media and social networking sites.

These questions will be addressed and discussed with Khalid Khleifat during the workshop organised by the Rory Peck Trust in cooperation with ARIJ, during the ARIJ 17th Annual Forum.

Workshop: Digital Safety Kit for Journalists

Digital attacks pose risks to the professional and physical safety of journalists, especially those working in the field of anti-corruption, and investigative journalism.  These attacks usually take the form of monitoring, tracking geographical locations, and spying on text messages, emails, phone calls, and digital communications. Phishing attacks are targeted “phishing” campaigns. They often use links containing malware sent via email, social media or other forms

Therefore, the Rory Peck Trust, in partnership with ARIJ, invites in person participants at the ARIJ 17th Annual Forum you to attend a workshop offered by digital and cyber safety expert and trainer, Yahya Al-Subhi, who will discuss digital safety tools for journalists, such as protecting online accounts (email and social media), protecting communications and browsing online, protecting our devices (Phones, laptops), source protection, malicious links, suspicious files and other security tips for journalists