{"id":3668,"date":"2017-08-10T10:11:19","date_gmt":"2017-08-10T09:11:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/amdf-centre.org\/?p=3668"},"modified":"2026-07-05T20:11:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T19:11:11","slug":"how-photojournalists-can-protect-themselves-in-risky-environments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amdf-centre.org\/2017\/08\/10\/how-photojournalists-can-protect-themselves-in-risky-environments\/","title":{"rendered":"How photojournalists can protect themselves in risky environments"},"content":{"rendered":"
Sherry Ricchiardi<\/a> |<\/div>\n
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Wherever they operate, photojournalists tend to stand out. The equipment they use makes them easy to spot in a crowd. The images they produce also draw attention, and in some cases, can be a liability.<\/p>\n

Hundreds of media professionals have been forced to flee their homelands<\/a> to avoid intimidation, torture or imprisonment by authoritarian governments or local extremist groups intent on silencing them. The visual nature of their craft makes photographers especially vulnerable.<\/p>\n

Earlier this summer, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) announced it was \u201ccollaborating with a group of photojournalists, who will take over CPJ\u2019s Instagram account to share their work, often from assignments that forced them to flee.\u201d The series is aptly titled \u201cLens in Exile<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prize-winning photographer Mohammed Elshamy<\/a> made the inaugural posting with his photos documenting Egypt\u2019s military coup, violent street clashes and turmoil during uprisings. He fled the country in 2014 after police arrested him twice and jailed his older brother, Abdullah, also a journalist. He was released from solitary confinement later that year.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn times like these, the world needs photojournalists who risk their lives in selfless pursuit of the truth,\u201d Elshamy, 23, wrote in a New York Times<\/a> story about Egypt\u2019s endangered journalists. \u201cWe might be arrested, abducted, traumatized or even killed, yet we continue to document the world\u2019s tragedies and to document the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2011, at 17, he became the youngest recipient of the Egyptian Press Award. He now lives in New York.<\/p>\n

\u201cLens in Exile\u201d is a first for CPJ. \u201cWe thought it was a great way to utilize our Instagram platform,\u201d said Nicole Schilit<\/a>, CPJ journalist assistance program coordinator. \u201cIt\u2019s great to let these photojournalists provide images and tell their own stories.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schilit, a former photo editor for Travel and Leisure magazine, oversees submissions and edits the Instagram postings.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese journalists cover everything from the conflicts in the Middle East, and land-grabbing issues in East Africa, corruption in Eastern Europe and extremists in South Asia,\u201d she wrote in July<\/a> when the program was announced. \u201cTheir commitment to journalism, despite knowing the risks, is humbling.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schilit pointed out that to be successful, photojournalists often place themselves in the middle of the action. What strategies can they use to insure safety and protect their images? Following are tips IJNet has collected:<\/p>\n

Do regular photo backups.<\/strong><\/p>\n