Staying safe on any assignment: Situational awareness training for journalists

As Minnesota journalists cover an increase in immigration enforcement across the state, the Minnesota Journalism Center and the International Women's Media Foundation are partnering to offer training on staying safe on any newsroom assignment.

• When: Friday, Dec. 12, 2025
• Time: 10-11:30 a.m. CT
• Where: Virtual, via Zoom
• RSVP:  Register for the Zoom session and share your questions with the trainer

Who this is for: Any journalist in any role within the newsroom. Because of the spontaneous nature of current immigration enforcement and response, any one of us could be called upon to jump into coverage. This session will equip you with foundational safety skills that you can deploy daily, no matter your role or job title, to build a habit of safety into your work.

What to expect: Jeff Belzil, IWMF’s security director, will spend 90 minutes teaching best practices to help you more safely navigate spontaneous and unpredictable coverage events, including: Best practices for situational awareness, recommendations on PPE and de-escalation practices you can deploy while on assignment. 

About the trainer

Jeff Belzil is the International Women Media Foundation’s security director. For the past 9 years, he has worked to support the safety of journalists worldwide. He has worked as a security advisor in high-risk areas in Latin America and Africa. He served in the Canadian Army for over 10 years and deployed over three combat tours in Kandahar, Afghanistan. He received Canada’s Star of Military Valor, the second-highest award for military valor. Currently working as the Security Director for International Women Media Foundation, he supports investigative journalists and newsrooms in terms of safety. As a security expert, he has advised and trained over 3500 journalists and newsrooms around the world in personal safety, violent protest, and counter-surveillance. His area of expertise is Latin America and the U.S.

About the training partners

The International Women's Media Foundation is the only global organization built to serve the holistic needs of women and nonbinary journalists. We are a bold and inclusive organization that supports journalists where they are with awards, reporting opportunities, fellowships, grants, safety training and emergency aid. As one of the largest supporters of women-produced journalism, our transformative work strengthens equal opportunity and press freedom worldwide.

The Minnesota Journalism Center, a project of the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication, supports a more vibrant, equitable, and sustainable ecosystem for journalism in Minnesota through educational initiatives, applied research and engagement with newsrooms and journalists across the state.