ONA Weekly #587: How to stay safe covering ICE operations, protests + more

By on November 12, 2025

Four photos in a grid from ONA25 show journalists and media professionals connecting and collaborating. Top left: A small group in discussion around a table. Top right: Participants smiling and chatting during a session. Bottom left: Attendees pose for a lively group photo with people in colorful New Orleans–style costumes and umbrellas. Bottom right: Conference attendees networking and talking near a podium.

Photographs by Joe McFetridge for ONA

Journalists in the field face increasingly complex safety, legal, and digital challenges — from covering ICE operations and protests to navigating surveillance and law enforcement encounters. Join Jeff Belzil and Tat Bellamy-Walker on Thursday, Nov. 20 at 2 p.m. ET (convert to your time zone) from the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) for a practical, hands-on session on assessing and managing these risks. You’ll learn strategies to:
  • Distinguish between different law enforcement agencies
  • Mitigate digital and on-the-ground threats
  • Cover protests and ICE actions safely
Register now Can’t attend live? All registrants will be among the first to know when the recording is published in the ONA Resource Library. This webinar is part of a larger safety and security series brought to you in partnership with the International Women’s Media Foundation and is generously supported by the Ford Foundation.
Four photos in a grid from ONA25 show journalists and media professionals connecting and collaborating. Top left: A small group in discussion around a table. Top right: Participants smiling and chatting during a session. Bottom left: Attendees pose for a lively group photo with people in colorful New Orleans–style costumes and umbrellas. Bottom right: Conference attendees networking and talking near a podium.

Photographs by Joe McFetridge for ONA

Are you a community builder?

Join the ONA team! We’re looking for a Community Engagement Coordinator who’s passionate about connecting people, spotlighting great work and building a stronger journalism community. This new role will help shape how ONA engages with its members and alumni across programs, online spaces and in-person events. If you love bringing people and ideas together, and you’re excited about helping strengthen ONA’s community of journalists and changemakers, we’d love to hear from you. Learn more and apply on the ONA website.

 

A person places colorful sticky notes on a bulletin board covered in handwritten ideas. Below the photo is the Journalism Support Exchange logo with the text “JSX.news (Beta) — A matchmaking service for the news industry,” along with the logos for Commoner Co. and Press Forward.ONA joins a new hub for journalism support

ONA is proud to join the Journalism Support Exchange (JSX), a new hub created by Press Forward and Commoner Co. to make it easier for local newsrooms to find the partners, tools and programs that help them thrive. The JSX acts as a “matchmaking tool” for the industry, connecting more than 300 organizations that provide training, technology support, grants, and other shared resources. We’re excited to be part of this collective effort to make journalism support more visible, connected and effective. Explore the database and learn more at jsx.news.

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