Safety and Security of Journalists in Hostile Environment A Training organized by Beirut Arab University

The Public Relations and Communications Department at Beirut Arab University organized a three-day training course for journalists, photographers and technicians working in media institutions about the safety and security of journalists in hostile environment in collaboration with the Lebanese Army and some faculties at the university. The course included:
1. How to plan for missions, potential risks and means of protection
2. Knowledge about dealing with mines and unexploded ordnance that faces journalists during their media coverage in coordination with the Army Command
3. The relationship between the Lebanese Army and media.
4. Cyber Security to protect the privacy of their information.
5. Advanced practical training to deal with serious injuries.
6. Psychological preparation and post-war trauma response.
7. Journalists' rights in conflict zones in the law.

The trainees also undertook a field visit to the Engineering Regiment in Warwar, where they learned about suspicious objects and unexploded ordnance and how to avoid them.
On the last day of training, the Beirut Arab University Life Support Center (BAULS), which is the first Lebanese reference centre for the American Heart Association in the Middle East and North Africa, trained them practically on first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) andAutomated external defibrillator (AED).

At the end of the training, the Director of Public Relations and Communications, Ms. Zina Ariss, distributed the certificates of participation to journalists and photographers, noting that the training was part of the University’s social responsibility. She added that Beirut Arab University was proactive in offering a specialized training programme for journalists, especially that the situation in the south posed a real danger to media there.

Ms. Ariss also mentioned the important information and guidance of the training to raise awareness of the risks to media professionals, adding that practical details were part of the training necessary for their personal protection