National Public Radio has put its team of political reporters through the same training journalists receive before being sent into war zones.
The move comes as billionaire businessman Donald Trump continues to lead anti-media chants at campaign rallies. The decision by NPR to give its staff special training also comes on the heels of several reporters, including a former Breitbart employee, alleging they were manhandled by Trump’s campaign aides.
The classes provided to NPR’s political reporters are typically reserved for persons preparing to cover events that could include “riots, mortar attacks, kidnappings or firefights,” the Washington Post reported.
NPR spokeswoman Isabel Lara told the Washington Examiner’s media desk that, “The situational awareness training was held for all reporters on the political team, not just those covering Trump. We had planned to call the whole team home after the March 15 primaries to take a breather and meet as a group.”
“Trainings like these are meant to be pre-emptive,” she added, “NPR offers them to newsroom staff because reporters and producers face unexpected situations while covering stories out in the field. NPR wants to support staff – including editors and managers – and provide the resources and tools they need to do their best work. We have offered a comprehensive package of training for more than 10 years to newsroom staff.”
Violence has become a regular feature at Trump rallies, and the Republican candidate was even prompted this month to cancel an event in Chicago over security concerns. Trump has also come under fire this month for saying there would probably be riots if the Republican Party tries to deny him the nomination.
Following a series of concerning remarks by Trump, and allegations that his staff roughs up reporters, NPR has taken steps to ensure its staff remains safe as it continues to cover the 2016 presidential election.
“NPR has sent its political reporters to 90-minute hostile-environment awareness training, which in its typical form lasts a few days and prepares journalists for covering war zones or regions where terrorists are active,” the Post reported.
The crisis-training sessions, which have been scaled-down slightly for NPR’s political reporters, are designed to deal “with the stress of covering a very demanding story for a long period of time. We make the training widely available to newsroom staff whether they work internationally or domestically,” Lara told the Post.
NPR appears to be alone in giving its political reporters special training to deal with the 2016 presidential campaign.
“This violence is a serious concern, and it has the potential to escalate and develop a momentum of its own that could lead to serious injuries of journalists,” Frank Smyth, whose firm offers hostile-environment awareness training, told the Post.
“In other words, I am more concerned about the kind of climate this could help unleash than the level of violence against journalists we have seen to date,” he added.
