“When we investigate human trafficking, we investigate a crime,” says
Annie Kelly, a journalist for the Guardian, who has written a series of
reports on modern slavery, trafficking and labor exploitation. “You are
dealing with a criminal sector, which poses a risk to you and your local
resources, or anyone you are collaborating with.”
Kelly participated in the Outlaw Ocean Project, which reports on labor
exploitation and environmental abuse at sea - spoke about their
experiences documenting human trafficking around the world, and the
safety challenges they faced during their work.
Urbina and Kelly worked as journalists and editors of stories about
labor exploitation in supply chains, modern cross-border slavery and
human trafficking, and their investigations often revealed the true costs
of globalized industries.
Ian Urbina, founder of the Outlaw Ocean Project. Photo: Courtesy of
Outlaw Ocean Project
“We have tried to look at the things we all use, consume and wear, we
have tried to tell the stories of those people at the bottom of these
supply chains, and we have tried to uncover how labor exploitation and
human trafficking can thrive under these systems.”
These in-depth investigations can take months and require careful
planning and coordination. However, even with extensive planning,
work in this field can still be dangerous due to the unpredictable nature
of the journalistic field.
“The truth is that everything changes when you get to the field
depending on the resources you need,” Urbina said. However, his team
spends months planning investigative reporting trips, which is critical to
maintaining the team's safety.
Urbina explained in detail the process his team followed when they
worked on the route of sub-Saharan migrants to Libya and then to
Lampedusa in Italy. Among his advice:
Divide your team into complementary groups: the investigation for the
Ocean Outlaw project, which means creating a “field” team that
continued to research Libyan migrant detention centers and
investigated the death of a migrant in one of those centers, and an
“outside” team that spent five weeks on a ship chartered by the aid
organization Medical Doctors Without Borders.
Plan your itinerary and exit strategies: Urbina said pre-flight meetings
focused on defining daily itineraries and assessing risks for each step of
the way. Once the security assessment was completed, the team
established emergency protocols in the event of arrest or detention
(emergency contacts, useful resources inside and outside the country).
Daily inspection: The team had an oral inspection policy with the field
team via satellite phone every six to twelve hours. Thanks to their
employees working remotely from different countries, there will be two
people online around the clock to communicate with the external team.
Create an emergency document: Urbina and his team took the time to
update a comprehensive document containing the phone numbers of
everyone you might need to contact, in what order, in what context,
and what that person would do for you. This list includes US contacts
from the White House, congressional staff, and law enforcement. It also
includes regional and country figures for trusted organizations such as
the Red Cross, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.
See the insurance policy for everyone and everything: “Urbina” talked
about the importance of buying insurance and understanding the
policy, insurance for the journalists themselves and for the expensive
equipment they will bring with them. Make sure you get proper
medical coverage, protect equipment, and learn how to file claims for
insurance.
Urbina said: “I understand that no matter how equipped you are, there
are inherent risks in the investigation into human trafficking. The more
complex the place you are going to be, the more difficult it will be to
follow these [safety] checklists.”
Since most of the reports that the Outlaw Ocean project performs take
place at sea, their work protocols face ongoing challenges, such as
network weaknesses that prevent scheduled communications.
Migrants rescued off the coast of Libya on a rescue ship operated by
Doctors Without Borders. Photo: EdO, Courtesy of The Outlaw Ocean
Project
Safety during reporting
It's best not to get noticed from the start, but being a journalist can
save you in difficult situations: "If possible, take your press card with
you," Kelly advises.
In 2013, Guardian reporter Pete Pattison investigated Qatar's use of
forced labor in preparation for the 2022 World Cup. Kelly and her team
worked to protect Pattison while in Qatar as well as his sources,
vulnerable people forced to work and live in migrant camps.
Because the story was not yet widely known, Bateson was "relatively"
protected when he began investigating inside Qatar. He entered the
country on his passport as a tourist, to avoid attracting the attention of
the government.
Annie Kelly from The Guardian. Photo: screenshot
Kelly explained that the strategy was to work lightly, and as
anonymously as possible. She advised journalists working in similar
circumstances to:
Don't stay too long: Moving between sites quickly means that
journalists avoid detection. In Qatar, for example, a reporter would
spend no more than 45 minutes in one place to avoid drawing attention
to himself.
Assess Road Access: In the risk assessment prior to leaving Pattison, the
team was ensuring road access to the labor camps they were going to
visit. The journalist was reporting to a trusted person in Qatar and
another outside the country inEvery time he goes to a camp.
Change your location frequently, meet at different times Kelly
suggested that reporters stay in the same hotel for no more than two
days in a row, and that they schedule meetings at different locations
and times.
Use prepaid phones: Changing SIM cards frequently can help secure
your communications.
A football stadium construction site in Doha, Qatar, in preparation for
the 2022 Men's World Cup. Photo: Shutterstock
Bateson communicated with editor Kelly twice a day. Prior to the trip,
the team reached out to local and international NGOs to ensure good
communication while Pattison was in Qatar.
Urbina offered these additional tips:
Use a satellite tracker: If you can afford it, consider buying a GPS
tracking device. All Outlaw Ocean Project employees wear small beltmounted Garmin trackers. These devices have the feature of calling for
help and communicate by satellite.
Essential items that the journalist must carry with him at all times: The
journalist on the external team always carries cash in the local
currency, his passport, his identity card and copies of a laminated card
containing basic information about him such as his allergies, his blood
type, and other important information in a health emergency.
Journalists hide these cards under the soles of their shoes and in
pockets hidden in their backpacks. These items are important if
journalists are separated or if their possessions are confiscated.
Assess goals and safety daily: Checking in and discussing aspirations for
the next day is important. The team adapts to circumstances as their
journey progresses and changes their itinerary as needed. They also
make sure in advance that all field team members are comfortable with
the plan each day, giving them the option to opt out of that day if they
need to.
trust your intuition
The two journalists highlighted the importance of the journalist trusting
his intuition when it comes to personal safety, and they talked about
the importance of getting out of situations that raise your concern even
if you cannot clearly identify the source of the danger.
Suggest that journalists follow these ground rules when conducting
interviews:
Avoid giving interviews at night, in bars or in situations where people
drink alcohol.
Get in and out quickly: don't spend hours in the same location. The
longer you stay somewhere, the more dangerous it is for others to
discover you and interfere.
Do not meet victims of human trafficking in their homes or workplaces.
Kelly and Urbina recommended that you speak with them at bus stops,
restaurants, or other safe places away from the victim's daily
environment.
Do a camouflaging activity. Urbina recommends engaging in an activity
while conducting an interview on a ship, so that it is not clear to
passersby that you are interviewing. “In a strange way, this camouflage
could come in handy later on,” Urbina said. Kelly added that a reporter
in Qatar conducted interviews on a horse in the carousel of horses in
the amusement park to conceal his interview.
Urbina recommends that you keep track of your sources for their safety
and for your journalistic work. If the source is concerned about giving
you their phone number, ask them if they can connect you to a relative
in their country of origin, so that they can act as an intermediary
between you and them and communicate with your source through
them.
Investigation in your country
Investigating human trafficking in your country presents an additional
challenge: you cannot leave once the story has been published, as is the
case with a foreign journalist.
“It is important that your managers support you and your stories,” Kelly
said. She recommends partnering with a larger organization - or an
international organization - that has the clout to help.
It can also be helpful to boost your social media presence to increase
your public visibility.
“External journalists have the obvious advantage of being able to get
out of the country. I think that by being there local journalists can and
should think about building long-term relationships with powerful
people in the country,” Urbina advised.
This means building a human relationship with the police, lawyers, and
others who can protect you while investigating a long-term story.
Finally, it is essential that you understand the laws of your country to
be able to operate safely, and that you understand media and liability
laws in particular.
"Ian Urbina" on board an Indonesian patrol ship called "Makan" as it
chases a number of Vietnamese fishing boats in a disputed area in the
South China Sea. Photo: Courtesy of “Urbina”
Journalism or advocacy? What do you owe to your sources?
Speakers discussed how journalists' sense of responsibility for their
sources has changed. It's now common for you to stay in touch with
your sources after a story has been published, which can make you
question the line between journalism and advocacy.
“I think the obligation to follow up 25 years ago was not legitimate, you
know,” Urbina said. “There used to be a much bigger wall between
journalism and ‘advocacy’, but now I think there is not only a level of
relief, but it is expected that it is your duty as a journalist to think about
what will happen to the sources – whether named or not – after the
story is published.”
The Guardian's investigative journalists face the ethical dilemma of
assessing what they owe to their sources. Editors and reporters talk
throughout the investigation to determine the best course of action
and take some basic precautions.
“In our attempts to infuse the story, we are not giving any indication or
any attributes that could lead to the identification of these workers,”
Kelly said. If we talk to agency workers, for example in factories, we
make sure to disguise the identity of the workers.”
Kelly said her team does more than dictate the Guardian's editorial
charter to protect sources when needed. The team is required to
remain anonymous and remove any information about the source's
family, home, or agency.
Preserving your source's story is essential, Kelly added, but it's also
essential to think about the impact your journalistic work had on his
life. Part of protecting your sources is managing their expectations by
stating the harmful consequences your investigation might cause, as
well as telling them what you hope the investigation will achieve.
Urbina recommended having a calm and frank conversation initially
with the source about what you plan to do with the information, and
what will or won't happen.
Finally, Kelly noted, it's always important to ask, "Is the story worth the
risk to yourself and others?"
Watch the full webinar below.