Case Study: What Happens When HEAT/HEFAT Becomes Mandatory?

​As reporting from high-risk environments becomes increasingly complex, safety training can no longer be treated as a one-off requirement.

​Daily Humanity invites journalists, editors, media managers and safety professionals to an online discussion presenting the findings of a new case study on the experience of the Ukrainian editorial team of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and its implementation of mandatory HEAT/HEFAT certification.

​The study, commissioned by Daily Humanity and conducted by independent researcher Hanna Hrytsenko, examines how mandatory safety certification has affected the newsroom’s safety culture, fieldwork and team dynamics — and what other media organisations can learn from this experience.

​We will explore what effective safety training looks like in practice and present the key findings of the case study:

• ​Why RFE/RL introduced mandatory HEAT/HEFAT certification

• ​How the policy has changed safety practices inside the newsroom

• ​What skills journalists and crews rely on in real-life emergencies

• ​How regular training and refreshers contribute to preparedness

• ​How common training affects teamwork and trust in the field

• ​The benefits and challenges of making HEAT/HEFAT mandatory

​Can mandatory safety training become a lasting part of newsroom culture — rather than simply another box to tick before deployment?

​Key questions

• ​What makes safety training effective beyond the classroom?

• ​How often should journalists refresh their skills?

• ​How can news organisations balance safety requirements with the realities of field reporting?

• ​Does shared training make teams more effective under pressure?

• ​What can smaller media organisations learn from the RFE/RL model?

• ​How should safety training evolve as threats change?

​Speakers:

​Gavin Rees - Senior Advisor for Training and Innovation, Global Center for Trauma and Journalism, formerly director of Dart Centre Europe.

​Hanna Hrytsenko - Independent researcher, sociologist

​Katerina Sergatskova (host) - Director, Risk manager, Daily Humanity.

​The event is open to journalists, media organisations, safety professionals, humanitarian organisations and others working in high-risk environments.