Event: A Conversation on Border Journalism and Source Protection

Date: Aug 17, 2026
Time: 5 - 6:30pm
Location: California Western School of Law, 225 Cedar Street, San Diego, CA 92101

Presented by Freedom of the Press Foundation and The Centre for Investigative Journalism’s Source Protection Programme.

Co-hosted by Freedom of the Press Foundation and New Media Rights Program at California Western School of Law.

Event Overview

How do journalists safely cover one of the most high-stakes regions in North America? Join us for an intensive look at the intersection of investigative reporting, digital security, and legal implications as they pertain to reporting on the US/Mexico land border. This event brings together frontline reporting experience with security expertise to address the unique challenges of covering the border. Investigative journalist and border reporter James Stout will be in conversation with security expert Harlo Holmes about this and more, with plenty of time for discussion and Q&A with attendees.

The Source Protection Programme is a unique operational and information security training course delivered by the Centre for Investigative Journalism and the Freedom of the Press Foundation. This special session adapts those core principles for the San Diego legal and journalism community.

Light refreshments and beverages will be served. Please register here to join us and receive the room location for the event.

Featured Speakers

James Stout | Border Journalist
An investigative journalist with extensive experience covering the border, migrant mutual aid, and political protests and a safety trainer with the Source Protection Programme. James provides firsthand experiences of the physical and operational risks journalists like him face when working in hostile or highly scrutinized environments.

Harlo Holmes | Security Expert
Chief of Security Programs at the Freedom of the Press Foundation and founder of the Source Protection Programme. Harlo is a media scholar, software programmer, and activist who helps journalists and newsrooms secure their communications, and was a regular contributor to the open source mobile security collective The Guardian Project.

Key Discussion Topics

• Risk Assessment for Journalists: Learning to identify adversaries and evaluate the likelihood of surveillance or interference.
• Operational Security at the Border: Strategies for staying safe while covering protests, press conferences, and high-risk field locations.
• Secure Communications: Understanding the difference between encrypted and unencrypted tools like Signal, Slack, and email.
• 1st Amendment & Media Law: The legal protections and pitfalls for journalists working with sensitive sources in the current political climate.

For more information on the hosting clinic, visit New Media Rights at CWSL.