Special GIJC25 Edition – Kuala Lumpur, November 2025

Investigative journalists are increasingly working in environments where they face targeted intimidation, surveillance, harassment, and attempts to compromise their digital and physical safety. FIRM has been designed to meet these challenges head-on.

Developed by Lazarus Training, FIRM (Field Intelligence & Risk Management) is a practical, scenario-based safety programme for journalists facing personal threats from state actors, criminal groups, hostile organisations, or individuals seeking to silence their reporting.

Whether you are filing stories from a high-risk environment, exposed to online harassment campaigns, or travelling undercover for an investigation, FIRM provides a structured, realistic framework to keep you safe.

What is FIRM?

FIRM is a modernised Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT) programme centred on personal security, surveillance awareness, and decision-making under pressure, explicitly tailored for investigative journalists and media workers.

It focuses on the safety risks frequently encountered today:

• Physical surveillance, including hostile tracking and targeting
• Online and hybrid harassment, including doxxing, stalking, threats, and information manipulation
• Personal safety in urban environments, including public events, meetings, and hostile encounters
• Operational movement, from travel between locations to safe arrival and departure strategies
• Digital and information security essentials, aligned with practical, real-world use
• Medical skills, taught to the MARCH protocol using IFAK-based equipment
• Stress, resilience, and decision-making for journalists working under pressure

FIRM is delivered by experienced trainers, including ex-surveillance officers, security practitioners, and medical specialists with extensive field experience supporting journalists worldwide.

Why FIRM matters for investigative journalists

In an era of increasing repression and targeted intimidation, journalists need more than generic safety awareness. FIRM provides:

• Practical, hands-on skills that can be applied immediately
• Scenario-based training relevant to undercover meetings, hostile interviews, ambushes, and harassment
• Guidance on behaviours that reduce targeting and maintain anonymity
• Confidence to operate safely, even in unpredictable environments
• Structured frameworks for risk assessment, planning, and rapid decision-making

Our team has delivered training to media workers in Ghana, the Philippines, Kosovo, Ukraine, Kenya, Israel, and across Europe. FIRM brings this real-world experience directly to investigative reporters.

Course Delivery – Worldwide

FIRM can be delivered:

• At your organisation’s offices
• At partner facilities
• On assignment, worldwide
• As a closed course for your newsroom or NGO
• In a modular format for reporters preparing for travel

We tailor the training to the threats your journalists face, including political pressure, criminal targeting, digital harassment, and surveillance concerns.

Who is FIRM for?

FIRM is designed for:

• Investigative journalists
• Documentary teams
• Freelancers working on sensitive stories
• Media organisations operating in high-risk regions
• Editors responsible for the duty of care
• NGOs supporting journalists and human rights defenders

What participants learn

Participants leave the course with the ability to:

• Identify and counter hostile surveillance
• Plan safe movements and recognise attack indicators
• Manage confrontations and reduce escalation
• Conduct dynamic risk assessments in rapidly changing situations
• Protect data, devices, and communications during investigations
• Provide life-saving trauma care using MARCH-based skills
• Strengthen psychological resilience for ongoing investigative work

Stay informed about FIRM training worldwide

Join the GIJC25 Mailing List

Sign up to receive:

• FIRM course overview
• Priority access to training in your region
• Guidance notes and safety briefings for journalists
• Early-bird discounts for upcoming courses
• Invitations to online workshops and Q&A sessions

Talk to us at GIJC25

If you’re attending GIJC25 in Kuala Lumpur, come and speak to us about:

• Training for individuals
• Partnering with media organisations
• NGO-supported funding models
• Regional delivery options in Asia
• Tailored training for your investigative teams

You can also contact us directly via info@lazarustraining.co.uk

About Lazarus Training

Lazarus Training has delivered safety, security, and medical training for over a decade to:

• International media organisations
• Journalists reporting from conflict zones
• NGOs working in authoritarian or hostile environments
• Law enforcement and humanitarian teams
• EU institutions and peace-monitoring missions

We believe in train-for-real: immersive, scenario-based exercises that prepare journalists for the realities of modern investigative work.