Diederich College of Communication collaborates with Foley Foundation on ‘Safety Guide for Student Newsrooms’

Current and former James W. Foley Fellows from Marquette University's Diederich College of Communication have created a safety guide, "Safety Guide for Student Newsrooms," to be distributed by the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation as a resource for student journalists.

The guide offers tips on creating a safe and inclusive newsroom, staying safe on social media, field reporting safety, and establishing best practices for navigating legal issues. The concise, eight-page guide is available online through the Foley Foundation.

"The Foley Foundation cannot say enough about our Foley Fellows," said Dr. Thomas Durkin, director of safety education for the Foley Foundation and research and grant coordinator in Marquette's Center for Peacemaking. "During their fellowship, our fellows learn about journalism safety while also contributing their time and talent to help journalists mitigate risk. This safety guide is but one example of their amazing work."

The guide was created by current and former Marquette journalism students TJ Dysart, a reporter at WISN-TV in Milwaukee; Sophia Tiedge, a Marquette senior and current managing editor of the Marquette Tribune; and Sofie Hanrahan, a Marquette junior and sports reporter for the Marquette Tribune.

The Marquette Foley Fellowship is funded by the generosity of the James P. Ruder Foundation. The Ruder family, including Suzy and her children - all Marquette alumni, Matt, Megan, and Chris - are staunch supporters of the Foley Foundation and Marquette's Center for Peacemaking.

The Foley Foundation was created in 2014 to honor the legacy of James Foley, a graduate of Marquette and a freelance journalist who was captured and beheaded by ISIS in Syria in 2014. The foundation is dedicated to advocating for the freedom of all Americans kidnapped and wrongfully detained abroad, improving U.S. hostage policy and offering preventive journalist safety curricula.