SPJ Georgia developed a training class for law enforcement, which is available to all police officers in Georgia and will soon be mandated for Atlanta Police Department trainees. The one-hour online course teaches officers how to interact with the media during protests and it educates about the role, rights, and responsibilities of journalists in times of civil unrest.

Recently updated, it is being considered for use by other metro Atlanta agencies, said SPJ Georgia member Katja Ridderbusch, an independent Atlanta-based print and radio journalist who focuses on public safety and health care. Ridderbusch recently met with various police departments to promote the updated training.

She learned that 1,433 students have taken the online class since it launched in April 2021, and 611 have taken it since it was updated and relaunched in July 2024.

The online class was created in partnership with the Georgia Public Safety Training Center (GPSTC) after the widespread protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death in 2020. GPSTC is the state’s largest training center for public safety personnel, including police officers, firefighters, 911 operators, and EMTs.

Charlotte Norsworthy Varnum, SPJ Georgia president in 2020, spearheaded the project after journalists were targeted and dozens were arrested during those protests. Varnum is executive director of the Red & Black, the student-led news organization in Athens, GA.

“We saw these events as an opportunity for SPJ Georgia to not only equip law enforcement with ways to de-escalate interactions with the press but also educate journalists on the boundaries of their rights,” she said. 

The training was produced with guidance from the Georgia First Amendment Foundation and the UGA Law School’s First Amendment Clinic. 

Ashlyn Webb, SPJ Georgia president in 2021, was also instrumental in bringing the class to completion. She was then an evening and weekend anchor at WMAZ-TV in Macon and is currently an investigative reporter at WFTV in Orlando.

Some scenes in the training video were shot in 2021 at a mock village at the GPSTC site in Forsyth. A mock protest was staged, using both law enforcement and journalists as actors.

This summer, Ridderbusch met with GPSTC Director Chris Wigginton and Director of Instructional Services Hal Braswell to check on the status of the online class.

GPSTC plans to promote the class internally by inviting Ridderbusch or another SPJ Georgia board member to their podcast. Officers who listen to it will get training credits, Ridderbusch said.

GPSTC may also organize occasional in-person events with representatives from SPJ Georgia to complement the course.

For more information, email Katja Ridderbusch, SPJ Georgia Advocacy Chairperson

— Stell Simonton