Guardians Media Safety and Risk Management Advisor Course (MSRMA)

What Does a Media Safety Advisor (MSA) Do?

A Media Safety Advisor (MSA) enables media productions to operate safely, legally, and responsibly without compromising editorial intent. It's not solely a war-zone role. While conflict support is one element of the profession, it represents only a small part of a much broader operational scope.

MSAs support a wide spectrum of productions, from low-risk commercial shoots to high-risk investigative or expedition filmmaking. Here is a brief insight ...

Here’s a clearer breakdown of the basics:

Broad Production Support (Not Just Conflict)

Civil unrest in Paris, French police and rioters clash throughout the night

Media Safety Advisors are requested for:

• Film and television productions requiring health & safety oversight

• Streaming platform shoots

• Commercial and branded content

• Documentaries in remote or austere environments

• Investigative journalism where identifiable risks exist

• News gathering during civil unrest, disasters, or war

• Productions involving vulnerable contributors or sensitive subjects

So yes, war reporting is one area, but it is far from the whole picture.

Health, Safety & Medical Cover

Night market in Maiduguri, Nigerias Borono State where Boko Haram wage a violent campaign against Christians

Many MSAs provide or coordinate:

• On-site medical support

• Risk assessments and method statements

• Emergency planning and evacuation procedures

• Compliance with occupational health and safety regulations

• Liaison with insurers, local providers and heads of departments

This can apply whether the shoot is in a city studio or a mountain range.

Remote & Expeditionary Productions

Expedition to the extreme remote Sepik River in Papua New Guinea

For documentaries or factual programming filmed in challenging environments, MSAs may manage:

• Logistics and route planning

• Environmental hazard assessment

• Communications planning (satellite, emergency medical or political response)

• Local security and fixer coordination

• Rescue contingency planning

This is common in productions similar in scale to those commissioned by organisations such as National Geographic or BBC.

Investigative & High-Risk Journalism

Risk management: Supporting investigative journalists when filming black market oil operations in the Niger Delta

When risk is clearly identifiable, threats, hostile actors, political sensitivity, MSAs support:

• Threat and vulnerability assessments

• Secure movement planning

• Digital security considerations

• Situational awareness briefings

• Duty-of-care compliance

• A set of extra eyes and ears

• Working closely with local fixers and stringers

Again, this applies in both domestic and international contexts.

Specialist Technical Skills

Rope access: The Amazon Tall Tower Observatory or ATTO is a scientific research facility in the Amazon rainforest

As you noted, many MSAs bring additional specialist capabilities that productions may actively seek:

• Freefall / parachuting expertise

• Diving operations

• Alpine skiing

• Mountaineering & climbing

• Caving / confined space work

• Rope access

• Working in confined spaces

• Remote logistics coordination

In these cases, the MSA role overlaps with technical advisor, safety supervisor, and sometimes operational lead for specialist activities.

The Core Principle

Frontline access: Local fighters provide protection whilst driving on the east coast road in Al Mukalla, Yemen.

At its heart, the role is about:

Risk identification → mitigation → safe delivery of editorial objectives

A Media Safety Advisor ensures productions are carried out:

• Safely

• Legally

• Logistically sound

• Ethically responsible

• Insurable

In summary:

A Media Safety Advisor is often the voice of reason within a production.

We are guardians of people, production, and purpose.

We create freedom of movement, not restriction, by enabling informed decision-making.

Our role is not to stop the story. It is to help deliver it safely.

However, when the balance between risk and reward becomes disproportionate, we make that clear, calmly, objectively, and without ego. We define the exposure, outline the consequences, and ensure leadership understands the threshold being crossed.

Safety is not about limitation.

It is about clarity, proportionality, and accountability.