New AI safety tool expands critical safety guidance for journalists and editors in the U.S.
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- 3 min read
May 21, 2026, New York — Two leading organizations dedicated to press freedom today launched JESS (Journalist Expert Safety Support), an AI-powered tool designed to give journalists, editors and news organizations working across the United States greater access to essential safety information and guidance.
Purpose built for journalist safety planning, JESS draws on a best-in-class knowledge base of security resources and expert guidance provided by content partners and developed by Mike Christie, former head of safety at Reuters, and a leading authority in the field. JESS is engineered for privacy: all interactions are confidential, and no session data is shared.
JESS has two features:
The ask a safety question feature delivers clear, practical, cited answers drawn from JESS's expert knowledge base. Journalists can ask questions specific to their situation — covering protests, digital security, harassment, extreme weather, and more — and receive concise guidance alongside links to original source materials, available to download for offline use.
The build a safety plan feature takes journalists through a structured risk assessment for an upcoming assignment and generates a personalized safety plan they can save, edit, and take into the field. This feature is currently in beta and will continue to evolve based on user feedback. It's also available in beta via MCP integration, so journalists can build a safety plan directly inside their Claude or ChatGPT accounts.
JESS is currently focused on journalists reporting within the United States, a global knowledge base is under development, with a launch expected later this year.
JESS is a joint initiative of the Journalism Protection Initiative, part of the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY, and ACOS Alliance.
JPI conducts research, hosts convenings, and develops resources related to press freedom and journalism safety. “Even as journalism has become more challenging in the United States, many local and regional news organizations still lack access to the essential safety information they need to keep their people safe,” said Joel Simon, founding director of JPI. “JESS is here to help”.
ACOS Alliance, a global coalition of 160 news organizations, journalist associations and press freedom NGOs, works to create a culture of safety within journalism, with a focus on freelance and under-resourced journalists.
“JESS is both a safety companion and a learning tool", said Elisabet Cantenys, Executive Director of ACOS Alliance. “It doesn’t just provide answers, it also helps journalists and editors develop the mindset and skills they need to assess risk and make informed decisions.”
Gina Chua, director of the Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism at the Newmark J-School and chair of the JESS advisory board, added: “In an ideal world, every journalist would have access to an experienced safety advisor. In reality, that’s often not the case. JESS helps fill that gap by making expert guidance available on demand.”
The development of JESS is supported by the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation(PJMF), a philanthropic organization dedicated to advancing artificial intelligence and data science solutions to create a thriving, equitable, and sustainable future for all. PJMF works in partnership with public, private, and social institutions to drive progress on our most pressing challenges, including digital health, climate change, broad digital access, and data maturity in the social sector.
"Journalists are the connective tissue of an informed society, and their safety is a precondition for the work itself. As risks to the press grow, the tools that protect them must keep pace. JESS puts decades of frontline safety expertise within reach, equipping journalists with the technology their reporting demands in the digital era," said Vilas Dhar, president of the The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation
For more information, and to access JESS, visit www.safetyjess.ai
Help us test JESS!
US-based journalists and newsrooms interested in providing detailed feedback on JESS’s build a safety plan feature during the beta phase, please register your interest here.
