about mediasafe

With over 30 years of experience in international media, I most recently served as Director of Journalist Safety at the Voice of America (VOA), formerly the world’s largest international broadcaster until its 2025 restructuring.

In this role, I was responsible for safeguarding nearly 2,000 journalists—both foreign and domestic—often in high-risk environments. The challenges were complex and required collaborative problem solving, adaptive risk assessment, and creative solutions tailored to a rapidly shifting global landscape.

A core element of this work was training, which played a critical role in fulfilling our duty of care. Today, I offer my expertise as a subject matter expert and am available to speak with students and professionals about the foundational principles of journalist safety.

VOA control room, Washington

Tokyo, Japan

Kabul, Afghanistan

Lima, Peru

Dubai, UAE

Kabul, Afghanistan

Hanoi, Vietnam

Eric is s member of ASIS International, a professional organization for safety and security professionals. He sits on the James Foley Foundation Journalist Safety Task Force and is HEAT certified through Global Journalist Security. He has worked with journalists all over the world…learning about their greatest challenges…and advising on impactful solutions.

Eric Phillips, MediaSafe