As federal forces flood Washington, D.C. and escalate state violence against Black and Brown communities, Black Alder Labs created guidance for journalists covering this moment. Rooted in "The Cost of the Story," this resource outlines newsroom protocols, field practices, and community engagement standards that resist re-traumatization and reject authoritarian narratives.

It calls for editorial power sharing, mandatory care protocols for high-risk assignments, and framing standards that center humanity and systemic truth rather than repeating police talking points. When communities exercise their right to resist and the state responds with repression, journalism has a choice: reproduce fear and erasure, or practice care, accountability, and clarity. This guidance is about ensuring the press does the latter, because care is not the opposite of rigor and ethical storytelling is essential to democracy.