Bulletproof vests and gas masks: Journalists prep for Inauguration Day At the end of December, Los Angeles Times Washington Bureau Chief Kimbriell Kelly was looking at getting Moleskine notebooks as gifts for her staff. A couple weeks later, she was procuring goods of a decidedly different kind: gas masks, helmets and body armor for LA Times staff members who will be attending Wednesday’s inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. Newsrooms like the LA Times have distributed protective equipment and held safety trainings to prepare reporters for Inauguration Day. Protests and demonstrations around the ceremony in Washington, DC are typical, but after the riots on January 6, journalists are preparing for another violent outbreak.