EDITORIAL

Digital Safety In Journalism

Journalism has transcended to many kinds of formats, from traditional printing to digital publishing, the roles of journalists and media practitioners alike are to inform and educate their readers.

They serve as the watchdogs of the people, by studying and highlighting immoral practices such as corruption, human rights abuse, and inefficacy of a government.

Thanks to the many technological advances and innovations, the newsgathering process and content distribution also have been made easier.

In today’s setting where obtaining news is fast and widely spread to the public, oftentimes journalists compromise their cyber safety just to be the first to publish news.

Most of the time, journalists work in fear of getting hurt, physically, verbally, or digitally. Journalists are also most likely to attract attackers because of their role in expressing the opinions of many, especially the voiceless and providing vital information from the authorities or stakeholders.

Journalists are mainly concerned about how their cybersecurity and digital privacy are being well-taken care of, especially their personal information.

With the global pandemic outbreak that we can never see the end of, journalists have no choice but to work remotely. Journalists have become more dependent on the internet to carry out their reporting duty.

It is very important for journalists in the new era of media to be digitally savvy and prepare themselves for a potential cyber attack.

As technology is heavily incorporated in the newsgathering and information dissemination process, it is crucial for journalists to have the knowledge or to learn more about digital safety tools to protect their work and sources.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), it was recorded that 44 percent of 70 journalists who were working for online media platforms were killed in 2013. Some journalists were also recorded to be imprisoned in the same year.

The purpose of founding CPJ, an independent and nonprofit organization, is to defend the right of journalists to report the news safely and without fear of reprisal. There is always news of journalists getting attacked, imprisoned, or killed every single year.

Any kind of digital communication that journalists use can potentially expose them to danger, not only ‘online journalists’ are facing such dangers. Journalists who rely on electronic technology to use their computers or the Internet for newsgathering and research, or even using their email to communicate with their source are most likely to be exposed to such threats.

Of course, it is easy to follow the “Do’s” and “Don’ts” provided by technology geeks or even online, but it takes a collaborative effort from the entire newsroom to be united and protect their digital safety. Journalists should at least know a few basic cybersecurity tips, which include two-step authentication, unique passwords usages, and update software regularly.

It is indeed difficult to decipher threats received by fellow journalists digitally. As much as a well-managed and equipped newsroom has the resources and system to fight cyber threats,independent journalists or freelancers do not have the luxury to receive such assistance.

Journalists, especially independent journalists, cannot afford to ignore this issue because their career, lives, credibility, and sources are hanging on a loose thread.

Moreover, most news agencies and independent journalists do not know where the threat originates from and they themselves aren’t aware that they are victims of cyberattacks. It is also difficult to point out which cyber terror acts carried out such malicious attacks or deployed instructions to do so.

According to Marquis-Boire, the number of cyberattacks launched against news organizations and journalists that were unreported was notably higher than those shared with the public.

Among the common attacks that can cause great harm and occur regularly to journalists and the whole newsroom would be doxing, phishing, Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attacks, Denial of Services (DoS) attacks, intimidation, online harassment, disinformation, and smear campaigns, and many others in the list.

Female journalists are among the targeted and prone to receive cyber threats, they have to deal with trolls, misogynistic comments thrown towards them, and even sexual threats online. This situation unfortunately seems very common among female journalists.

Using the “two-step verification” method is also very recommended to protect one’s email account. Upon setting it up, the email can only be accessed by entering the code that is sent each time by SMS to one’s mobile phone.

Also, as a journalist, it is advised to divide the digital activities accordingly: by using several email addresses for different purposes such as a personal email, a professional email, or even an email for online purchases.

Journalists are also advised to delete their digital tracks. This is called the digital hygiene process, where journalists must disconnect after checking from their social media accounts like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram and even their email.

Journalists should also remember to erase their browsing history to prevent it from being traced and be reminded to not key in and save their passwords when browsing on a public computer. It is also recommended for journalists to use a private browsing mode.

The data that journalists have obtained might vary in content, therefore journalists must not treat all data the same. Data might contain sensitive information like conversations, be it via chatting or audio.

Most of the time, journalists will share their documents with colleagues, and editors will check the journalist’s work before publishing the articles, but bear in mind to monitor and allow certain contributors only, which will prevent the document from being spread further and retain its genuine gist.

The online space is a platform where it keeps a conversation going and journalists should not fear for their lives when it comes to expressing themselves. If the rampant hostile environment is still going on continuously, no journalists will be safe as it will destroy the freedom of expression and speech, and at the same time, silencing the voiceless.