According to a study by the International Center for Journalists, which included 714 participants, an alarming 73% of female journalists have reported experiencing violence online. iWatch Africa found that journalists in Ghana faced over 5,000 incidents of online harassment and abuse in the year 2020 alone. This data highlights the urgent need to address the safety concerns for journalists operating in the digital realm.

The 2023 “Freedom in the World” report marks its 50th year by highlighting a troubling trend: a 17-year consistent decline in global freedom. Journalists, serving as vital custodians of truth, now grapple with increasingly complex cyber challenges. These range from phishing and hacking to surveillance and online harassment. Such risks are magnifying one of journalism’s pressing issues today: maintaining credibility.

In our voracious world, craving constant news updates, it’s ironic that the internet – the very tool enabling the round-the-clock news cycle – becomes a gateway for these harmful cyber incursions. Here, journalism in the digital age tips will be offered that will help maintain privacy and cybersecurity even during business trips.

Journalism Digital Security Threats

Cybersecurity threats are varied and complex. They include domestic and international spyware, sophisticated. Other threats like denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks disrupt services. Malware, a means to infiltrate IT systems without permission, spreads rapidly across networks. Ransomware, a type of malware, leads to attackers demanding payment for the restoration of access. Phishing attacks deceive individuals into providing sensitive information.

Actors are responsible for deploying these cyber tactics to run the gamut. They could range from nation-states to rogue politicians. Powerful individuals, corporations, criminal networks, and even extremist organizations can perpetrate these activities.

The global news media isn’t just facing direct digital threats. There’s also an increasing concern over data privacy and security at large. This includes concerns about the vulnerabilities within software and digital platform surveillance methods. Take some governments, for example, which may seek to weaken encryption provided by apps considered secure. Apps under this category might include Signal, WhatsApp, ProtonMail, or SecureDrop.

There’s also concern surrounding the safety and privacy of older social media platforms. An example is X, previously known as Twitter. Changes in ownership and infrastructure have led to less secure data and communications, particularly for journalists and civil society organizations.

How to Safeguard Against Cyber Threats?

#1 Build Digital Rights Literacy

Educational sessions are essential to establish an awareness of the online environment for journalists. They should understand their rights and recognize forms of online hostility, including trolling, doxxing, and cyberbullying.

Consider creating engaging videos, insightful podcasts, visually appealing memes, and informative posters for newsroom display. It’s about offering a myriad of options. It is important to maintain ongoing conversations about digital safety. A continuous dialogue is imperative as abusive tactics often evolve with technological advancements. Organize regular gatherings, both structured and casual, to address recent incidents of online harassment and to reinforce the importance of digital rights.

#2 Maintaining Anonymity

Journalists need to remain anonymous online so that no one can figure out their real location. The most famous and effective tool for protecting anonymity is a VPN for Mac. If you have the best VPN for Macbook, then no one will know where you are. The advantage of VPN apps is. that they replace the real IP address with the one issued by the VPN service. To understand, VeePN has as many as 2500+ VPN servers and even more IP addresses. Movements can be chaotic and IP addresses are constantly changing. It is simply impossible to establish an identity unless the person himself made a mistake and disclosed it.

#3 Conduct Risk Assessments

This analysis usually meticulously examines three major sectors: physical potential threats, mental and emotional distress, and the possibility of damage to one’s reputation.

• The broader digital landscape needs to be assessed, including how often cyber assaults occur and the general level of lawlessness within the respective nation. It is crucial to assess the credibility of the threat posed by the specific aggressor, alongside how much of a public figure the journalists are (i.e., are they easily recognized?).
• Regarding the risk of psychological distress, one must gauge the severity of the harassment — does it target gender, ethnicity, or sexual identity? Such harassment can inflict profound wounds.
• We must consider threats to one’s reputation: Evaluate how severe and damaging to the journalist’s character the antagonistic content could be. It’s also important to surmise the public’s likely reaction to these accusations.

#4 Integrate a Strong Password Strategy

To ensure the safety of your digital footprint, it’s crucial to employ strong safeguards for your online accounts.

• Opt for a passphrase in place of a password; weave together a tapestry of numerals, uppercase, and lowercase letters to forge a code that balances complexity with recollection, rather than resorting to a jumble of characters and symbols.
• Each digital platform you engage with should be paired with its own unique passphrase.
• Enter passwords only on secure sites. Another option is to download a VPN. The password must be encrypted, otherwise it can be intercepted by cybercriminals.
• Consider adopting a password manager—a recommended choice is LastPass. This tool integrates smoothly as an extension with various browsers, including Firefox, Chrome, and Safari, providing a secure vault for all your passcodes.
• Should there be any uncertainty about the robustness of your selected passphrase, you’re encouraged to test its integrity using available online strength checkers.

#5 Implement Key Support Mechanisms

The provision of digital security, alongside legal and psychological backing, and visible demonstrations of encouragement from the news organization, are fundamental elements outlined in these essential guidelines for the support of journalists.

Support from an organization carries significant weight; it stands as a cornerstone for the mental health of journalists. Take into account the following considerations meticulously: Is there a possibility that the backing might actually give more momentum to the attacks? Could it potentially invite additional harassment? Might it detrimentally affect the outcome of any legal actions that may arise later?

Support can manifest in multiple ways, subject to the severity and believability of the perceived threat as well as the level of emotional distress caused by the abuse. Options include providing journalists with a period of leave or considering an alternate assignment for them.

Conclusion

In today’s digital landscape, the menace of cyber surveillance looms large. Authoritarian governments are now deploying troll armies to craft a new breed of repression. These paid trolls engage in tactics like the “double switch,” where they hijack a journalist’s digital identity. Their goal? To spread disinformation, tarnish the reporter’s reputation, and suppress any independent news. This strategy is sophisticated – they’re not just spreading false narratives, but actively drowning out truthful reporting. This is just one of the strategies for putting pressure on journalists, so the need for cyber protection is not ephemeral, but quite real.