Edward Snowden's release of classified NSA documents exposed the widespread government practice o... more Edward Snowden's release of classified NSA documents exposed the widespread government practice of mass surveillance in a democratic society. The publication of these documents, facilitated by three journalists, as well as efforts to criminalize the act of being a whistleblower or source, signaled a new era in the coverage of national security reporting. The contributors to Journalism After Snowden analyze the implications of the Snowden affair for journalism and the future role of the profession as a watchdog for the public good. Integrating discussions of media, law, surveillance, technology, and national security, the book offers a timely and much-needed assessment of the promises and perils for journalism in the digital age.
Journalism After Snowden is essential reading for citizens, journalists, and academics in search of perspective on the need for and threats to investigative journalism in an age of heightened surveillance. The book features contributions from key players involved in the reporting of leaks of classified information by Edward Snowden, including Alan Rusbridger, former editor-in-chief of The Guardian; ex-New York Times executive editor Jill Abramson; legal scholar and journalist Glenn Greenwald; and Snowden himself. Other contributors include dean of Columbia Graduate School of Journalism Steve Coll, Internet and society scholar Clay Shirky, legal scholar Cass Sunstein, and journalist Julia Angwin. Topics discussed include protecting sources, digital security practices, the legal rights of journalists, access to classified data, interpreting journalistic privilege in the digital age, and understanding the impact of the Internet and telecommunications policy on journalism. The anthology's interdisciplinary nature provides a comprehensive overview and understanding of how society can protect the press and ensure the free flow of information.
Violent criminals and corrupt governmental officials harass, co-opt, and kill local and foreign j... more Violent criminals and corrupt governmental officials harass, co-opt, and kill local and foreign journalists in countries from Mexico to Afghanistan, to Russia and the Philippines. Staggeringly, there has been little or no prosecution in 89 percent of journalist murders worldwide. Such widespread impunity is arguably one of the greatest threats to press freedom. A number of international organizations and advocates have developed efforts to mitigate this problem, but belligerents continue to act with few restraints and little, if any, accountability.
War on Words: Who Should Protect Journalists? is an examination of the deteriorating and dangerous environment facing journalists and what stakeholders are doing to address this serious problem threatening democracy worldwide. The authors explore the peril facing journalists, delve into the legal and practical history of press protection, evaluate current safety strategies for journalists, and gather opinions from an array of local and international correspondents and practitioners on how to improve this untenable situation.
The Lisbon Winter School for the Study of Communication is a response to two troubling conditions... more The Lisbon Winter School for the Study of Communication is a response to two troubling conditions of the contemporary moment: Firstly, it recognizes that doctoral students researching the challenges posed by contemporary phenomena in media and communication need new fora to foster discussion in real time of ideas and theories that may help them grasp more fully rapidly changing realities. Secondly, it aims to facilitate global discussions at a time marked by political and cultural polarization and the resurgence of nationalisms that diminish claims to identity and otherness.
This manifesto examines the discourse used by journalists in their coverage leading up to and fol... more This manifesto examines the discourse used by journalists in their coverage leading up to and following Donald Trump’s ascendancy to the presidency in the United States. To examine this topic, I conducted a qualitative textual analysis of a sample of English language newspaper articles, collected primarily via Lexis-Nexis and Media Cloud between June 2015 and October 2017. My corpus included articles from leading national newspapers such as The New York Times and The Washington Post and metajournalistic discourse from the Columbia Journalism Review. I show how journalists discursively rely on historical analogies to make sense of an unprecedented political phenomenon known as Donald Trump and Trumpism, and how, by looking to the past, journalists seek to bolster their cultural authority at a time when trust in the media is at record lows.
This paper utilizes concepts from new institutionalism to help explain journalists’ and news orga... more This paper utilizes concepts from new institutionalism to help explain journalists’ and news organizations’ resistance to implementing security-related practices despite a deteriorating safety and security environment for journalists in the United States. Through 30 interviews with journalists, technologists, and media lawyers, I identify three main variables for the resistance to the development of newsroom security cultures, as well as a new social actor necessary for the development of security cultures in newsrooms: the “security champion.” The emergence of this new institutional entrepreneur highlights an intriguing tension. Although news organizations have engaged in slow adoption of the anonymous whistleblowing platform SecureDrop, they have not necessarily engaged in an institutionalization of security practices throughout the newsroom. The decoupling of these two factors represents attempts by news organizations to have institutional legitimacy while not changing core practices. In conjunction with this phenomenon, inspired individuals in newsrooms across the country are becoming ad hoc “security champions” in order to build security cultures from the ground up.
This paper explores tracking and privacy risks on pornography websites. Our analysis of 22,484 po... more This paper explores tracking and privacy risks on pornography websites. Our analysis of 22,484 pornography websites indicated that 93% leak user data to a third party. Tracking on these sites is highly concentrated by a handful of major companies, which we identify. We successfully extracted privacy policies for 3,856 sites, 17% of the total. The policies were written such that one might need a two-year college education to understand them. Our content analysis of the sample’s domains indicated 44.97% of them expose or suggest a specific gender/sexual identity or interest likely to be linked to the user. We identify three core implications of the quantitative results: 1) the unique/elevated risks of porn data leakage versus other types of data, 2) the particular risks/impact for vulnerable populations, and 3) the complications of providing consent for porn site users and the need for affirmative consent in these online sexual interactions.
Over the last several years, numerous journalists and news organizations have reported incidents ... more Over the last several years, numerous journalists and news organizations have reported incidents in which their communications have been hacked, intercepted, or retrieved. In 2014, Google security experts found that 21 of the world’s 25 most popular media outlets were targets of state-sponsored hacking attempts, and many journalists have watched helplessly as hackers took control of their social media accounts, targeting confidential information in their internal servers. When journalists’ digital accounts are vulnerable to hacks or surveillance, news organizations, journalists, and their sources are at risk, and journalists’ ability to carry out their newsmaking function is reduced. Yet, some journalists do not believe that hacking and surveillance are significant threats, and they are not adopting information security measures to protect their data, themselves, or their sources. This research study includes 19 interviews with journalists, developers, and digital security trainers to shed light on journalists’ perceptions of information security technologies, including motivations to adopt and barriers to adoption. The findings show that motivations to adopt information security technologies hinge on the idea of protection: protection of self, story, and the journalist’s role—more so than the protection of the source, contrary to contemporary discourse about why journalists need to adopt such technologies.
This regional report discusses media trends regarding freedom, pluralism, independence and the sa... more This regional report discusses media trends regarding freedom, pluralism, independence and the safety of journalists in UNESCO Member States of the Western Europe and North America region. It covers the years from the start of 2012 to the start of 2017, with the five year period referred to in these pages as 2012-2017. As a regional study, this is one of six subsections of the wider report, with the global analysis published separately as “World Trends on Freedom of Expression and Media Development 2017/2018”, and which can be found at https://en.unesco.org/world-media-trends-2017. All of the reports follow the template of four trends: Media Freedom, Media Pluralism, Media Independence and the Safety of Journalism.
Media developments vary significantly within this region due to the different conditions in each country, but broadly speaking, this overview of the Western Europe and North America region between 2012 and 2017 indicates several shifts and trends. Despite historically well-established traditions of robust legal frameworks aimed at securing the freedom of the media, the legal environment has recently become more restrictive for journalists. A heightened climate of populism, nationalism, and political extremism in several countries, has impeded the independence of some news channels and platforms, which is coupled with the impact of measures to monitor and discourage ‘fake news’, hate speech, and violent extremism. Concerns about globalization, immigration, terrorism, and economic stability, have directed governments’ decisions to opt out of regional commitments or to increase anti-democratic measures with regard to the press. An increase in media concentration, the neoliberalization of media markets, convergence, and media capture by business interest with close relationships to political actors, indicate continued risks to media pluralism, media independence, and media freedom. A politicization of regulatory institutions and processes has affected the independence of media regulatory bodies in some instances, while traditional funding models of the media sector continue to result in difficulties regarding the financial sustainability of media outlets. News media sexism, gender bias, gender inequality in the media workplace, and gender stereotyping continue to occur across content delivery platforms, including within both the print sector as well as online digital media. The region reflected a sharp decline in the safety of journalists between 2012 and 2017, due in part to the political turmoil present in one European state, as well as attacks by violent groups claiming religious motivation. In a sharply increasing trend, journalists were imprisoned in greater numbers between 2012 and 2017 than before, and are often detained and questioned about sources under anti-terrorism legislation. Government strategies to combat terrorism, including mass communication surveillance programs and the prosecution of whistle blowers, undermined the freedom of the press and safety of journalistic sources. An increasing trend of the de-legitimization of the media surfaced as politicians verbally assaulted the press, and in some cases encouraged attacks on the news media. Impunity occurred at lower levels when compared to other regions.
This manifesto examines the discourse used by journalists in their coverage leading up to and fol... more This manifesto examines the discourse used by journalists in their coverage leading up to and following Donald Trump’s ascendancy to the presidency in the United States. To examine this topic, I conducted a qualitative textual analysis of a sample of English language newspaper articles, collected primarily via Lexis-Nexis and Media Cloud between June 2015 and October 2017. My corpus included articles from leading national newspapers such as The New York Times and The Washington Post and metajournalistic discourse from the Columbia Journalism Review. I show how journalists discursively rely on historical analogies to make sense of an unprecedented political phenomenon known as Donald Trump and Trumpism, and how, by looking to the past, journalists seek to bolster their cultural authority at a time when trust in the media is at record lows.
“Electronic Communications Surveillance: What Journalists and Media Organizations Need to Know” e... more “Electronic Communications Surveillance: What Journalists and Media Organizations Need to Know” explores the legal framework for the government to obtain information about journalists’ communications and serves as a useful guide for journalists seeking a contemporary snapshot of surveillance law.
Using legal and regulatory protections for journalists as a starting point, the report surveys and defines a variety of communications surveillance tools that the U.S. government has at its disposal, such as National Security Letters, wiretaps, and search warrants, and advises that common journalism tools like email and text messaging may inadvertently expose reporters and their sources to surveillance.
Appended to the report is a chart that outlines these surveillance processes and the legal standards that control the scope of these processes. Armed with this legal understanding of surveillance risks, reporters will be better able to securely communicate with their sources.
One of the greatest threats to freedom of expression around the world is the violence committed a... more One of the greatest threats to freedom of expression around the world is the violence committed against journalists practicing their profession in conflict situations. During the last 20 years, an alarming number of journalists have been targeted or killed when reporting about war. This situation has prompted several international organizations to offer suggestions on how to protect the messengers who report about war. In this study, the authors provide a historical overview of journalist protection. In addition, they explore a number of recent declarations, resolutions and strategies introduced to protect journalists targeted in conflict zones. One particularly controversial strategy, the Press Emblem Campaign, is examined by interviewing various international stakeholders. The authors demonstrate that while no clear comprehensive method to protect journalists has yet to be universally accepted, this global problem has generated increased international attention
Edward Snowden's release of classified NSA documents exposed the widespread government practice o... more Edward Snowden's release of classified NSA documents exposed the widespread government practice of mass surveillance in a democratic society. The publication of these documents, facilitated by three journalists, as well as efforts to criminalize the act of being a whistleblower or source, signaled a new era in the coverage of national security reporting. The contributors to Journalism After Snowden analyze the implications of the Snowden affair for journalism and the future role of the profession as a watchdog for the public good. Integrating discussions of media, law, surveillance, technology, and national security, the book offers a timely and much-needed assessment of the promises and perils for journalism in the digital age.
Journalism After Snowden is essential reading for citizens, journalists, and academics in search of perspective on the need for and threats to investigative journalism in an age of heightened surveillance. The book features contributions from key players involved in the reporting of leaks of classified information by Edward Snowden, including Alan Rusbridger, former editor-in-chief of The Guardian; ex-New York Times executive editor Jill Abramson; legal scholar and journalist Glenn Greenwald; and Snowden himself. Other contributors include dean of Columbia Graduate School of Journalism Steve Coll, Internet and society scholar Clay Shirky, legal scholar Cass Sunstein, and journalist Julia Angwin. Topics discussed include protecting sources, digital security practices, the legal rights of journalists, access to classified data, interpreting journalistic privilege in the digital age, and understanding the impact of the Internet and telecommunications policy on journalism. The anthology's interdisciplinary nature provides a comprehensive overview and understanding of how society can protect the press and ensure the free flow of information.
Violent criminals and corrupt governmental officials harass, co-opt, and kill local and foreign j... more Violent criminals and corrupt governmental officials harass, co-opt, and kill local and foreign journalists in countries from Mexico to Afghanistan, to Russia and the Philippines. Staggeringly, there has been little or no prosecution in 89 percent of journalist murders worldwide. Such widespread impunity is arguably one of the greatest threats to press freedom. A number of international organizations and advocates have developed efforts to mitigate this problem, but belligerents continue to act with few restraints and little, if any, accountability.
War on Words: Who Should Protect Journalists? is an examination of the deteriorating and dangerous environment facing journalists and what stakeholders are doing to address this serious problem threatening democracy worldwide. The authors explore the peril facing journalists, delve into the legal and practical history of press protection, evaluate current safety strategies for journalists, and gather opinions from an array of local and international correspondents and practitioners on how to improve this untenable situation.
The Lisbon Winter School for the Study of Communication is a response to two troubling conditions... more The Lisbon Winter School for the Study of Communication is a response to two troubling conditions of the contemporary moment: Firstly, it recognizes that doctoral students researching the challenges posed by contemporary phenomena in media and communication need new fora to foster discussion in real time of ideas and theories that may help them grasp more fully rapidly changing realities. Secondly, it aims to facilitate global discussions at a time marked by political and cultural polarization and the resurgence of nationalisms that diminish claims to identity and otherness.
This manifesto examines the discourse used by journalists in their coverage leading up to and fol... more This manifesto examines the discourse used by journalists in their coverage leading up to and following Donald Trump’s ascendancy to the presidency in the United States. To examine this topic, I conducted a qualitative textual analysis of a sample of English language newspaper articles, collected primarily via Lexis-Nexis and Media Cloud between June 2015 and October 2017. My corpus included articles from leading national newspapers such as The New York Times and The Washington Post and metajournalistic discourse from the Columbia Journalism Review. I show how journalists discursively rely on historical analogies to make sense of an unprecedented political phenomenon known as Donald Trump and Trumpism, and how, by looking to the past, journalists seek to bolster their cultural authority at a time when trust in the media is at record lows.
This paper utilizes concepts from new institutionalism to help explain journalists’ and news orga... more This paper utilizes concepts from new institutionalism to help explain journalists’ and news organizations’ resistance to implementing security-related practices despite a deteriorating safety and security environment for journalists in the United States. Through 30 interviews with journalists, technologists, and media lawyers, I identify three main variables for the resistance to the development of newsroom security cultures, as well as a new social actor necessary for the development of security cultures in newsrooms: the “security champion.” The emergence of this new institutional entrepreneur highlights an intriguing tension. Although news organizations have engaged in slow adoption of the anonymous whistleblowing platform SecureDrop, they have not necessarily engaged in an institutionalization of security practices throughout the newsroom. The decoupling of these two factors represents attempts by news organizations to have institutional legitimacy while not changing core practices. In conjunction with this phenomenon, inspired individuals in newsrooms across the country are becoming ad hoc “security champions” in order to build security cultures from the ground up.
This paper explores tracking and privacy risks on pornography websites. Our analysis of 22,484 po... more This paper explores tracking and privacy risks on pornography websites. Our analysis of 22,484 pornography websites indicated that 93% leak user data to a third party. Tracking on these sites is highly concentrated by a handful of major companies, which we identify. We successfully extracted privacy policies for 3,856 sites, 17% of the total. The policies were written such that one might need a two-year college education to understand them. Our content analysis of the sample’s domains indicated 44.97% of them expose or suggest a specific gender/sexual identity or interest likely to be linked to the user. We identify three core implications of the quantitative results: 1) the unique/elevated risks of porn data leakage versus other types of data, 2) the particular risks/impact for vulnerable populations, and 3) the complications of providing consent for porn site users and the need for affirmative consent in these online sexual interactions.
Over the last several years, numerous journalists and news organizations have reported incidents ... more Over the last several years, numerous journalists and news organizations have reported incidents in which their communications have been hacked, intercepted, or retrieved. In 2014, Google security experts found that 21 of the world’s 25 most popular media outlets were targets of state-sponsored hacking attempts, and many journalists have watched helplessly as hackers took control of their social media accounts, targeting confidential information in their internal servers. When journalists’ digital accounts are vulnerable to hacks or surveillance, news organizations, journalists, and their sources are at risk, and journalists’ ability to carry out their newsmaking function is reduced. Yet, some journalists do not believe that hacking and surveillance are significant threats, and they are not adopting information security measures to protect their data, themselves, or their sources. This research study includes 19 interviews with journalists, developers, and digital security trainers to shed light on journalists’ perceptions of information security technologies, including motivations to adopt and barriers to adoption. The findings show that motivations to adopt information security technologies hinge on the idea of protection: protection of self, story, and the journalist’s role—more so than the protection of the source, contrary to contemporary discourse about why journalists need to adopt such technologies.
This regional report discusses media trends regarding freedom, pluralism, independence and the sa... more This regional report discusses media trends regarding freedom, pluralism, independence and the safety of journalists in UNESCO Member States of the Western Europe and North America region. It covers the years from the start of 2012 to the start of 2017, with the five year period referred to in these pages as 2012-2017. As a regional study, this is one of six subsections of the wider report, with the global analysis published separately as “World Trends on Freedom of Expression and Media Development 2017/2018”, and which can be found at https://en.unesco.org/world-media-trends-2017. All of the reports follow the template of four trends: Media Freedom, Media Pluralism, Media Independence and the Safety of Journalism.
Media developments vary significantly within this region due to the different conditions in each country, but broadly speaking, this overview of the Western Europe and North America region between 2012 and 2017 indicates several shifts and trends. Despite historically well-established traditions of robust legal frameworks aimed at securing the freedom of the media, the legal environment has recently become more restrictive for journalists. A heightened climate of populism, nationalism, and political extremism in several countries, has impeded the independence of some news channels and platforms, which is coupled with the impact of measures to monitor and discourage ‘fake news’, hate speech, and violent extremism. Concerns about globalization, immigration, terrorism, and economic stability, have directed governments’ decisions to opt out of regional commitments or to increase anti-democratic measures with regard to the press. An increase in media concentration, the neoliberalization of media markets, convergence, and media capture by business interest with close relationships to political actors, indicate continued risks to media pluralism, media independence, and media freedom. A politicization of regulatory institutions and processes has affected the independence of media regulatory bodies in some instances, while traditional funding models of the media sector continue to result in difficulties regarding the financial sustainability of media outlets. News media sexism, gender bias, gender inequality in the media workplace, and gender stereotyping continue to occur across content delivery platforms, including within both the print sector as well as online digital media. The region reflected a sharp decline in the safety of journalists between 2012 and 2017, due in part to the political turmoil present in one European state, as well as attacks by violent groups claiming religious motivation. In a sharply increasing trend, journalists were imprisoned in greater numbers between 2012 and 2017 than before, and are often detained and questioned about sources under anti-terrorism legislation. Government strategies to combat terrorism, including mass communication surveillance programs and the prosecution of whistle blowers, undermined the freedom of the press and safety of journalistic sources. An increasing trend of the de-legitimization of the media surfaced as politicians verbally assaulted the press, and in some cases encouraged attacks on the news media. Impunity occurred at lower levels when compared to other regions.
This manifesto examines the discourse used by journalists in their coverage leading up to and fol... more This manifesto examines the discourse used by journalists in their coverage leading up to and following Donald Trump’s ascendancy to the presidency in the United States. To examine this topic, I conducted a qualitative textual analysis of a sample of English language newspaper articles, collected primarily via Lexis-Nexis and Media Cloud between June 2015 and October 2017. My corpus included articles from leading national newspapers such as The New York Times and The Washington Post and metajournalistic discourse from the Columbia Journalism Review. I show how journalists discursively rely on historical analogies to make sense of an unprecedented political phenomenon known as Donald Trump and Trumpism, and how, by looking to the past, journalists seek to bolster their cultural authority at a time when trust in the media is at record lows.
“Electronic Communications Surveillance: What Journalists and Media Organizations Need to Know” e... more “Electronic Communications Surveillance: What Journalists and Media Organizations Need to Know” explores the legal framework for the government to obtain information about journalists’ communications and serves as a useful guide for journalists seeking a contemporary snapshot of surveillance law.
Using legal and regulatory protections for journalists as a starting point, the report surveys and defines a variety of communications surveillance tools that the U.S. government has at its disposal, such as National Security Letters, wiretaps, and search warrants, and advises that common journalism tools like email and text messaging may inadvertently expose reporters and their sources to surveillance.
Appended to the report is a chart that outlines these surveillance processes and the legal standards that control the scope of these processes. Armed with this legal understanding of surveillance risks, reporters will be better able to securely communicate with their sources.
One of the greatest threats to freedom of expression around the world is the violence committed a... more One of the greatest threats to freedom of expression around the world is the violence committed against journalists practicing their profession in conflict situations. During the last 20 years, an alarming number of journalists have been targeted or killed when reporting about war. This situation has prompted several international organizations to offer suggestions on how to protect the messengers who report about war. In this study, the authors provide a historical overview of journalist protection. In addition, they explore a number of recent declarations, resolutions and strategies introduced to protect journalists targeted in conflict zones. One particularly controversial strategy, the Press Emblem Campaign, is examined by interviewing various international stakeholders. The authors demonstrate that while no clear comprehensive method to protect journalists has yet to be universally accepted, this global problem has generated increased international attention
Uploads
Books
Journalism After Snowden is essential reading for citizens, journalists, and academics in search of perspective on the need for and threats to investigative journalism in an age of heightened surveillance. The book features contributions from key players involved in the reporting of leaks of classified information by Edward Snowden, including Alan Rusbridger, former editor-in-chief of The Guardian; ex-New York Times executive editor Jill Abramson; legal scholar and journalist Glenn Greenwald; and Snowden himself. Other contributors include dean of Columbia Graduate School of Journalism Steve Coll, Internet and society scholar Clay Shirky, legal scholar Cass Sunstein, and journalist Julia Angwin. Topics discussed include protecting sources, digital security practices, the legal rights of journalists, access to classified data, interpreting journalistic privilege in the digital age, and understanding the impact of the Internet and telecommunications policy on journalism. The anthology's interdisciplinary nature provides a comprehensive overview and understanding of how society can protect the press and ensure the free flow of information.
War on Words: Who Should Protect Journalists? is an examination of the deteriorating and dangerous environment facing journalists and what stakeholders are doing to address this serious problem threatening democracy worldwide. The authors explore the peril facing journalists, delve into the legal and practical history of press protection, evaluate current safety strategies for journalists, and gather opinions from an array of local and international correspondents and practitioners on how to improve this untenable situation.
Papers
we identify. We successfully extracted privacy policies for 3,856 sites, 17% of the total. The policies were written such that one might need a two-year college education to understand them. Our content analysis of the sample’s domains indicated 44.97% of them expose or suggest a specific gender/sexual identity or interest likely
to be linked to the user. We identify three core implications of the quantitative results: 1) the unique/elevated risks of porn data
leakage versus other types of data, 2) the particular risks/impact for vulnerable populations, and 3) the complications of providing consent for porn site users and the need for affirmative consent in these online sexual interactions.
Media developments vary significantly within this region due to the different conditions in each country, but broadly speaking, this overview of the Western Europe and North America region between 2012 and 2017 indicates several shifts and trends. Despite historically well-established traditions of robust legal frameworks aimed at securing the freedom of the media, the legal environment has recently become more restrictive for journalists. A heightened climate of populism, nationalism, and political extremism in several countries, has impeded the independence of some news channels and platforms, which is coupled with the impact of measures to monitor and discourage ‘fake news’, hate speech, and violent extremism. Concerns about globalization, immigration, terrorism, and economic stability, have directed governments’ decisions to opt out of regional commitments or to increase anti-democratic measures with regard to the press. An increase in media concentration, the neoliberalization of media markets, convergence, and media capture by business interest with close relationships to political actors, indicate continued risks to media pluralism, media independence, and media freedom. A politicization of regulatory institutions and processes has affected the independence of media regulatory bodies in some instances, while traditional funding models of the media sector continue to result in difficulties regarding the financial sustainability of media outlets. News media sexism, gender bias, gender inequality in the media workplace, and gender stereotyping continue to occur across content delivery platforms, including within both the print sector as well as online digital media. The region reflected a sharp decline in the safety of journalists between 2012 and 2017, due in part to the political turmoil present in one European state, as well as attacks by violent groups claiming religious motivation. In a sharply increasing trend, journalists were imprisoned in greater numbers between 2012 and 2017 than before, and are often detained and questioned about sources under anti-terrorism legislation. Government strategies to combat terrorism, including mass communication surveillance programs and the prosecution of whistle blowers, undermined the freedom of the press and safety of journalistic sources. An increasing trend of the de-legitimization of the media surfaced as politicians verbally assaulted the press, and in some cases encouraged attacks on the news media. Impunity occurred at lower levels when compared to other regions.
Using legal and regulatory protections for journalists as a starting point, the report surveys and defines a variety of communications surveillance tools that the U.S. government has at its disposal, such as National Security Letters, wiretaps, and search warrants, and advises that common journalism tools like email and text messaging may inadvertently expose reporters and their sources to surveillance.
Appended to the report is a chart that outlines these surveillance processes and the legal standards that control the scope of these processes. Armed with this legal understanding of surveillance risks, reporters will be better able to securely communicate with their sources.
Journal papers
Journalism After Snowden is essential reading for citizens, journalists, and academics in search of perspective on the need for and threats to investigative journalism in an age of heightened surveillance. The book features contributions from key players involved in the reporting of leaks of classified information by Edward Snowden, including Alan Rusbridger, former editor-in-chief of The Guardian; ex-New York Times executive editor Jill Abramson; legal scholar and journalist Glenn Greenwald; and Snowden himself. Other contributors include dean of Columbia Graduate School of Journalism Steve Coll, Internet and society scholar Clay Shirky, legal scholar Cass Sunstein, and journalist Julia Angwin. Topics discussed include protecting sources, digital security practices, the legal rights of journalists, access to classified data, interpreting journalistic privilege in the digital age, and understanding the impact of the Internet and telecommunications policy on journalism. The anthology's interdisciplinary nature provides a comprehensive overview and understanding of how society can protect the press and ensure the free flow of information.
War on Words: Who Should Protect Journalists? is an examination of the deteriorating and dangerous environment facing journalists and what stakeholders are doing to address this serious problem threatening democracy worldwide. The authors explore the peril facing journalists, delve into the legal and practical history of press protection, evaluate current safety strategies for journalists, and gather opinions from an array of local and international correspondents and practitioners on how to improve this untenable situation.
we identify. We successfully extracted privacy policies for 3,856 sites, 17% of the total. The policies were written such that one might need a two-year college education to understand them. Our content analysis of the sample’s domains indicated 44.97% of them expose or suggest a specific gender/sexual identity or interest likely
to be linked to the user. We identify three core implications of the quantitative results: 1) the unique/elevated risks of porn data
leakage versus other types of data, 2) the particular risks/impact for vulnerable populations, and 3) the complications of providing consent for porn site users and the need for affirmative consent in these online sexual interactions.
Media developments vary significantly within this region due to the different conditions in each country, but broadly speaking, this overview of the Western Europe and North America region between 2012 and 2017 indicates several shifts and trends. Despite historically well-established traditions of robust legal frameworks aimed at securing the freedom of the media, the legal environment has recently become more restrictive for journalists. A heightened climate of populism, nationalism, and political extremism in several countries, has impeded the independence of some news channels and platforms, which is coupled with the impact of measures to monitor and discourage ‘fake news’, hate speech, and violent extremism. Concerns about globalization, immigration, terrorism, and economic stability, have directed governments’ decisions to opt out of regional commitments or to increase anti-democratic measures with regard to the press. An increase in media concentration, the neoliberalization of media markets, convergence, and media capture by business interest with close relationships to political actors, indicate continued risks to media pluralism, media independence, and media freedom. A politicization of regulatory institutions and processes has affected the independence of media regulatory bodies in some instances, while traditional funding models of the media sector continue to result in difficulties regarding the financial sustainability of media outlets. News media sexism, gender bias, gender inequality in the media workplace, and gender stereotyping continue to occur across content delivery platforms, including within both the print sector as well as online digital media. The region reflected a sharp decline in the safety of journalists between 2012 and 2017, due in part to the political turmoil present in one European state, as well as attacks by violent groups claiming religious motivation. In a sharply increasing trend, journalists were imprisoned in greater numbers between 2012 and 2017 than before, and are often detained and questioned about sources under anti-terrorism legislation. Government strategies to combat terrorism, including mass communication surveillance programs and the prosecution of whistle blowers, undermined the freedom of the press and safety of journalistic sources. An increasing trend of the de-legitimization of the media surfaced as politicians verbally assaulted the press, and in some cases encouraged attacks on the news media. Impunity occurred at lower levels when compared to other regions.
Using legal and regulatory protections for journalists as a starting point, the report surveys and defines a variety of communications surveillance tools that the U.S. government has at its disposal, such as National Security Letters, wiretaps, and search warrants, and advises that common journalism tools like email and text messaging may inadvertently expose reporters and their sources to surveillance.
Appended to the report is a chart that outlines these surveillance processes and the legal standards that control the scope of these processes. Armed with this legal understanding of surveillance risks, reporters will be better able to securely communicate with their sources.