After hearing from our journalist colleagues that they increasingly feel under threat online while doing their jobs, the National Press Club Journalism Institute convened a panel of experts to discuss digital safety tips for journalists.
Here’s a snippet of what they shared:
Trust your spidey senses: “If something feels off, something likely is off,” said María Salazar Ferro, director of newsroom safety and resilience at The New York Times. “If something does not feel right. Please seek help. There are a lot of resources. Talk to your friend, talk to your editor, talk to whoever you need to talk to … But don’t let it sit. Trust your gut.”
Practice password hygiene: “Use long, complex passwords that are 16 or more characters and unique to each of your accounts,” said Tat Bellamy-Walker, program manager of digital safety training and resources (media) at PEN America. “The best bet is for you to use a password manager to save this information. And I would also say for you to enable two-factor authentication on as many devices as possible … There are three ways to do 2FA, but no matter what method you use, make sure you save your backup codes somewhere safe, just in case you lose your device or if it’s stolen.”
Use end-to-end encryption for reporting: “End-to-end encryption for communications, especially for messaging, is important,” said Greg Lipper, founder of Lipper Law PLLC, and an experienced defense attorney in D.C. “For a lot of people on the Apple side, the weak link is your backups. Because iMessage is end-to-end encrypted, Apple can’t give law enforcement a key to that, even if they wanted to. But by default, iCloud backups — which most people probably turn on to back up their phone and photos — are not end-to-end encrypted.
And so, you will often see in a criminal defense case a big, multi-1,000-page digest of your client’s entire internet history, which law enforcement got from Apple because of an iCloud backup. There is an option called Advanced Data Protection through Apple that you can turn on that will end-to-end encrypt your backups as well.”
Speakers included:
- Tat Bellamy-Walker, Program Manager of Digital Safety Training and Resources (Media) at PEN America
- María Salazar Ferro, Director of Newsroom Safety and Resilience at The New York Times
- Greg Lipper, a D.C.-based litigator with extensive experience in criminal defense and investigations, and First Amendment and media law
Additional resources
- ACOS Alliance (A Culture Of Safety Alliance)
- PEN America’s Online Harassment Field Manual
- The Reporters Committee Legal Hotline
- Digital Safety Snacks: a collection of bite-sized videos offering hands-on guidance to protect you from hacking and doxing
- What To Do If You’re The Target Of Online Harassment: a concise list of protocols for navigating abuse
- Journalist Safety Urgent Care Helpline: To get help, email [email protected] with the word “SAFETY” in the subject line
About the National Press Club Journalism Institute
The National Press Club Journalism Institute promotes an engaged global citizenry through an independent and free press, and equips journalists with skills and standards to inform the public in ways that inspire a more representative democracy. As the non-profit affiliate of the National Press Club, the Institute powers journalism in the public interest. The Institute depends on grants, foundation funds, and contributions from individuals like you. Your donation today allows the Institute to offer the majority of its programming at no cost.
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