killing the messenger

Crash Course: The Week Journalism Met Technology In Court (again)

Within days of the scandalous news reporting the seizure of phone records at the AP, a call for renewal of a journalist shield law.  (NYT excerpt)- "The Obama administration sought on Wednesday to revive legislation that would provide greater protections to reporters from penalties for refusing to identify confidential sources, and that would enable journalists to ask a federal judge to quash subpoenas for their phone records, a White House official said." 

Adam Pennenberg writes: (excerpt)- "Unfortunately, it’s an empty gesture, or maybe just plain old politics, because not only wouldn’t it have protected the AP from the DoJ’s snooping – there’s an exception when national security is at stake – a federal shield law, at least in its current form, would be so porous it wouldn’t serve much of a purpose to anyone." 

Pennenberg proceeds to quickly outline discrepancies in State laws, concluding with a reminder of current Federal rulings. "The House of Representatives in 2007 passed a federal shield law, which included a last-minute amendment that required anyone seeking protection to earn “a substantial portion of [their] livelihood” from journalism. This was aimed at bloggers, who were, depending on your point of view, either citizen journalists democratizing media or opinionated loudmouths posting vitriolic screeds online between trips to the refrigerator. As the Senate worked on its version of a shield law, however, blogs moved further into the mainstream, partly because virtually every newspaper, magazine, and online news organization has co-opted them for their own sites." 

As linked here earlier in the week, AP is not the only mainstream American-based news organization under threat.

From a Slate article titled "How Journalists Can Protect Themselves From the U.S. Government" - "Once they get over being shocked, shocked at the administration's increasingly obvious antipathy toward what they do, American journalists will have to face up to the changed conditions in which they operate." 

The New Yorker rolled out Tor-based technology designed to protect whistleblowers and the reporters who rely on the legal protection of their sources.  Such an app, like any security tool, is only as good as the user's level of understanding it's complexities. 

A group of computer programmers working directly with journalism and tech, in a piece worth reading, examine the details in New Yorker's system.  (excerpts) - "There are many ways a leaker might mess up, leaving electronic or financial trails that can be used as leads in investigations against them. Journalists are often notoriously bad at computer security and might expose confidential information by emailing it to themselves on Google or leaving it out in public."  and, reflecting on how this would come into play in a case like the AP phone data, "...If the journalist and the source ever communicate through any other medium—phone calls, instant messages, email—this leaves records which can be used to identify the source. This is true even when encryption is used, because encryption only hides what you are saying, not who you are talking to. Whether or not this is a problem depends on who you are trying to keep secrets from."

As journalists are now compelled to drag themselves out of blind ignorance and learn basic internet security protocols, it must be considered that as users of the news we too must understand the practice of journalism in a digital age.  Impunity is ignorance.  It does not only reside in distant despotic regimes.  If we do not protect the press, we give up the protection of information.

 

Press Freedom in #America...

How sad, to see a headline like this, and how precient for journalists (and anyone using the internet) to finally wake up to the security threats of the digital age.

How Journalists Can Protect Themselves From the U.S. Government

(excerpt):

"Now it's time now for U.S. media companies and individual bloggers alike to recognize that they live in an environment in which their own government—not to mention criminal or corporate hackers—may well be using all of the tools at its considerable disposal, legal or not, to spy on them. They will increasingly need to practice their craft here at home as if they were independent journalists or dissidents living under an authoritarian regime."

#FreePress: Stand Up For Media Rights

Go to Free Press (dot) net to add your voice to demanding investigation into the government intrusion upon the 4th Estate. 

Press Freedom Foundation has more.(excerpt)

"A similar leak investigation to the one that has engulfed the AP is aimed at New York Times sources for its investigation into secret US cyberattacks. The government refused to comment if the Justice Department has gone to similar extremes with the New York Times' phone lines.  Regardless, as the New York Times reported on their front page in August of last year, these leak investigations are “casting a distinct chill over press coverage of national security issues as agencies decline routine interview requests and refuse to provide background briefings.” The Huffington Post recently interviewed several of the nation’s most prominent national security journalists, all of whom confirmed it’s a perilous time for journalists who are reporting on what the government considers secret. The Justice Department does not deny this. When asked about the Obama administration’s crackdown on leakers last June, a senior Justice Department (DOJ) official told longtime national security reporter Shane Harris that the DOJ is “out for scalps.” Harris’ DOJ source also “made it clear that reporters who talked to sources about classified information were putting themselves at risk of prosecution.” And it may be about to get worse..."

#America: Why Journalists Should Understand Electronic Security

As reported today by AP and others, "The Justice Department secretly obtained two months of telephone records of reporters and editors for The Associated Press in what the news cooperative's top executive called a "massive and unprecedented intrusion" into how news organizations gather the news."

Here's Politico's take (excerpted) "In a letter of protest sent to Attorney General Eric Holder on Monday, AP President and Chief Executive Officer Gary Pruitt said the government sought and obtained information far beyond anything that could be justified by any specific investigation. He demanded the return of the phone records and destruction of all copies. "There can be no possible justification for such an overbroad collection of the telephone communications of The Associated Press and its reporters. These records potentially reveal communications with confidential sources across all of the newsgathering activities undertaken by the AP during a two-month period, provide a road map to AP's newsgathering operations, and disclose information about AP's activities and operations that the government has no conceivable right to know," Pruitt said."

It's as good a time as any for journalists everywhere to consider, in the words of the EFF, who's got your back?  And perhaps not a bad time to gain a firm understanding of the use of 'burner phones', basic encryption methods and a close read of CPJ's digital security guide.  Sad that today's news confirms the following quote from the guide is just as applicable to journalists working within the continental U.S. as it is for those in war zones and corrupt economies.

"The volume and sophistication of attacks on journalists’ digital data is increasing at an alarming rate. In China, foreign correspondents have seen their personal computers infected with surveillance software that was concealed as attachments to carefully fabricated emails. Authorities in countries from Ethiopia to Colombia have accessed reporters’ telephone, email, and text conversations. Government players aren’t the only ones who use digital surveillance and sabotage; large criminal organizations increasingly exploit high-tech opportunities. Opportunistic or “patriotic” computer criminals also target journalists working with valuable or controversial data. In the end, though, good information security is rarely about fending off sophisticated cyberattacks and Hollywood-style hackers. It’s about understanding the motives and capabilities of those who might want to attack you, and developing consistent habits based on those assessments."

Reblog: KTM Film Maker's Blog at Huffington Post

(excerpts:)

"Is it any coincidence that the two adult sons of prominent journalists in the northern state of Chihuahua were gunned down last weekend? Even though officials say that it had nothing to do with their parents work it seems more likely than not that it does have a connection..."

- Full post today.

Previous post excerpted below:

"Since UNESCO started keeping track of the killing of journalists and media workers - 2012 proved to be the deadliest year on record. According to Center to Protect Journalists (CPJ) a New York advocacy group, the number reached 70 journalists killed -- motive confirmed.  According to International News Safety Institute (INSI), there have been 26 journalists and media staff killed in 2013 while doing their job -- getting us the news."

- Full post from April 30th

 

#Iran: Journalists In Jail

From CPJ:

 

World Press Freedom Day

Crime & Unpunishment: Why journalists fear for their safety infographic by BenStanford.

Social Media and New Threats Against The Press

Microsoft Research generates some insightful perspectives on the use of social media by journalists and civilians as a means of reporting news in areas where it is under-reported, specifically Mexico, where much of the main-stream press is forced to self-censor.  At a time where recent cyber attacks on AP and The Guardian reveal weaknesses in security when using new technologies, it is important to raise awareness of digital safeguards for journalism of all stripes. 

#Mexico: A Move To End Impunity

From CPJ we learn that Mexico has, at long last, put a bill in front of the new president for signature that would make the killing of a journalist a Federal crime.  (excerpt):

"Who can say, exactly, when the work of press freedom groups, human rights defenders, and budding networks of Mexican journalists became a movement? It would have been many murders, many funerals, many orphans ago. It would have been countless news events--about crime, corruption, violence--that went uncovered because reporters and news organizations concluded that the only way to survive was to stay silent. But finally, several years ago, the work of all these groups began to push the massacre of the Mexican press on to the national agenda. On Thursday, the movement led to a bill that gives the federal government jurisdiction over crimes against journalists. Today, the measure awaits only the president's approval."

Freedom House details some of the challenges that are faced despite the bill being close to passing into law;  primarily, "a lack of political will at the state level."

KTM Film, FAQ

Link to Teaser and Website.

Why did you make this film?

As documentary filmmakers, we feel a kinship with journalists – at different points in our lives, we each toed the path of photojournalism.  We are inspired by journalists and journalism daily; knowing that the practice and it’s practitioners face censorship and violence, we saw a story that wasn’t being told to the public.  Four years ago, we began exploring the topic for a documentary. In doing research we kept uncovering story after story of censorship and impunity.  We discovered very quickly is the danger isn’t just in reporting from conflict zones but also from people, political groups, criminals and entire countries who are trying to control the message.  The characters in this film are people whose stories really resonated with us.

What kind of film is it?

Our film is not a guide for ‘how to fix this’.  By showing viewers that impunity against journalists takes many forms, generally rooted in Conflict, Crime and Corruption, we aim to give people enough dots to connect their own relationship with journalism to our story.

We believe awareness of the problem will possibly lead to people appreciating their freedoms and recognizing that not all countries allow freedom of the press. Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, states: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; the right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers.

Where does the film take place?

Crime, Corruption & Conflict are represented in the geographic zones of Mexico, Russia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Libya. The film raises awareness of the comparative dangers in these three primary factors of impunity and encourages the audience to consider the news they receive in context with the risk it took to bring the story to them. 

In Mexico, the combination of drug trafficking, crime, and official corruption that has fueled violence in large portions of the country has also had a devastating effect on the press.  Deadly, unpunished violence against journalists often leads to vast self-censorship in the rest of the press corps.

In Russia crimes against journalists remain unsolved and press freedoms continue to erode. Physical attacks on journalists are frequent but go unpunished.  These types of attacks or other means of intimidation, including aggressive efforts by prosecutors to shut down news media outlets or nonprofit groups, serve as an unnerving deterrent.

Before Bosnia, journalists were able to cover conflicts successfully from different sides. Today, both government forces and insurgents have detained or attacked journalists suspected of having relationships with their foes. Those who report from any one side can also find themselves accused by another side of collaborating with the enemy. Fatalities are more common among journalists reporting unilaterally, but the risk of embedding with military forces has its dangers as well.

What is the message in the film?

Impunity is, in part spurred by ignorance – the disconnect or unwillingness to see that protecting journalists is not just for the journalists themselves – it is for all of us who rely on the news to make informed choices in our lives.

Are journalists still in danger?

According to CPJ report on Impunity Iraq has been on the list at the top for the past 5 years; Afghanistan is #7, Mexico comes in at #8 and Russia rates 9^th.

Murder is the leading cause of work-related deaths for journalists as censorship increases worldwide. In addition to those who have been killed, dozens have been attacked, kidnapped, or forced into exile in connection with their coverage of crime and corruption.  2012 was the deadliest year for journalists and media workers and the trend continues.

As of mid-April 2013, 25 journalists and media workers have been killed. (INSI)

Syria now leads in the most dangerous place in the world for a reporter  (CPJ)

27 of the 32 journalists who have been killed in Syria were local reporters.

21 have been abducted and only 13 have been released.

Who is the audience for this film?

Our audience is everyone who cares about the news they watch, read or listen to.  If you care about what goes in the food you eat, or what goes in your shampoo, you should care about what goes into getting you the news. 

We want to inspire people not to take journalism for granted, to recognize the dangers faced by those getting hard news out of hard places.  And to recognize that protecting journalists is not just for the journalists - it is for all of us.