How Investigative Journalists View Surveillance and Digital Security
Select a topic to see journalists’ responses on:
Whether government surveillance is a serious concern …
64% of IRE journalists believe the U.S. government has probably collected data about their phone calls, emails or online communications.
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Relationships with sources amid security concerns …
38% of IRE reporters have, in the past year, at least somewhat changed the way they communicate with sources.
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Changing their behavior to better protect their communications and content …
18% of IRE reporters turn off electronic devices when meeting sources in person.
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Simply continuing practices they adopted long ago …
59% of IRE reporters meet their sources in person instead of communicating by phone or email.
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What news organizations are doing to enhance digital security …
91% of IRE journalists use different passwords for different online accounts.
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Need for better training and education …
41% of IRE journalists have received training or instruction from outside sources about ways to protect themselves and their sources.
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Putting surveillance and hacking in broader perspective …
88% of IRE journalists rank “decreasing resources in newsrooms” as the biggest challenge facing journalists today.
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About two-thirds of investigative journalists surveyed think the U.S. government has probably collected data about their phone calls, emails or online communications. The U.S.-based members of Investigative Reporters & Editors we surveyed were asked to describe how electronic surveillance and hacking have influenced their work or journalism as a whole. Read more in the full report.
