Who left their computers locked and protected with a password? This is the question that Renata Ávila, blogger for Global Voices, opened with for the panel "Protection and Prevention Strategies: How to help journalists, bloggers, and citizen journalists in a hostile environment?" on the second day of the 10th Austin Forum of Journalism in the Americas.
Although we probably feel that we are in an environment of trust among each other in this group, we shouldn't believe we are completely protected, said Ávila. Journalists are exposed to different types of attacks, which is why they shouldn't only protect themselves, but also their digital data, which can be accessed through computers and cell phones, said Ávila.
When journalists are publishing content online, there are certain questions that must be addressed in anticipation. Who will make decisions if someone is arrested? What message does that person want to transmit, in the case of an arrest? What information do journalists not want to publish? Who can speak on one's behalf, and who cannot? What financial support is there, if any? When evaluating these type of questions, precautionary measures are important, said Ávila.
More than anything, "the same support networks that support journalists must support anyone who publishes online," said Ávila.
This statement caused Carlos Dada, founder and director of the digital newspaper of El Salvador, El Faro, to respond that the lack in standardized support is one of his concerns, especially when it comes to protecting provincial journalists in his country. These journalists are ignored, disregarded by their own media, poorly paid, with less access, and are the least protected, said Dada. The protection of these journalists is "urgent," he added.
Organized crime has rapidly increased in the region, said Dada. "We must still tell these stories. It is a victory for criminals each time a news media outlet is closed," he said.
Following Dada, Rodney Pinder, executive director of the International News Safety Institute, said that local journalists that work in their own environment, work under more pressure than those that work in foreign countries, pointing out that Latin America has turned into one of the most dangerous places for journalism in the world.
Solidarity is key, said Pinder. He also said that journalists should be better prepared professionally, and to do this, they need security training. According to Pinder, $250 million a year is spent on media development, and only a small portion of this is used to protect journalists.
For Dario Ramirez, director of the freedom of expression organization Article 19 in Mexico, self-protection is a fundamental element. According to Ramirez, the majority of journalists in high risk areas do not even take minimal precautionary measures. "The best protection is ethical journalism," said Ramirez.
"We must think of ways to create solidarity," added Frank Smyth, founder and director of Global Journalist Security. Smyth also suggested that more information and statistics about impunity to be published, instead of only publishing information about the number of killings that happen in Latin America.
Smyth emphasized the impunity problems that exist in countries such as Brazil, Honduras, Guatemala, and above all, Mexico. "We need to start thinking of security as a basic function of being a journalist," said Smyth.
As stated by the moderator of this panel, Ricardo Uceda, director of the Peruvian Press and Society Institute "the precautionary measures are at risk now," which is another cause of concern for journalism.
Find more information here about the 10th Austin Forum. This year's Forum, titled "Security and Protection for Journalists, Bloggers, and Citizen Journalists," is organized by the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas and the Latin American and media programs of the Open Society Foundations.
