{"id":9008,"date":"2025-03-10T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-10T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cntiwpedev.wpenginepowered.com\/?p=9008"},"modified":"2026-03-09T12:53:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T16:53:20","slug":"security","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cnti.org\/surveys\/what-it-means-to-do-journalism-in-the-age-of-ai-journalist-views-on-safety-technology-and-government\/security\/","title":{"rendered":"Security"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The digital security of journalists is under threat in many parts of the world. Cyberattacks, including malware, spyware<\/a>and digital surveillance<\/a> increasingly target journalists and news organizations, putting their private data at risk for unauthorized access and misuse. In addition to cybersecurity breaches, journalists and news organizations are faced with new forms of online harassment and abuse. Such harassment takes many forms, but can be defined<\/a> as \u201ctechnology \u2014 like cellphones, computers, social media or gaming platforms \u2014 [used] to bully, threaten, or aggressively hassle someone.\u201d Women journalists<\/a> and journalists from racial, sexual or religious minority backgrounds<\/a> report high rates of sexual and gendered harassment online. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is evidence that digital and physical threats to journalists are connected, with the use of spyware connected to hundreds of acts of physical violence<\/a>. Beyond physical violence, cyberthreats and online abuse affect journalists in significant ways, imposing emotional and psychological distress<\/a>, resulting in the self censorship<\/a> of content and causing journalists to distance themselves from their audience to avoid further harassment or threats. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This survey received responses from journalists in more than 60 countries. More than 50 responses each came from three countries: Mexico, Nigeria and the United States, each of which has a different type of government. In Reporters Without Borders’ (RSF) 2024 Press Freedom Index<\/a>, the U.S. ranked 55th among 180 countries, while Nigeria and Mexico ranked 112th and 121st, respectively. Mexico is particularly dangerous<\/a> for journalists; several high-profile leaks of journalists’ personal information<\/a>, including from the highest levels of government<\/a>, have left journalists shaken. In Nigeria, journalists often face intimidation and harassment<\/a>. During protests in August 2024, at least 56 journalists were attacked and harassed<\/a>. Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID)\u2019s press attack tracker<\/a> documented 135 attacks on journalists in Nigeria during 2024. The Cybercrime Act<\/a>, and specifically the interpretations of cyberstalking, has been used to prosecute journalists since enforcement began in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the U.S. has historically been a relatively safe country for journalists, with bedrock press freedoms. At the time of the survey, this was still the case, but more recently, the Committee to Protect Journalists has warned that the new administration is likely to curb press freedoms<\/a>. In December 2024, AP News reported that journalists are anticipating renewed hostility<\/a>. Initial steps<\/a> in this direction have included the Executive Order \u201cRestoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship<\/a>\u201d which takes aim at content moderation and fact-checking; threats to punish journalists<\/a>; and actions taken to bar specific news organizations<\/a> from official press conferences and spaces like the Oval Office and Air Force One. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Why we did this study<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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This project continues CNTI\u2019s Defining News Initiative<\/a> seeking to understand how journalism is defined today. Access to information is not just important for its own sake; it makes democracy<\/a> possible. In 2024, the United Nations outlined Global Principles for Information Integrity<\/a> in response to growing challenges around misinformation, disinformation and hate speech. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This survey explores (1) how current journalists view their industry, (2) their (and their organizations\u2019) uses and perceptions of technology, (3) their perspectives on government action and cyber security and (4) their experiences with online harassment and abuse. Importantly, respondents to CNTI\u2019s study come from a global mix of journalists that provide an international perspective on how journalists are navigating and understanding their rapidly changing industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more details, see \u201cAbout this study<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How we did this<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

CNTI partnered with journalism organizations in several continents to share the survey with their memberships. Surveys are a snapshot of what people think at a particular moment in time. These data were collected between October 14, 2024 and December 1, 2024, which means they highlight the perspective of journalists around the world during that time frame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These data reflect the responses collected from 433 journalists across 63 countries. Because no global census of journalists exists, no survey can be \u201cfully representative\u201d of all journalists. Moreover, 256 of our respondents (59%) came from three countries: Mexico, Nigeria, and the U.S.; when one of these three countries is statistically different from others in its group, we acknowledge that difference in the text.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For this section, we grouped countries into Global North and Global South, which share many demographic, economic and political similarities. A little more than a third (38%) of our respondents live in the Global North, and the rest live in the Global South (62%).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Survey questions related to cybersecurity and online abuse were analyzed based on regime type, considering the influence of different government systems on online freedom of speech<\/a> and journalist safety<\/a>. Government rhetoric toward journalists significantly shapes perception <\/a>and the legal protections available to them. As a result, many answers vary widely depending on the respondents\u2019 regime type. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The survey results reveal that journalists face significant cybersecurity and harassment threats all over the world and under different kinds of governments. Notably, those who frequently face high levels of risk in their work feel more prepared to address them. It also reveals that, of the journalists surveyed, about two-in-ten have experienced online impersonation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further, journalists have only moderate confidence in their news organizations\u2019 ability to face external harassment. This varies based on regime type, with journalists in less democratic countries more likely to feel \u201cvery\u201d confident. A similar trend is seen when journalists were asked if they themselves felt prepared to address both online harassment and security threats. Journalists in autocracies are more likely to say they felt very confident than those in liberal democracies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the growing digital threats to newsrooms, online safety, security and abuse is getting relatively little attention in newsrooms compared with other issues. This is true across regime types.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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