News and information to help journalists serve the public and stay safe.
April 16, 2020
Join us tomorrow,   Friday, April 17 , to explore writing about personal loss in a time of collective grief.  Keith Woods , NPR’s chief diversity officer, and Tom Huang , The Dallas Morning News assistant managing editor for journalism initiatives, will discuss their experiences with   “Grieving together, alone”   and take questions from 11:30 a.m. to noon.
The pandemic has taken its toll on truth and transparency. Doctors and nurses have been disciplined for speaking out; the captain of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier lost his command ; bad actors at home and abroad are peddling false information.
 
At a time like this, journalists’ sources - especially confidential sources - are essential. So is the protection of those sources, a task complicated during the pandemic by social distancing, stay-at-home rules and work-from-home constraints.
 
“It's critical for journalists to be able to communicate with sources and find out exactly how the pandemic is spreading, how governments are responding, how healthcare systems are responding, how this is impacting populations, and that's especially the case as we've seen governments really clamping down on information about their approaches,” said Naomi Gilens , a legal fellow specializing in free speech litigation at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
 
“As all this is happening, there's just been a huge spike in government attempts to suppress information,” she said in an interview with the National Press Club Journalism Institute. “So it really makes it more important now than ever for journalists to be able to do their jobs and to do that in a way that keeps their sources protected and safe.”
 
We spoke to Gilens to get her insights about privacy in the midst of a pandemic and how journalists can safeguard potentially vulnerable communications with their sources.
 
Are certain sources more vulnerable to retribution or surveillance?

Gilens : One thing that's a bit unique about this moment in time is the number of people who are suddenly working from home maybe for the first time, and people using their work devices in their homes.
 
So if it's a journalist speaking to a source, I think that no matter whether that source is a government employee or someone working in private industry, the most important thing is going to be for journalists just to be aware of the particular threat model that they're facing in that situation.
 
If they're concerned about actors surveilling their communication, for example, they're going to want to take steps to communicate over platforms that are end-to-end encrypted. That's going to be the case no matter whether their concern is that it's a government actor who will be listening in or a private employer.
 
Read on for digital protection advice, how governments are using social media to communicate and privacy concerns in the midst of a crisis.
  • Beware of emails from suspicious parties. Don’t open strange email attachments.
  • Beware of USB connectors. Know what you are inserting into your USB drive and where it came from.

  • Consider using HTTPS Everywhere, a plug-in for computer browsers that encrypts communications with major websites.
  • Consider using end-to-end encryption to protect your text, voice and video calls. Examples of services or software that offer end-to-end encryption: Signal (for iOS and Android) WhatsApp (for iOS and Android) and Wire.

  • Encrypt your data. Most smartphones and computers offer encryption as an option. Create a passphrase, which is longer than a password.
  • Create a secure device. Place your valuable data in a separate computer and keep it offline.
  • Use two-factor authentication, or 2FA, which requires a password and a one-time code sent to another device, such as a smartphone.

Watch this animated video on how strong encryption can help avoid online surveillance, courtesy of the Electronic Frontier Foundation,  Surveillance Self-Defense .

Advice from  Jill Geisler ,
Bill Plante Chair in Leadership & Media Integrity, Loyola University Chicago
Freedom Forum Fellow in Women’s Leadership

You’re bombarded with communication - text, email, Slack, phone call, Zoom - sometimes all at the same time. When you’re on overload, your written messages may be brief, for efficiency’s sake.

But short takes can be misread as dismissive, frustrated, angry or unhappy, when that’s not your intent.

Misunderstandings happen when:
  • There’s a power differential. You send a carefully crafted request for time off on short notice to your boss. The reply is “OK.” You can’t tell if all is well or your boss is silently resentful.
  • The response is short and negative. You offer to help someone with a project and the reply is “No thanks.” You wonder if the person doesn’t need assistance or was put off by your offer. 
  • The answer is frustratingly ambiguous. You hope to see your story on the homepage so you send a note asking an editor whether it'll be there and the response is “Got it” with no indication of next steps.
  • A question is heard as a criticism. “What’s the status of that story?” may be a simple matter of curiosity, or need-to-know for planning - but can come across as “Why isn’t it done yet?”
  • The message causes needless work. You asked about two things and the reply addresses only one, so you have to ask again. Or you receive a shorthand response that could have contained a link to a quick solution but doesn’t - forcing you to search. 

I teach managers and teammates that the first line of an email sets the tone for everything that follows it. It doesn’t add a ton of time to start with “No pressure, just checking” before writing “What’s the status of that story?” Or to respond - “You earned that day” and then “OK!”

And - even if you hate emojis - consider applying them to your message when you want to reinforce your positive intent.

Finally, if you have any fear that an important missive of any length might not land the way you intended, here’s my patented preview tip: Read your message out loud - but in a sarcastic voice. It will give you one last chance to tidy things up before hitting “send.”

OK?
Self-Care: Full-body stretches
We aren’t yet in the home stretch of the pandemic, but stretching — especially full body practices — can help us as we work from home. Dr. Karen Erickson, spokesperson for the American Chiropractic Association , says she prefers a full-body approach, like yoga, rather than stretching an isolated body part. 

She shared these three exercises by email: 

  • Stand or sit and put your thumbs under your armpits, and pull your elbows back while looking straight ahead floating the crown of your head to the ceiling. This opens the chest, shoulders and neck flexors. 
  • Put both hands behind your head with your elbows pointing out to the sides the whole time. Now slowly bend your neck forward, center, backwards, center, right bending, center, left bending, center, rotation to the right, and rotation to the left. No need to stretch into pain; stay within the range that is comfortable. 
  • Lie on your back and gently bring both knees to your chest, holding behind your knees to pull them toward you. Do not lift your head. Then cross the right ankle over the left knee and pull the left knee to the chest. This will open your hips. Do the other side. End with both knees to the chest, rolling slightly from side to side. This sequence helps undo the stress of sitting. 

Read on for more self-care tips, or share your own .
Round 2 voting has begun. Deadline is midnight on Monday, April 20.
RESOURCES
This newsletter is written & edited by the National Press Club Journalism Institute staff: Beth Francesco, Holly Butcher Grant, Jim Kuhnhenn, and Julie Moos. Send us your questions and suggestions for topics to cover.

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