As of 2012, no American journalism school offered formal digital safety training to its students; a new guide on "Digital Security Basics for Journalists" helps address this void.
The following is a CPJ Blog post by Frank Smyth, Senior Adviser for Journalist Security:
One day, every journalism school in the United States and beyond will offer a full three-credit, 15-week course in digital safety, along with more advanced classes. But that day has not yet come. Only a year ago, Alysia Santo reported in the Columbia Journalism Review that no American journalism school offered formal digital safety training. A number of groups, including CPJ, have tried to fill the void with digital security guides. This week, the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University added to the resource stockpile with the publication of a guide that I’ve written, Digital Security Basics for Journalists.
One caveat: No journalist should stop after reading any single guide. The pace of technological innovation is only accelerating; intelligence services, criminal actors, and other digital predators are constantly finding new ways to steal, copy, or access other people’s information and communications. Even if you were to master all of the concepts and tools available today, your skills will become outdated if you don’t make a concerted effort to keep up.
Read the full story on CPJ’s website.