Why Digital Security Is Now Core to Journalism in the Age of Disinformation

Our newly published research sheds light on how journalists understand and practice digital security and why that matters in an era of disinformation. By examining how people find, access, and navigate digital security knowledge, the article helps explain a persistent gap between beliefs about online safety and everyday practices. Understanding this gap is essential for developing interventions that actually support safer online interactions.

The article focuses on journalism, a profession facing risks tied to surveillance, harassment, source protection, and targeted disinformation campaigns. As false and misleading information increasingly intersects with intimidation, doxxing, and platform manipulation, digital security has become central to democratic newswork.

The study uses an open, inductive approach to explore the beliefs that shape journalists’ engagement with digital security in reporting contexts. Rather than evaluating journalists against technical “best practice” standards, the research asks how reporters themselves make sense of security, risk, and protection.

The findings point to an important insight: even when journalists lack sophisticated digital security knowledge or tools, a security mindset is already embedded in newswork. Journalists routinely assess credibility, manage risk, and protect sources, skills that are directly relevant to navigating disinformation and digital threats. The article argues that strengthening digital security in journalism should build on these professional instincts, positioning security as a natural extension of reporting in a disinformation-rich media environment.