Press freedom, already in decline for 85 percent of the world’s population, is under digital siege.
New digital business models, the development of surveillance technologies, the transparency of internet companies, and large-scale data collection and retention all pose risks to journalists and their sources, according to UNESCO, the UN agency tasked with fostering press freedom.
In some countries new media laws have had the consequence (sometimes intended, other times unintended) of censoring journalists. Journalists also face growing levels of cyber bullying from often anonymous actors serving to discredit them and their independence. They also contend with AI-powered surveillance of their movements and automated attacks on their work.
