Today’s digital landscape poses new challenges and offers new opportunities for media professionals. Technology has changed how journalists go about some of their most fundamental practices, like finding, verifying and securing sources, protecting sensitive information and conducting fact checking. New technologies (i.e. reporting apps and desktop tools, electronic databases, unmanned aircraft and encrypted messaging platforms) have also created new opportunities for quality journalism.

Clear, objective and reliable journalism and strategic communication are needed to inform and engage citizens and policy makers on complex security issues. Inaccurate and misleading information can produce negative effects by creating improper policy responses or negative civil society reactions.

An understanding of emerging digital security risks and the potential uses of new technologies for reporting will help media professionals to report accurately and maintain freedom and independence from outside influences.

In recent years, the problems caused by misleading, biased, overly simple, or false information have been amplified. This is due to intentional misinformation and propaganda. But it also stems from a lack of technical knowledge by media professionals about the subjects related to new and emerging threats. These threats are constantly evolving, and thus require that journalists receive recurrent training to stay well informed and expand the network of reliable sources.

Meanwhile, technological changes in media consumption have amplified the potential reach of misinformation. This is particularly true when we think of the negative impacts of extremist propaganda or the dissemination of intentionally false information spreading directly to the public via social media.

During the training, participants will gain an in-depth knowledge on such emerging crimes and how to report about them accurately through learned methods of prevention, i.e. fact-checking tools. Moreover, participants will gain effective skills relating to digital tools and good practices that will enable them to protect their information and their sources while exercising freedom of expression on the Internet. Through the development of methods of digital security, media professionals will be able to mitigate the impact of repressive measures, retaliation from criminal groups and freedom of press restrictions.

At the end of the training, media professionals will have acquired in-depth knowledge on:

Emerging crimes: cyber crime, cyber warfare and terrorist use of the Internet
The use of digital tools for better reporting, investigative methods and effective use of databases, big data, drones and other devices
Countering propaganda and 'fake news' via social media
Fact-checking and verifying sources reliability online
Protection of journalists’ safety, sources, data and infrastructures
Digital security encryption tools and techniques
The evolution and workflow of the networked journalist
Discussing freedom of the press and cyber security
Crises Communication