Investigative journalism has always been a hazardous occupation depending on the country, the topic and the times. In some countries a strict censorship protocol prescribes very harsh penalties including imprisonment, torture and death for everyday journalistic activities. In Western democracies we count on constitutional protections and the rule of law, laws that have been worked out to provide the maximum of freedom and opportunity for all citizens. One of the measures of a state or society's comparative civility has been freedom of the press which is regarded as a cornerstone of democracy. Similarly, the concept of personal autonomy and privacy has been an essential feature of civil society.
Recent events have clearly illustrated that these concepts of freedom of the press and personal privacy are at risk. Security forces, in their efforts to do their jobs, ie protect citizens, have been increasing the sophistication of their spying efforts on enemies and friends alike. A new law with sweeping ramifications for society is being debated in the Canadian HoC this week. It is essential that all citizens understand what is at stake but it is especially important that academics, researchers and journalists have a clear picture.
What is at stake for journalists in Canada with C-51?
Law Professors: Craig Forcese and Kent Roach Assessment
https://cdnantiterrorismlawaudit.wordpress.com/
Should we be concerned? Helpful Theoretical Frameworks
Clay Shirky is a media theorist who gained prominence for the theories proposed in his book, "Here Comes Everybody" where he described and explained some of the impacts of the web on communications. Shirky has written a chapter for an upcoming book "Journalism After Snowden" that develops many important themes and suggests even more profound effects of the world wide information revolution and reactions. Discussing investigative journalism in light of recent events in the US with respect to whistleblowers and protection of journalistic sources he says:
So what should journalists and publications do to maximize their ability to report newsworthy stories and minimize government interference? Three broad skills are required.
First and most importantly, reporters have to get good at encrypted communication. (It would be useful if news organizations began encrypting even routine communication, to avoid signaling to the governments they cover when something particularly important is happening, and to provide cover to sensitive sources.) Encryption is not an IT function; individual reporters have to become comfortable sending and receiving encrypted email, at a minimum. And, as was the case with both Manning and Snowden, it’s important to recognize—and to get the source to recognize—that encryption is no guarantee that a source won’t eventually be identified. It is a tool for buying time, not guaranteeing anonymity.
Second, journalists and institutions in contact with leakers need to have a plan for involving other journalists or institutions located in a different jurisdiction. While the leaks that get the most attention are national scale, we can expect additional leaks from inside businesses and local governments. It may be valuable to have a New Jersey newspaper holding vital documents about a sheriff in Colorado, to make sure the Colorado paper can’t be successfully pressured to withhold them. (This “doomsday switch” scenario seems to have been used by John McAfee, in his fight with the government of Belize, an indication that the pattern extends beyond journalism.)
And third, both journalists and publications should figure out to whom they might be useful as a third-party recipient of some other journalist’s or publication’s secrets. In moments of crisis (and important leaks tend to precipitate crises), those in need of backup will turn to people they already trust. If you are a journalist, editor, or publisher, ask yourself which other publications, anywhere in the world, would turn to you if they needed backup?
Tools and techniques: Want to take an online course in cryptography? Coursera
More about Data Journalism and Global Information Systems (GIS)
Gray, J., Bounegru, L., & Chambers, L. (Eds.). (n.d.). Data Journalism Handbook. Open Knowledge Foundation. Retrieved from http://datajournalismhandbook.org/1.0/en/index.html
The world is awash with data! More about Global Information Systems http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_information_system
Many people routinely use Global Positioning Systems (GPS) for everyday navigation.
Finding Data Sets
Search for *.csv Where *= your topic of interest and you will find data sets with comma separated values, or CSV files, a common format for data.
Census data, public information, sports analysis etc. To Code or Not to Code.
Should you learn how to write computer programs/code? It is not really required, for the most part but it doesn't hurt to have some understanding of the rudiments of things like Javascript, HTML, Python. Many online courses and programs of self study are available , see here for a bit of a starting point. http://62-170.wikispaces.com/Activities
You can start pretty simply, like with this Trinket system that lets you change Python code and watch the effect it has on the displayed material.
More coding ideas http://www.skulpt.org/static/proctest.html
Look and listen to this pretty thing http://heylookatmygames.com/thesun/
Applications also exist that allow you to assemble programs without writing code. Yahoo Pipes and IFTTT let you string together modules or widgets to make things happen.
