*CFP* “DIGITAL SAFETY”, 5TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON THE SAFETY OF JOURNALISTS, RESEARCH GROUP MEKK, OSLOMET UNIVERSITY

Digital Safety

5th annual conference

6, 7 and 8th 2019, November

OsloMet University

The conference is organized jointly with the The Fritt Ord Foundation and with support from The National Commission for UNESCO and the research group Digital Journalism.

Safety for journalists, including digital safety, is a matter of public concern that is wide-ranging. It is vital for those who practice journalism, for their families and for their sources. It  is  essential  for  the wellbeing  of  media  institutions,  civil  society,  academia  and  the  private sector more broadly. If we value the free flow of information for citizens, their governments and their international organisations, then the safety of journalists is central (Getachew Engida, Deputy Director-General of UNESCO).

Electronic  communications  of  news  media,  critical  bloggers,  and  other  individuals  or  organizations  disseminating  information  have  become  targets.  The danger emanates from various sources ranging from State-based actors to third parties. There is digital surveillance  that  goes  beyond  international  standards  on  privacy  and  freedom  of  expression. There is hacking of data and disruptive attacks on websites and computer systems. More extremely, some media actors are being killed for their online journalism. From 2011-2013, 37 of the 276 killings of journalists condemned by the UNESCO Director General were killings of journalists whose primary platforms were Internet-based. Many, if not most, of the other journalists who were killed also used digital tools in their daily work, which may have exposed them in various ways. (Jennifer R. Henrichsen et.al. Building digital safety for journalism: a survey of selected issues. 2015).

Journalists need to know more about the dangers of digital attacks such as hacking and surveillance, and should take steps to protect themselves, their sources, and their work. Journalism researchers and educators need to know more about how the dangers to digital safety work in relation to journalists’ security and freedom of expression in general.

The 2019 annual conference on the Safety of Journalists will focus on digital safety but also invite papers discussing other aspects related to the safety of journalists. We invite paper presentations discussing topics such as (but not limited to) :

•   Surveillance and mass surveillance
•   Software and hardware exploits without the knowledge of the target
•   Phishing, fake domain, Denial of Service and Man-in-the-Middle attacks
•   Intimidation, harassment and forced exposure of online networks
•   Disinformation and smear campaigns
•   Confiscation of journalistic work product
•   Data storage and mining
•   Education and training
•   Legal issues and policy making
•   Culture and gender issues
•   Working conditions and media production
•   Source protection and the digital era
•   Hate speech, defamation and libel
•   Impunity
•   Journalist roles and fixers
•   NGOs and the safety of journalists

The conference will be organised as a mixture of key note speakers, working groups, panels and paper presentations.

Paper presentations:

If you want to participate with a paper, an abstract of maximum 500 words and a short bio focusing on possible earlier experience with research/practice in the field of safety of journalists/digital safety should be sent to safetyofjournalists@oslomet.no before August 15, 2019. Please include your full name, institutional affiliation, and email. There is no registration fee and the participants are expected to cover their own costs for travel and accommodation.

A limited number of scholarships to cover flight and/or accommodation is available for Ph.D. students and researchers from low-income countries. Applications for scholarships should be submitted with the abstract together with a short CV.

The best papers will be considered for a forthcoming peer reviewed publication.