Double-edged knife: practices and perceptions of technology and digital security among Mexican journalists in violent contexts

Abstract

Violence against Mexican journalists has received significant attention from scholars at home and abroad during the last decade. However, though a diversity of issues have been consistently studied, there is one topic that is still largely neglected: the implications of technology for news workers’ security and their journalistic practice. Drawing on a set of semi-structured interviews with 93 journalists working in 23 of the most dangerous Mexican subnational entities, the aim of this article is to fill that gap. Empirical evidence from all over the country points to a nearly unanimous perception of digital technologies as being a “double-edged knife.” This is because electronic devices and social media may be used as a tool for developing better reporting practices, but also as a weapon against journalists, through – for instance – online harassment or espionage.

Keywords

• technology
• journalism
• anti-press violence
• digital security
• mexico