Journalists revert to age-old methods to protect sources, says @camstewarttheoz

By MARK PEARSON Follow @Journlaw

National security reporter and associate editor at The Australian Cameron Stewart (@camstewarttheoz) says investigative journalists have to leave their smartphones back at their office when they are meeting confidential sources.

Stewart said the surveillance powers of national security agencies under anti-terror laws, combined with the geo-navigational features of Web 2.0 technologies, meant investigative reporters were reverting to 1970s techniques like those of Watergate reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward used when they met their famous source ‘Deep Throat’ in an underground car park.

“That is actually still the best way to get your information,” Stewart told me in the interview below.

“The thing I’ve got to my ear now [a smartphone] is your biggest enemy in every single sense as the Snowden revelations have shown.

“The ability of authorities to track movements of journalists is really of great concern as far as protecting sources goes.

“What they’re doing is quietly authorising metadata searches and things like that. What that does is give them every phone call you’ve made and I think they can piece together through your iPhone for example what your movements are over time.

“It’s not rocket science to work out what your movements are over a certain period of time and who you’ve been speaking to and who sources might be.”

Here Cameron Stewart talks with Professor Mark Pearson of Griffith University (@journlaw) about the impact of anti-terror laws on the reporting of national security issues. Stewart shares some of the methods he uses as a reporter when dealing with off the record information provided by whistleblowers  [15 minutes, recorded 1-5-14]

© Mark Pearson 2014

Disclaimer: While I write about media law and ethics, nothing here should be construed as legal advice. I am an academic, not a lawyer. My only advice is that you consult a lawyer before taking any legal risks.