Dataharvest EIJC 2023 Panel: From Reporter to Subject of Surveillance

Dataharvest: The European Investigative Journalism Conference

"From Reporter to Subject of Surveillance": In the past two years, Greek media realized that they were not only reporting about the Greek wiretapping scandal but also had become subjects of surveillance. Not only was spyware found on the smartphones of multiple journalists, but they were also followed on the streets. Surveillance has a dramatic impact on the work and lives of the journalists concerned.

In this talk, we will discuss how surveillance and threats affect your work and personal habits, and how affected journalists have dealt with it and found ways to continue their work without being overwhelmed by surveillance.

Panelists: Gavin Rees & Thodoris Chondrogiannos

Gavin Rees: Gavin Rees is Senior Advisor for Training and Innovation at the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma. Since 2008 he has been working as a trauma awareness consultant and trainer for newsrooms, media-support organisations, and journalism schools across Europe as well as internationally. Recently his work has focused on developing new approaches to working safely with traumatic images, dealing with online harassment and working ethically and effectively with victims and survivors of profound human rights abuses, such as forced labour, torture and sexual violence. Previously, Gavin produced business and political news for US, British and Japanese news channels, and has worked on drama and documentary films for the BBC, Channel 4 and independent film companies. Gavin is a board member of the European Society of Traumatic Stress Studies and the UK Psychological Trauma Society.