Truth Needs a Server: Why Declarations Aren’t Enough to Protect Journalism

Journalists are not only dying from bullets—they are disappearing in silence, blocked, erased or pushed into self-censorship. And that silence costs us all. If we truly believe journalism is the fourth pillar of democracy, we need to build its foundations in the real world. With servers. With code. With courage. With funding. And with a commitment that goes far beyond words. Because in the end, it’s not just about saving journalists. It’s about saving the truth.

by Florence Kim

Visual concept by Florence Kim and generated by Midjourney

I once sat across from an Afghan journalist in Paris who had barely escaped with his life. He had written a story about corruption. Nothing explosive by international standards—no leaked documents, no hidden camera. Just the truth, plain and inconvenient. It was enough to make him a target.

I’ve worked with fixers in fragile states who would speak to warlords, cross checkpoints or talk their way into armed compounds so we—humanitarian staff, foreign journalists—could do our jobs and leave. They stayed behind.

I’ve seen international correspondents walk into conflict zones without health insurance because assignments didn’t cover it.

I’ve seen major media outlets threatened with lawsuits to block the publication of one article that was, factually, entirely accurate.

And I’ve met the CEO of a company whose entire business model was to help governments detect and block VPN usage—to make sure journalists and civil society couldn’t bypass censorship, couldn’t publish, couldn’t breathe.

This is the world we live in. And while the United Nations has had a Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity since 2012, it often feels like a plan for another era. The Plan talks about legal protections, awareness-raising, capacity-building. These things matter. They’re important. But they won’t stop a hit job. They won’t save the fixer. They won’t bypass a blocked server. They won’t pay a hospital bill. They won’t stop a regime from flipping the off-switch on truth.

What we need now is more than a declaration. We need infrastructure. Tools. Technology. Courageous funding and bold policy innovation.

What Could Actually Keep Journalists Safe Today?

It’s time we stopped romanticizing journalism as a noble calling and started protecting it like the critical infrastructure it is.

Here’s what that could look like:

A Global Safe Cloud for Journalism

A secure, encrypted and decentralized digital shelter—accessible globally—where journalists can store sensitive investigations, publish under threat and protect source material even if their devices are seized or they’re forced offline. Think of it as a virtual embassy for truth, run independently, with mirrored backups and anonymous access protocols.

This isn’t about data storage—it’s about preserving evidence, preventing erasure and ensuring that the truth can outlive its tellers if necessary.

Blockchain for Source Protection and Evidence Integrity

Blockchain can help build a chain of custody for truth. By timestamping reports, audio files, photos or testimonies on a distributed ledger, journalists can prove authenticity, track modifications and resist manipulation or discrediting campaigns.

This could be particularly useful in documenting war crimes, election interference or corruption—where tampered evidence or doubt is often weaponized to delay or derail accountability.

Universal Access to Digital Safety Tools

VPNs, Tor browsers, encrypted messaging, burner phones, metadata scrubbing—these should be standard-issue tools for all journalists, not luxuries for those in tech-savvy newsrooms.

Governments and donors should support training programs, emergency kits and region-specific adaptations—especially for freelancers, local reporters and women and LGBTQI+ journalists working in hostile environments.

Digital literacy is no longer optional. It's a survival skill.

A Journalism Emergency Fund

Too many journalists lack access to legal aid, trauma care, relocation options—or even basic health insurance in conflict zones. A global emergency fund should be in place to provide:

• Urgent extraction and relocation or fast-track emergency visas

• Legal defense against SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) and censorship lawsuits

• Medical and mental health support

• Short-term financial support for families of targeted or killed reporters

No one should risk their life for a story and be left without a safety net.

Accountability for Tech Abuse

Governments and private companies that build or use tools to suppress access to information—like VPN detection software, spyware, or internet shutdown tech—should face global scrutiny and consequences.

This includes:

• Transparent reporting of censorship tools sold or deployed

• Regulation of surveillance tech exports

• Publicly naming companies and states engaged in digital repression

Freedom of expression must be protected not just in law, but in code, too.

Policy Doesn’t Have to Be Slow

The UN is not blind to these threats. Its 10-year review of the Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists recognized the growing digital dangers. But recognition isn’t enough. We need actionable, trackable commitments.

That means:

• A digital safety annex to the Plan of Action, co-developed with technologists and media freedom defenders.

• A standing fund for tech-based protection.

• A reporting mechanism that includes online attacks and tech-enabled censorship.

• An annual UN black list.

Journalists are not only dying from bullets—they are disappearing in silence, blocked, erased or pushed into self-censorship. And that silence costs us all.

We Owe the Truth a Safe Home

This isn’t abstract for me. I carry the stories of the Afghan reporter in exile, the fixer who didn’t make it out, the journalists in some countries who type behind VPNs like digital shadows, the freelancers who do the bravest work with the least protection.

If we truly believe journalism is the fourth pillar of democracy, we need to build its foundations in the real world. With servers. With code. With courage. With funding. And with a commitment that goes far beyond words.

Because in the end, it’s not just about saving journalists.

It’s about saving the truth.