One guess what The Nation thinks about Donald Trump. One more guess whether that has anything to do with the left-wing publication’s decision to create a new encrypted tip line,
encouraging anonymous whistleblowers to spill the beans without fear for their careers or reputations.
The venerable progressive publication, launched in 1865, is embracing encryption
technology to offer insiders with sensitive information a way to publicize misdoings, via secure channels including WhatsApp, Signal, and PGP.
WhatsApp and Signal both use
“end-to-end” encryption technology developed by Open Whisper Systems and covers content including text messages, calls, pictures and video. PGP, short for “Pretty Good
Privacy,” was created by Phil Zimmermann in 1991.
Successive versions have been used by dissidents in authoritarian countries, among other applications.
The Nation is
also poised to receive accreditation from the Freedom of the Press Foundation as a member of Secure Drop, an open-source platform for whistleblowers to submit anonymous tips.
The
Nation’s features editor, Sarah Leonard, states: “Leakers can trust The Nation to do right by its sources. Secure communications are a priority in our newsroom and
introducing encrypted ways of reaching the magazine reflects that commitment.”
Some of the magazine’s recent coverage has included revelations based on leaked material, such as
documents and audio from closed-door meetings hosted by the billionaire Koch brothers.
The new political climate has prompted dramatic responses from a number of publishers — including
some in unexpected quarters. For example, in February, The Wrap, the digital trade pub known for its gossipy inside take on the movie and TV business, expanded its editorial coverage to
include First Amendment matters, with plans to hire a full-time reporter covering the free-speech beat.
Also, The Washington Post introduced an automatic fact-checker for Donald
Trump’s tweets and also adopted a portentous (some might say pretentious) slogan on its masthead: “Democracy Dies In Darkness.”