What is the SafeBox Network and How Can Journalists Use It?
Journalism is a more dangerous job than one would think. The free flow of information is so disruptive to authoritarian and one-party rule that journalists in such states often face death threats, the looming specter of abduction or murder by the government, and a general distrust from the public. Those who choose journalism anyway are forced to steel themselves with an arsenal of tools to prevent the information they gather from being suppressed.
The SafeBox network arose in response to the threats journalists face around the world. The company that created it—Forbidden Stories—wanted it as a harbor for information. Journalists who are scared they face a threat to their life or well-being post what they have so far, their resources, into the database, and Forbidden Stories reaches out to other journalists to try and continue the original journalist’s investigation, should that journalist find themselves indisposed by outside circumstances.
"We believe that protecting the reporting of threatened journalists protects their lives," said Clement Le Merlus, a project officer for SafeBox and Forbidden Stories. "When these journalists share their investigative materials with an international network, it is useless for enemies of the press to try to silence one of them as there are dozens of others willing to continue their work… Before launching the [SafeBox] platform, it was essential to create a strong network of media partners around the world. This powerful community is now the strength of the SafeBox Network.”
The SafeBox network requires submitting journalists to share three important pieces of their investigation: investigative material, such as documents, photos, videos, that clearly points to the objective of their investigation; evidence that the journalist is in danger; and instructions on how to pursue the investigation further should something happen to the journalist.
Journalists are already seeing opportunities for how much SafeBox could help others around the world. María Teresa Montaño Delgado, a Mexican journalist, said that several of her cases could have been saved should SafeBox have existed at the time. After being kidnapped in 2021 and being too afraid to save any reporting to any concrete or personal files, Delgado turned to SafeBox to slowly collect information on the investigation of the people who kidnapped her. “I know that if I send [SafeBox] this investigation — which is one of the most important ones I will ever work on — if something happens to me I am sure they will understand it and eventually it will be published,” she said. “I fill out some forms explaining what each information bundle consists of, what thread will need to be followed in my reporting, and what sources to go to.”
The SafeBox website stresses the importance of making sure journalists around the world know about this option. So far, only about 60 organizations and 150 journalists are enrolled with the tool, and Forbidden Stories believes SafeBox has the ability to keep journalists truly, physically safe:
“The objective of the SafeBox Network is to change the calculation of the enemies of the press. Silencing a journalist will no longer enable them to hide their crimes: it will even be counterproductive because instead of being published in a local media by a journalist, their misdeeds will be exposed worldwide thanks to the powerful network of Forbidden Stories.”
That ability, however, relies on successful outreach—and non-threatened journalists have the connections to help spread the word about this potentially life-saving tool.
