{"id":62463,"date":"2018-04-07T05:39:18","date_gmt":"2018-04-07T05:39:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=62463"},"modified":"2018-04-07T05:39:18","modified_gmt":"2018-04-07T05:39:18","slug":"homeland-security-to-compile-a-database-of-journalists-bloggers-and-influencers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/news\/homeland-security-to-compile-a-database-of-journalists-bloggers-and-influencers.html","title":{"rendered":"Homeland Security To Compile A Database Of Journalists, Bloggers And Influencers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Homeland Security To Compile A Database Of Journalists, Bloggers And Influencers<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Department of Homeland Security sparked concerns among media circles after news spread that the agency was creating an online database to monitor journalists, bloggers, social media influencers and others.<\/span><\/p>\n

Word got out after Bloomberg Law surfaced a job posting from DHS seeking a contractor for a \u201cmedia monitoring services\u201d project. The job entails creating a searchable database that has the ability to track about 290,000 news sources, both foreign and domestic, according to the DHS\u2019s statement of work.<\/span><\/p>\n

The contractor will help DHS monitor \u201ctraditional news sources as well as social media, identify any and all media coverage related to the Department of Homeland Security or a particular event,\u201d the job description reads.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cServices shall provide media comparison tools, design and rebranding tools, communication tools, and the ability to identify top media influencers.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The online platform should also be able to instantly translate media from 100 languages, including Chinese and Russian, into English. It should also be able to analyze the coverage\u2019s \u201csentiment\u201d and \u201cmomentum.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

With President Donald Trump\u2019s aggressive rhetoric against the mainstream news \u2015 he once labeled journalists as the \u201cenemy of the people\u201d \u2015 many in the media industry saw the database as yet another attack on the free press.<\/span><\/p>\n

When asked for comment on the purpose of the database, Homeland Security press secretary Tyler Houlton sent HuffPost a link to a tweet he published Friday afternoon.<\/span><\/p>\n

In his tweet, Houlton maintains that the database of journalists is \u201cstandard practice of monitoring current events\u201d and suggests that those suspicious of its purpose are \u201ctin foil hat wearing, black helicopter conspiracy theorists.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Houlton did not respond to HuffPost\u2019s follow-up questions on whether a similar database had already existed within the Department of Homeland Security and what the agency intends to do with the information.<\/span><\/p>\n

While many people \u2015 journalists and social media influencers especially \u2015 were worried about Homeland Security monitoring them, others argued that press-tracking databases are commonplace in the world of public relations.<\/span><\/p>\n

PR agencies and communication firms often keep their own databases of journalists and various media outlets, with notes for each. PR professionals also often use programs that track how their clients are being discussed in the media.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, communication firms and public relation agencies use similar databases to find contact information for media outlets and journalists. Public relations professionals also use different programs that monitor news stories and how their clients are being discussed in the media.<\/span><\/p>\n

And Homeland Security isn\u2019t the only federal agency to monitor the media, according to CNN military and diplomatic analyst John Kirby.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGiven this administration\u2019s denigration of most media outlets, I understand why the timing of this bid might look suspicious,\u201d Kirby told CNN Politics. \u201cBut from what I can tell, this is nothing more than an attempt at media analysis.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not at all different from what I have seen other agencies undertake to better understand the communication landscape. In fact, it would be PR malpractice not to put something like this together.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Susan Hennessy, a governance studies fellow at the Brookings Institution, also agreed that a database that tracks and monitors the media industry shouldn\u2019t be of any concern.<\/span><\/p>\n

She discussed the issue on Twitter with Garrett Graff, the executive director of the Aspen Institute\u2019s cybersecurity and technology program.<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-https:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.in\/entry\/homeland-security-searchable-database_us_5ac7f41de4b07a3485e4bb1d<\/span><\/p>\n

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