In many ways, the idea of threat modeling exercises is both inimical to how a free press should work and also completely necessary given, well, reality. Rosen has ariculated not just a rationale but a very clear set of tactics for newsrooms to put in place.

I’m often reminded of Karl Popper’s paradox of open societies these days, and no place does that apply more than the press. In a functioning society with a robust free press, the idea of threat modeling would seem silly or even absurd — the journalist’s role is to help readers understand the world, to cover the stories that matter most, not parse through the metalayers and bad faith. That’s a fanciful ideal that was almost never really true, of course, but with every single institution we rely on either compromised or in shambles, understanding the threats is crucial.