E-wars, an increasing subject in international journalism

Abstract

The aim of this article is to point out the main difficulties that journalists of international information have to discuss about the subject of the cyber wars (e-wars) or cyber attacks, difficulties who obviously are transferred to the audiences. Indeed, new technologies of information and communication have developed their own destructive capability in the form of cyber-attacks. These can be applied to other conflicts or establish their own strategies for foggy actors ranging from superpowers to amateur hackers.

As they openly admit personalities and institutions worldwide, its potential to cause big damages, their low cost, their usual anonymity, his involvement with State and corporate espionage, etc., cyber attacks have become a threat, which, without being bloody so far, is similar to nuclear war, only that much more confusing. For this reason, some experts and media speak of a new Cyber Cold War.

All media international section reflects this diffuse fears although real and with unpredictable consequences. Journalists are facing a type of information easily thorny, with an ignored scope, frequently unknown agents, suspicious sources, campaigns of black propaganda, sophisticated technologies, etc. and which can however be very transcendent.

It is easy to see, for example, that e-war, often affect relationships between countries, even among allies. For this reason, one of the most common consequences is alarmism, which in turn increases the objective difficulties of the subject.