Around the world, governments are spying on journalists with hacking software originally designed to capture criminals.

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** THE WEEKLY REVEAL
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Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023

Hello! In this issue:
* Governments around the world are using this spyware to target journalists and human rights activists.
* The lasting impact on Billey Joe Johnson’s family.


** THIS WEEK’S PODCAST
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** The Spy Inside Your Smartphone
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The NSO Group logo is displayed on a smartphone with code in the background. Credit: Omar Marques/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Pegasus is a military-grade spyware that can copy your messages, harvest your photos and even record you by controlling your phone’s own camera and microphone. It was developed to fight crime, and the company that makes it says it only sells to governments for tracking and capturing criminals and terrorists.

But some governments are using Pegasus another way. Around the globe, journalists, human rights activists, scholars and others are facing digital attacks. In this episode, Reveal partners with the Shoot the Messenger podcast to investigate one of the biggest Pegasus hacks ever uncovered – the targeting of the El Faro newspaper in El Salvador.

El Faro has been lauded for its investigations into government corruption and gang violence. The newspaper is no stranger to threats and intimidation, which have increased under the administration of President Nayib Bukele.

Over the course of one year, 22 members of the newspaper’s staff had their phones infected with Pegasus and were surveilled by a remote operator. Researchers suspect the government was behind the spying, though it has denied those allegations. The breach forced El Faro’s journalists to change the way they work and live – and to take extreme measures to protect sources and themselves.
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** A Quote to Remember
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“I'm tired. Justice is what we need.”

It’s been almost 15 years since Tiffanie Johnson lost her brother Billey Joe. He died of a gunshot wound during a traffic stop in Lucedale, Mississippi, and the sheriff’s deputy said he shot himself. In Mississippi Goddam ([link removed]) , our reporting explored questions that the original investigation never delved into.

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** In Case You Missed It
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🎧 The Battle for Clean Energy in Coal Country ([link removed])
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🎧 How a 7-Year Prison Sentence Turns Into Over 100 ([link removed])
This issue of The Weekly Reveal was written by Kate Howard and edited by Nikki Frick. If you enjoyed this issue, forward it to a friend ([link removed]) . Have some thoughts? Drop us a line (mailto:[email protected]) with feedback or ideas!

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