Authorship Protection for Investigative Journalists
Months of research. Sensitive sources. High-stakes stories. Protect every layer.
The Problem
Pain points that investigative journalists face every day.
Long investigations are vulnerable to leaks
Investigative pieces take months or years. The more people who see drafts — editors, lawyers, sources — the more opportunities for leaks. Without access logs, identifying the leak source is impossible.
Competitors publish first with your findings
Your original investigation, shared with a source for verification, ends up informing a competitor's story. Proving you had the findings first requires timestamped evidence.
Legal defence requires evidence integrity
Defamation lawsuits require proving when you obtained information and the integrity of your evidence chain. Gaps in documentation weaken your legal position.
How ScriptShield Helps
Specific ways ScriptShield protects investigative journalists.
1. Register your investigation at every stage
Upload research documents, source files, interview notes, and draft articles throughout your investigation. Each registration creates a timestamped evidence point.
2. Control access to sensitive drafts
Share pre-publication drafts through ScriptShield's NDA-gated links. Every access is logged — you know exactly who saw your draft and when.
3. Build a legal-grade evidence chain
Your version chain from initial research through final draft creates a comprehensive timeline that supports defamation defence and copyright enforcement.
Real Scenario
The investigation that was published by someone else
An investigative journalist spends fourteen months uncovering financial misconduct. She shares a near-final draft with her editor, the publication's lawyer, and two sources for verification. The story breaks in a competing publication two weeks before her planned release. The competing story uses the same documents and sources. Without proof of when her investigation existed and who had access to her draft, she cannot prove her work was stolen. With ScriptShield, every stage of the investigation was registered, every draft access was tracked, and the evidence chain is complete.
What to Register
Documents and files that investigative journalists should protect with ScriptShield.
- Research timelines and investigation plans
- Source documents and evidence files
- Interview transcripts and notes
- Draft articles at each revision stage
- Legal review versions
- Final pre-publication articles
Protect your investigation
Start with a free account. Register your first work in under two minutes. No credit card required.