Editor’s Note: Staying the Course

Some days it’s invigorating and thrilling to be a journalist. We get the opportunity to share information, inspire action, and arm people with the knowledge they need to make smart decisions in their professional and personal lives. We gather key details about events and individuals and compile them for easier digestion. We question assumptions, weigh multiple sources, and present varying viewpoints as best we can. In my view, the articles we write are worth the time, energy, and persistence needed to develop and publish them.

But some days the job is significantly harder than others. Sources don’t get back to you, topics you thought were exciting don’t pan out, and data you wanted to help support your key points is locked behind expensive academic paywalls. Those are the typical roadblocks that many journalists face daily, and the frustration is probably quite similar to most professionals’ tough days.

Another frustration in journalism is the slow news day—when there just doesn’t seem to be enough happening to write about. That hasn’t been a problem in quite some time.

There are multiple wars waging worldwide, major plane crashes have shocked U.S. cities, and vehicle-borne attacks are making a comeback. The new U.S. presidential administration under President Donald Trump took office in January with a wave of dramatic executive orders that shook domestic and international governments, private corporations, and academia. Border security and deportations are in the spotlight. Funding has been frozen for foreign aid organizations, federal workers’ employment has been put under intense scrutiny, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts in government and corporations are being shuttered.

For a journalist, this has been an alarming and overwhelming abundance of news to cover. For a journalist who has proudly watched the diversity and inclusivity of the security industry accelerate in the past 12 years, it was hard to focus on much else.

This is likely relatable to many security and intelligence professionals faced with a wide variety of crises and issues at any given time. One might hit close to home, but that doesn’t mean the other incidents shouldn’t be as closely monitored. In addition, even though the crises (or in my case, newsworthy events, incidents, and governmental actions) multiply, the hours in the day stay the same. Prioritization and perspective are critical.

In these times—whether I’m editing an article, writing one, or helping select the news Security Management focuses on that day—I try to remember our reason for writing: security professionals. What is the story they need most to do their jobs? What news, report, or legislation might they have missed in mainstream media that could use a deeper dive? What are the “so what” and “now what” angles that can put breaking news into actionable context? The news I would like to read personally and the news we report on are often different, and it takes practice, patience, and diligence to come to grips with that distinction.

So, in this collection of articles from Security Management and our partners, I aim to bridge that gap a little by demonstrating—like many corporations are striving to do these days—the business imperative of inclusive leadership, even as formal DEI programs shrink or change. Security practitioners have made great strides in making the industry a bigger tent, welcoming in a variety of different voices, backgrounds, and perspectives. That diversity helps organizations uncover blind spots, make more robust decisions, and be more resilient over time. But, like journalism, it requires leaders to navigate changing headwinds, reevaluate priorities, and remember what they are working for.

Claire Meyer is editor-in-chief of Security Management. Connect with her on LinkedIn or via email at [email protected].