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804 journalists have been murdered since 1992 because of the job they were doing, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Countless other journalists were verbally or physically attacked because of their work. Compare that to the 113 deaths the CIA says it has suffered since its founding in 1949.

Part of the reason Journalists seem more at risk is that federal agents are trained in, and practice, tradecraft. Journalists – well, not so much. Many gamble that nothing will happen to them. Security should never be a bet or a gamble, a reliance on luck. Professional bettors are not gamblers. They know the odds. They understand how to count the cards. Tradecraft removes much, but not all, of the need for luck in providing security. Tradecraft eliminates the gamble when the journalist makes a security decision.