Reach, Women in Journalism and Reporters Without Borders urge action on online violence
Reach, Women in Journalism and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) have penned a joint open letter calling for a change in police response to online violence against women journalists.
The letter, which was signed by more than 100 leaders in media and journalism, was released to coincide with International Women’s Day and is addressed to police leads, politicians on the National Committee for the Safety of Journalists and culture secretary Lucy Frazer.
Part of a broader campaign titled “Stop the Cycle”, the letter argues that, despite a documented rise in online violence against women, there are “worrying inconsistencies in the way police handle, record and respond to online crimes against women journalists nationwide”.
Research conducted by Reach, the UK’s largest commercial publisher, has found that three-quarters of women working in the UK journalism and media industries have experienced rape or death threats, harassment, stalking, misogyny or sexual approaches online in connection to their work. This is particularly true for LGBTQ+ women, women of colour, women with disabilities, women of working-class backgrounds and women who openly share their faith.
In response, women have been leaving front-line jobs in journalism and minimising their online presence. Victims of online violence report long-term impacts on their professional and personal lives, including depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and post-traumatic stress disorder.
“The chilling effect of online violence — likely to get worse as we head towards elections — stifles press freedom and creates spaces for disinformation to thrive; it also risks making journalism less diverse at a time it needs more than ever to be representative,” the letter states.
Dr Rebecca Whittington, Reach’s online safety editor and a member of the advisory committee for Women in Journalism, added: “For too long, women in journalism and media have been subjected to unacceptable online harm. We have to work with police to break this cycle and make our industry safer for women now and in the future.”
The letter puts forth four policy changes that its signatories believe should be implemented to improve the safety of women journalists. They are:
1. Improving the recording of crimes against journalists by increasing accuracy and noting when online attacks are specifically related to a journalist’s work.
2. Providing national-level guidance for police on violence against journalists, as well as training on gendered online violence.
3. A call for police representatives on the National Committee for the Safety of Journalists to regularly report figures on crimes against journalists to the committee.
4. Improving dialogue between police and the media industry by establishing direct and effective channels of communications.
Threads: we need a safer space for journalists on social media
Signatories include Reach chief digital publisher David Higgerson; ITN CEO Rachel Corp; incoming Global CEO Simon Pitts; News Media Association CEO Owen Meredith; The Guardian editor-in-chief Katharine Viner; The Times editor Tony Gallagher; The Sun editor Victoria Newton; and journalists Marianna Spring (BBC), Sangita Myska (LBC), Lindsey Hilsum (Channel 4) and Robert Peston (ITV).
“Online violence against women journalists — often sexualised or misogynistic — has risen alarmingly in recent years and can have a devastating impact, both on individual lives and on freedom of the press more widely,” said Fiona O’Brien, the UK director of RSF.
“It’s vital that police step up and work with the industry to ensure victims are supported and perpetrators brought to account. No-one should have to suffer abuse because of their job.”
The full text of the open letter can be read below.
Dear Chief Constable Pippa Mills, Chief Superintendent Sam Donaldson and Superintendent Joanne McEwan,
Violence against women working in journalism in the UK has increased significantly over the past decade, much of it conducted online. While all journalists may be subject to online abuse, women are far more likely to experience gendered attacks: recent research showed that three-quarters of women working in the UK journalism and media industries had experienced rape or death threats, harassment, stalking, misogyny or sexual approaches online in connection to their work.
We are deeply concerned about the impact of online violence on media freedom and diversity. Research conducted by the UK’s largest commercial publisher Reach Plc and Women in Journalism (1) found women were leaving front-line jobs in journalism and minimising their online profiles in order to avoid online violence against them. There is also compelling evidence (2) to show that women of colour, women who openly share their faith, LGBTQ+ women, women with disabilities, and women from working class backgrounds are significantly more likely to experience violence and hate online. The chilling effect of online violence – likely to get worse as we head towards elections – stifles press freedom and creates spaces for disinformation to thrive; it also risks making journalism less diverse at a time it needs more than ever to be representative.
We are also worried about the impact on individuals. Women journalists who experience serious online violence, such as stalking, death or rape threats, or receiving unsolicited pornographic content from anonymous accounts, report long-term impacts on their professional and personal lives, including depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and post-traumatic stress disorder. There is a growing awareness of the link between online and physical violence; fear that online attacks may lead to ‘real-life’ attacks is palpable among those who experience violence online.
Yet despite the rise in online violence, there are worrying inconsistencies in the way police handle, record and respond to online crimes against women journalists nationwide. Women journalists reporting online crimes to police often feel their case is quickly dismissed, or that their fears are perceived as an overreaction – a fact which adds to their trauma and makes it all the more likely they will leave the profession.
We need to stop this cycle. The cycle of women feeling unsafe in their work. The cycle of women feeling unheard. We need to secure a safer future for women working in journalism in the UK.
So today, on International Women’s Day, we come together to ask you – as police representatives charged with working on the safety of journalists – to work with us for change. We have four simple asks which could make a world of difference to our industry both now and in the future:
- Improve the recording of crimes against journalists. Accurate reporting – including clearly recording when attacks are related to a journalist’s work – is essential if we are to understand the scale of the problem, formulate effective responses and hold social media platforms to account.
- Provide national-level guidance for police on online violence against journalists, and training on the gendered nature of online violence, the connections between online and physical violence, and best practice in dealing with such crimes.
- Report back to government. As police representatives on the National Committee for the Safety of Journalists, we call on you to regularly report back figures of crimes against journalists to the Committee.
- Improve dialogue between police and industry. Police forces should establish direct and effective channels of communication with journalists and representative bodies to ensure attacks can be quickly reported and effectively dealt with and perpetrators held to account.
Today, we as journalists and media leaders join Reporters Without Borders UK, Women in Journalism and Reach Plc to ask you to do everything you can to break the cycle of abuse that risks sidelining women from journalism. Let’s work together to break the cycle and secure a safer future for women working in journalism.