How Can Journalists and Newsrooms Respond to Online Harassment?
Online violence is a relatively new aspect of the public response to journalism. Over the past twenty years, the digital space has become one of the more predominant ones for journalists to freely share their work. Unfortunately, that freedom offers more opportunities for others to target journalists directly. Journalists have faced online violence at an alarming rate. As many as 75 percent of female journalists have received physical and sexual threats over the internet.
Online violence is not the harmless avatar-using-profanity you’ve become accustomed to on social media, but consists of several methods that put the receptor directly at risk of physical or mental harm. Digital violent acts perpetrated on a regular basis against journalists include doxxing (posting a person’s personal contact or residence information in a public space), threats of sexual assault or rape, hacking personal accounts, financial cyber attacks, stolen identity, and deepfaking (using the image/likeness of the journalist or other public figure to report false news or associate them with a false piece of information).
Newsrooms have a job to protect and support their journalists, and with online threats of violence sometimes escalating into real life violence, what can newsrooms and journalists do to protect themselves and each other? What actionable steps can these places take to keep their journalists’ jobs from interfering in their private lives?
Newsroom Culture. Unfortunately, cyber-attacks are to be expected. Newsroom culture should be open and forthcoming with how they support their journalists during cyber-attacks, as well as have a basic plan/structure in place for when one or several of its journalists are victims of large-scale cyber-attacks. The culture of the newsroom also should not glorify cyber-attacks on journalists as evidence that they are doing “the real work,” but rather should encourage journalists to support each other through cyber-attacks and offer access to basic safety resources at all times. Employers should have safety protocols in place for the newsroom and for individuals.
Protect Targeted People. LGBTQ+ people, people of color, and women are far more likely to suffer the consequences of online violence than their straight/white/cis/male counterparts. As members of marginalized groups who are used to abuse and may not report every instance, it is imperative to encourage members to come forward with any and all abuse they receive. This will beget greater safety for all targeted members of the newsroom.
Keep Documentation About Attacks. Online harassment can be difficult to prove in court without evidence, and as such, it is important for journalists to thoroughly document every instance of online abuse that they receive. For a detailed guide on how to best document online harassment, click here.
Know Your Trolls. Like we have with most other life processes, trolls have specific formulas they stick to when harassing people online. The first piece of the formula is anonymity. Any website such as 4chan, Reddit, Twitter or other online forum encourages anonymity, which emboldens trolls. The second piece is logical fallacy; this can take several forms, including off-topic remarks, seeming obliviousness, use of unrelated images or memes, and personal attacks. Document the trolling and then walk away–continue to document if it escalates.
Establish a Bank of Resources. If online harassment gets into dangerous territory and you find yourself being doxxed or otherwise physically or sexually threatened, find some resources. The Coalition Against Online Violence has several on-demand resources available for newsrooms and for journalists, including emergency and legal assistance. Act as soon as possible.
Let Friends and Family Know. Someone should be aware of your safety at all times. If you are receiving online abuse, once you have contacted emergency services, a friend or family member should be informed of your current situation. This can provide emergency safety if necessary, but also provides several points of contact, which will inevitably ensure that people are checking in with you and your safety more often.
Journalism is not always the safest pursuit–journalists across the world take their lives in their hands on a daily basis. With these tools in our back pockets, we can create a journalistic landscape that is safer for ourselves and our colleagues.
