Online Violence Against Female Journalists Lead to Offline Repercussions

The interconnectivity available through social media and online resources can be beneficial and detrimental. Journalists across the globe, predominantly women, have felt that their safety is under attack and their freedom of speech is interfered with by digital outrage. An alarming statistic presented by Unesco in 2020 affirms that 73% of female journalists have experienced or remain a target of online violence because of their work. They are also more likely to face this kind of oppression as opposed to their male co-workers. The violence reported by the women who participated in the survey includes sexual harassment threats, verbal abuse, and offline attacks that were a direct result of online misogyny. This response to journalistic coverage has led researchers to investigate the issue at hand and advocate for immediate change. 

Journalist and long-time activist, Maria Ressa has been a victim of online violence for more than five years. The Filipino-American correspondent is facing a potential 100-year prison sentence for the nine legal charges against her in the Philippines. The cases surged after negative comments about President Rodrigo Duarte’s administration were featured on her website. International lawyers Caoilfhionn Gallagher QC and Amal Clooney have condemned the way Ressa’s situation has been handled by the government. Clooney made the following remarks about the cyber libel: “We hope defenders of democracy will stand up for the press and that the Philippine judges will put an end to this legal charade.”

Natural Language Processing’s researchers (Julie Posetti, Diana Mayard, and Kaline Bontcheva) have analysed the data collected from Maria Ressa’s online threats. Their report displays the presence of cyber violence related to misinformation and political attacks that ultimately infringe the right to democratic journalism coverage. According to the statistics, 60% of the statements made against Ressa were questioning her reliability as a journalist; the other 40% were personal harassment and sexual assault threats. The results also show that Facebook is more prone to this type of backlash in comparison to other social media platforms. The lack of security and disinformation on Facebook makes it easier for these attacks to continue to resurface without restrictions. 

The researchers also shared ways to minimize the scale of online violence against female journalists. Amongst the recommendations that were brought up are keeping political figures accountable for any inciting of abusive behavior online and setting social media resources in place that enable victims to report any type of harassment they face on a given platform. 

Additional policies and mechanisms can be significant tools to prevent constant online attacks and ensure that journalists’ freedom of speech and personal safety is protected. IMS expert Emma Lygnerud Boberg has stated that media platforms should aim to prioritize gender sensitivity, as well as reduce the presence of online bias by encouraging diverse points-of-view and demographics. This approach could lead to positive social repercussions in the long run. The IMS organization is already seeking to create a safe environment for journalists, especially women, in more than 30 countries. They also assist female journalists with problem-solving skills when they face abusive behavior through social media platforms and offline attacks that were instigated online. 

Female journalists continue to advocate for protection from online violence and the offline consequences that are linked to digital harassment. According to rappler.com, Maria Ressa has recently been appointed by the United States Congress as one of the foreign independent journalists in need of protection under the law. The European Parliament has also removed any politically-related charges against her.