An epidemic of online violence against women journalists is undermining their reporting, UNESCO report warned.
Violence and misogynist threats are not only harming women working in the media, but are influencing to reduce credibility and public trust in critical journalism and facts.
The study, entitled “The Chilling: Global Trends in Online Violence Against Women Journalists,” is based on interviews of 901 journalists from 125 countries.
“Online violence against women journalists is designed to belittle, humiliate, and shame; induce fear, silence and retreat; discredit them professionally, undermining accountability journalism and trust in facts”, the report reveals.
In-depth case studies analyze more than 2.5 million posts on Facebook and Twitter addressed to two well-known women journalists who experienced online violence.
Philippine journalist Maria Ressa, who just won the annual UNESCO Prize for press freedom was targeted with online hate campaigns and at one point, she received about 90 hate messages per hour on Facebook, according to the report.
They were also calling for her to be sexually assaulted, killed and even “raped repeatedly to death”.
The second is Carole Cadwalladr, who writes for the Observer and The Guardian in Britain, for whom the report found more than 10,000 obviously abusive tweets.
Nearly half of them were associated with sexist and misogynistic language.
There was also a significant element of “anti-journalism” rhetoric in its attacks, “reflecting the demonization of the press” and the use of terms such as ‘fake news’ to stop critical reporting.
Threats and violence attack are very detrimental to women’s careers and health. One in 10 women journalists sought medical or psychological help after being targeted, and one in three began to exercise self-censorship.
A large number of journalists reported the attacks’ impact on professional life, with 2% having abandoned journalism as a result.
“There is nothing virtual about online violence. It has become the new frontline in journalism safety- and women journalists sit at the epicenter of risk,” it is written in the report.
The study analyzed many forms of online violence, including threats of sexual and physical violence, harassment through private messages, coordinated attacks by large groups, piracy and “doxxing” – the publication of personal information online.
As a result of exposing personal details, a number of journalists had to relocate.
The report also includes other forms of attack, such as misinformation through fake accounts and manipulated or fake content.
Another form is flooding Google search results with disinformation content designed to eclipse and discredit the women’s professional journalistic work.
This study is an output of a wider UNESCO-commissioned global study on online violence against women journalists, with a full-length study to be published in mid-2021, to promote effective legislative and international standards for freedom of expression.
