Cyberhate — Sexism’s toll on journalism
In March 2021, a Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF) survey found that of the 112 countries where journalists were polled, 40 were identified as dangerous or very dangerous for women journalists.[i]
“The dangers are not just to be found doing traditional reporting in the field. Women journalists also encounter danger in the new virtual reporting domains, on the Internet and social media, and even in places where they should be protected, including their own newsrooms.”
The survey found that the internet has become the most dangerous place for women journalists (reported by 73% of the respondents). The workplace follows with 58% of respondents saying work is the place “where sexist violence has been perpetrated.”
“This perception has been reinforced by the #MeToo movement’s spread throughout the world and the fact that women journalists are now daring to denounce sexual attacks or sexual harassment in such countries as the United States, Japan and India,” the survey’s report said.
RSF’s secretary-general Christophe Deloire said: “We have a pressing obligation to defend journalism with all our strength against the many dangers that threaten it, of which gender-based and sexual bullying and attacks are a part. It is unthinkable that women journalists should endure twice the danger and have to defend themselves on another front, a many-sided struggle since it exists outside the newsroom as well as inside.”
The survey also found that women journalists who specialise in covering women’s rights, sport or politics are particularly exposed to violence.
The report cited the case of ‘Nouf Abdulaziz al-Jerawi, a Saudi journalist who was tortured, subjected to electric shocks and sexually molested during detention after being arrested for denouncing the system of male guardianship that women must endure in her country.
In Brazil, “50 women journalists specialising in covering sport launched the #DeixaElaTrabalhar (‘Let Her Work’) movement to denounce the frequency with which they are forcibly kissed by team supporters while providing live coverage of sports events.
“In France, nearly 40 women journalists working for the French sports daily L’Equipe issued a joint statement condemning the harassment to which female journalists are subjected within news media sports departments.”
The RSF report said the impact of this violence on journalism and the associated trauma “often ends up reducing its victims to silence and reducing pluralism within the media”.
“As well as causing stress, anxiety and fear, this kind of violence may induce the targeted women journalists to close their social media accounts temporarily or for good (according to 43% of the respondents to RSF’s questionnaire), to censor themselves (48%), to switch to another speciality (21%) or even to resign (21%).”[ii]
Online abuse of women
“They arrive via comments, direct messages, or tweets. The rape threats, the death threats, the explicit language — the mildest might be slut, whore or bitch — then there is the criticism of appearance, hairstyles, figures and clothing, or the comments that they are lucky to have a job.”[iii]
The amount, breadth and ferocity of the online abuse directed at women journalists, that takes the form of the basest misogyny, is a massive issue for their employers. But it is also indicative of a social issue — these threats are coming from people in community who know they can make such attack with impunity.
The online abuse of women journalists is so widespread and becoming increasingly dangerous that it is urgent that action is taken before a tragedy occurs.
Parliament as a workplace
In the wake of allegations and revelations of sexual assault, harassment and misconduct in Parliament House in Canberra, Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins’ began conducting an independent inquiry into the workplace culture at Parliament House and responses to sexual harassment and assault.
In mid-March MEAA held a meeting of members and non-members of the Press Gallery to acknowledge that for them, Parliament House is their workplace. The meeting was open to MEAA members and non-members to discuss how journalists could be supported by MEAA as the revelations about sexual harassment in the building escalated and particularly how support could be offered during the investigation — a process that may cause distress.
MEAA also issued a confidential survey seeking input on how to make Parliament safer for all journalists working in Parliament House by allowing journalists to have a say about how sexism and harassment at work impacts them.
“The survey will help inform MEAA’s support of members during ongoing inquiries into the workplace culture at Parliament House. Members, non-members and journalists of all genders are welcome to participate,” MEAA said.
Safety online
The trauma that arises from the wave of abuse is a clear workplace health and safety issue that must be addressed by media employers, social media platforms and lawmakers.
In 2019 MEAA and Gender Equity Victoria (GEN VIC) launched Australia’s first effort to address the online abuse of women journalists. The landmark study Don’t Read the Comments: Enhancing Online Safety for Women Working in the Media, recommended media organisations should begin treating gender-based abuse against women journalists on social media and websites as an issue of health and safety and take more responsibility for ensuring that women journalists are supported in the aftermath.[iv]
The study found that “a vast majority of journalists had experienced online harassment, trolling and stalking during the course of their work, but only 16% said they were aware of their workplace having existing policies to address online abuse.”
GEN VIC identified the importance of the cyberhate crisis. “Online abuse of women journalists threatens democracy because it limits the participation of journalists in the public sphere, thereby reducing the diversity of voices contributing to the media. Media requires a diversity of voices in order to remain relevant to contemporary discourse and engaging to audiences.”
The Don’t Read the Comments report recommended:
· A whole-of-organisation approach to address systemic and structural sexism in the workplace.
· Training on gender, implicit bias and bystander intervention for all staff in a media organisation.
· Treating gender-based abuse against women journalists on social media and websites as an issue of workplace health and safety.
· Moderation guidelines and training that explicitly address gendered and other identity-based abuse as a subset of abuse that requires a strong response from the organisation.
· Requiring audience members to complete a simple comprehension quiz before they are permitted to comment.
· Requiring commissioning editors to provide specific support for freelance journalists even after the story has been published and invoices paid.
As part of the Enhancing Online Safety for Women Working the Media project, the next phase was to follow-up the report’s recommendations with the development of practical resources for media outlets and newsrooms.
MEAA worked again with Gender Equity Victoria (GEN VIC) and also with Australian Community Managers (ACM) to launch three critical resources to help media organisations and publications better support women journalists who experience harassment:
· Australian Media Moderation Guidelines: comment and online discussion moderation guidelines are the industry standard for Australian media to moderate comment sections using a gender and intersectional lens.
· Responding to the Comments: workplace support guidelines that outline organisational responsibilities for helping women journalists deal with the effects of online harassment.
· Media Cybersafety Training: a 3-hour training session designed for human resources professionals and management at media organisations to develop policies and procedures aimed at reducing the traumatic impact and emotional labour of online harassment on journalists.
MEAA said: “These much-needed resources have been developed through surveys, interviews and focus groups with women working in the media, and months of extensive consultation with project partners and academic experts in media production and moderation. The resources address a gap in the Australian media industry where responsibility for dealing with online harassment is often left to the journalists who experience it the most.
Tanja Kovac, the chief executive officer of GEN VIC said: “When women journalists are left to deal with online harassment on their own, it creates a ‘chilling effect’ on their reporting and drives them away from journalism. A free press is fundamental to a functional democracy, and these resources will help to ensure women journalists feel supported doing their work.
“The Australian media industry needs to take urgent action to address the impacts of online harassment on women journalists. We have developed these resources to ensure the welfare and safety of women journalists is at the forefront of media organisational policies.”
MEAA Media director Adam Portelli said: “In an age where social media and other online platforms are part of a journalist’s workplace, online abuse and harassment must be treated as a workplace health and safety issue. It is unacceptable that women journalists continue to feel unsafe while doing their job because of bullies and trolls. MEAA is proud to have been involved in the development of this initiative to ensure that safety of women journalists is a priority.”
GEN VIC’s project lead Caitlin McGrane said: “Too often the emotional labour of dealing with online harassment and moderating comments falls to those least equipped or empowered to deal with it.
“In addition to recommending workplaces support women journalists, these resources are the first supported by the media industry in Australia to recommend moderation and community management professionals should be offered counselling and supports to ensure they are able to safely and effectively perform their work.”[v]
Bringing in the law
In March 2021 the British Government announced steps to protect journalists from threats of violence and intimidation. It published an action plan and ensured every UK police force provides a designated journalist safety liaison officer.[vi]
“Abuse aimed at UK journalists going about their work has included them being punched, threatened with knives, forcibly detained and subjected to rape and death threats… In the past year two men have been jailed for threatening regional journalist Amy Fenton on Facebook while two female journalists in Belfast, Patricia Devlin and Allison Morris, have been the subject of threats both online and in graffiti.”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “Freedom of speech and a free press are at the very core of our democracy, and journalists must be able to go about their work without being threatened. The cowardly attacks and abuse directed at reporters for simply doing their job cannot continue.
“This action plan is just the start of our work to protect those keeping the public informed and defend those holding the government to account.”
In July 2020, a UK National Committee for the Safety of Journalists, bringing together representatives from the industry, government and policing, had been established. A Chief Constable took responsibility for crime against journalists at national level and every police force would be given access to a designated journalist safety liaison officer. Police would engage with the National Union of Journalists and the Society of Editors to update training for police in investigating crimes against journalists and the ability of journalists to cover demonstrations.
Britain’s prosecution services each reaffirmed their commitment to taking a “robust approach to crimes against journalists and bringing those responsible to justice”.
The British Government’s Department for Digital, Media, Culture and Sport and Home Office would call for evidence to better understand the volume and type of threats and abuse faced by journalists and to work developing ways to tackle them. The department would also publish a media literacy strategy to help the public better understand their role in society.
The role to be played by social media platforms was not forgotten with the department saying that Facebook and Twitter had committed to respond promptly to threats to journalists’ safety.[vii]
[i] “RSF publishes report on ‘Sexism’s toll on journalism’”, Reporters ASans Frontieres, March 8 2021, https://rsf.org/en/news/rsf-publishes-report-sexisms-toll-journalism
[ii] ibid
[iii] “‘Immediate anger to anything you say’: The online abuse aimed at female journalists”, Anne Hyland, The Sydney Morning Herald, March 25, 2021 https://www.smh.com.au/national/immediate-anger-to-anything-you-say-the-online-abuse-aimed-at-women-journalists-20210325-p57e4v.html
[iv] “Don’t Read the Comments: Enhancing Online Safety for Women Working in the Media” Gender Equity Victoria and MEAA, 2019 https://www.genvic.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/GV_MEAA_PolicyDoc_Final.pdf
[v] “New project launched to enhance online safety of women in the media”, MEAA, February 11, 2021 https://www.meaa.org/mediaroom/new-project-launched-to-enhance-online-safety-of-women-in-the-media/
[vi] “Boris Johnson says ‘cowardly’ abuse of journalists must end as Govt publishes action plan” Charlotte Tobitt, Press Gazette, March 9 2021 https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/journalist-safety-action-plan-uk/
[vii] ibid
