The Chilling: Global Trends in Online Violence Against Women Journalists

"There is nothing virtual about online violence. It has become the new frontline in journalism safety - and women journalists sit at the epicentre of risk."

This report presents the findings of a global study on online violence against female journalists that was commissioned by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and carried out by the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ). The findings cover the manifestations of online violence, the impacts of online violence, online violence sources and triggers, the platforms as vectors of online violence, the role of media employers as responders to online violence, and possible legal remedies and law enforcement. The report represents an edited extract with a full-length study to be published in book format at a later date. As a means of further informing the full-length study, this paper is designed to promote discussion and elicit information about effective legislative, organisational, and normative initiatives, aligned to international standards for freedom of expression, which are designed to protect women journalists.

The findings outlined in this report are based on a global survey of 901 journalists from 125 countries, long-form interviews with 173 journalists and experts, 15 detailed country case studies, and a literature review covering hundreds of scholarly and civil society research publications. The research analysed multiple forms of online violence, including threats of sexual and physical violence, harassing private messages, coordinated "dog-pile" attacks from large groups, hacking, and "doxxing" (the publishing of personal information online). It also covers less-well-known forms of attack, including misrepresentation through spoof accounts, manipulated or fake content, and the flooding of search results on sites like Google with false and hateful content to drown out professional journalistic work.

In addition, two big data case studies, which are each discussed separately in the report, assess over 2.5 million Facebook and Twitter posts directed at two prominent journalists. The first is Maria Ressa, head of the news outlet Rappler in the Philippines, whose reporting has made her a target of her country's judiciary and online hate campaigns; at one point, she was receiving 90 hate messages per hour on Facebook. The second is Carole Cadwalladr, who writes for the Observer and the Guardian in the United Kingdom. The report found more than 10,000 instances of obvious abuse on Twitter alone, nearly half laced with sexist and misogynistic language.

The following are some of the main findings:

• Online attacks have real-life impacts. Not only do they affect mental health and productivity, but physical attacks and legal harassment are increasingly seeded online.
• Misogyny intersects with other forms of discrimination. Women journalists who are also disadvantaged by racism, homophobia, religious bigotry, and other forms of discrimination face additional exposure to online attacks, with worse impacts. For example: While 64% of all white women journalists surveyed said they had experienced online violence, the rates were higher for those identifying as Black (81%), Indigenous (86%), and Jewish (88%). The rates of online violence experienced by lesbian and bisexual respondents were 88% and 85%, respectively, compared to 72% of heterosexual women. Arab women are substantially more at risk of experiencing offline attacks connected to online violence (53% compared to 20% overall), the survey data show.
• Gendered online violence intersects with disinformation. While orchestrated disinformation campaigns weaponise misogyny to chill critical reporting, reporting on disinformation can be a trigger for heightened attacks. For example, 41% of survey respondents said they had been targeted in online attacks that appeared to be linked to orchestrated disinformation campaigns. In addition, most of the women interviewed experienced disinformation-based attacks designed to smear their personal and professional reputations - from accusations they peddle "fake news" to the spread of false narratives about their personal lives and the use of "deepfakes".
• Online attacks against women journalists have political motives. Political actors, extremist networks, and partisan media are identified as instigators and amplifiers of online violence against women journalists.
• These attacks have a chilling effect on women's journalism and their freedom of expression. Nearly one-third (30%) of survey respondents who reported experiencing online violence said they self-censored on social media in response, while one in five (20%) described how they withdrew from all interaction online.
• Social media platforms and news organisations are still struggling to respond effectively. In the context of an increasingly toxic information ecosystem, platforms are seen as major enablers for online violence. When women journalists turn to them or their employers in the midst of an online violence storm, they often fail to receive effective responses and even face victim-blaming behaviour.

Overall, the research highlights the need for policy reform and legal, legislative, and normative responses in full compliance with international freedom of expression and privacy standards. The report concludes with a list of 28 recommendations intended for: all stakeholders; intergovernmental organisations, including UNESCO; individual States; political parties and other political actors; platforms; media organisations; and civil society organisations and donors. They include, for example:

• All stakeholders should recognise that the problem of online violence is transnational and that it operates in the context of huge and profitable technology companies.
• Intergovernmental organisations should ensure that the mechanisms and protocols developed to safeguard journalists and end impunity are appropriate for cases of orchestrated online violence against women journalists. They should also develop and provide training and education for lawmakers, law enforcement agencies, and the judiciary to enable them to deal more effectively and appropriately with online violence against women journalists.
• Individual states should consider introducing protocols and guidelines to act against officials who engage in gendered online violence and ensure prosecution of those who attack women journalists.
• Political parties should punish members and officials who partake in acts of online violence against women journalists.
• Platforms should continuously review their policies, algorithms, and moderation processes to address the ever-evolving nature of online violence. They could also implement proactive countermeasures against abuse and reverse the onus on the women victims to report the abuse to start with.
• Media organisations should introduce or update protocols and guidelines pertaining to online violence to ensure they are gender-sensitive and gender-responsive and should develop appropriate responses in the context of weaponised social media platforms, viral disinformation, far-right extremism, and conspiracy networks.
• Civil society organisations and donors should partner with journalists, news organisations, and researchers on investigative and monitoring projects about how online violence manifests itself, and responses to it.