Letter calls for protection of women in journalism against harassment

08 March 2024 , 00:01

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The editor of the Mirror has joined a call for online threats and harassment of women working in journalism to be taken more seriously by police.

A joint International Women’s Day letter has been signed by Caroline Waterston and more than 100 media leaders and journalists and sent to police leaders and ministers.

The letter was penned by non-profit organisations Women in Journalism, Reporters Without Borders and Reach plc, which publishes the Mirror along with more than 120 news titles, following publication of research which demonstrated the devastating impact online threats and abuse can have on women working in journalism.

Research shows around three quarters of women in journalism in the UK have faced online harm such as threats, sexual violence, stalking and harassment. The impacts of online violence highlighted by the research, which was published by Women in Journalism and Reach last year, included significant mental health impacts and suicidal thoughts as well as women choosing to move away from public-facing work or leave journalism altogether.

The letter calls for a change to police response to online violence, stating: “The chilling effect of online violence - likely to get worse as we head towards elections - stifles press freedom and creates spaces for disinformation to thrive; it also risks making journalism less diverse at a time it needs more than ever to be representative.”

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It goes on to call for police to improve the recording of crimes against journalists by clearly recording when attacks are related to a journalist’s work. It also requests that police report the crime figures back to the government in order to use the data to take further action, such as holding social media platforms to account.

Fiona O’Brien UK Director, Reporters Without Borders

Dr Rebecca Whittington, Online Safety Editor for Reach and committee member for Women in Journalism

Today’s letter comes following an investigation conducted earlier this year which uncovered worrying inconsistency in the way police record online crimes reported by journalists.

Freedom of Information requests were submitted to seven police forces in England and Wales known to have handled reports of online threats or harassment targeting journalists since January 2022. Of the requests, five were rejected on the basis that it would take too long and cost too much to check, because the fact the victim was a journalist had been recorded in a variety of ways - even though the crime was tied to their occupation. A sixth request was not returned within the timeframe, and a seventh found no record of crimes reported by journalists.

The investigation highlights that while some forces may note the occupation of a victim of online crime if it is connected to the crime they are reporting, there is no consistent approach, meaning the data cannot be reported back to forces or to the government. As a result there is no formal record of crimes conducted against journalists in connection to their work, despite evidence from industry that such crimes are regular and increasing.

Dr Rebecca Whittington, Online Safety Editor for Reach and committee member for Women in Journalism, said: “We know from research that women in journalism are suffering in their professional and personal lives due to online harassment and often sexually violent threats. “We also know online threats happen regularly and that the outcomes can be serious, but the response can be inconsistent and without reliable data we cannot hold those responsible to account.

“For too long women in journalism and media have been subjected to unacceptable online harm, we have to work with police to break this cycle and make our industry safer for women now and in the future.”

The letter was sent to national police leads on the Committee for the Safety of Journalists, Chief Superintendent Sam Donaldson for Police Northern Ireland, Superintendent Joanne McEwan for Police Scotland and Chief Constable Pippa Mills for Police in England and Wales.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Secretary of State Lucy Frazer KC MP, along with ministers on the National Committee for the Safety of Journalists, Laura Farris MP, Minister for Victims and Safeguarding, Home Office and Julia Lopez MP, Minister for Media, Data and Digital Infrastructure, DCMS, also received a copy of the letter.