Expert meeting on online abuse of female journalists stresses need for concrete actions

VIENNA, 17 September 2015 – Media experts, journalists, policymakers and government representatives gathered in Vienna today to discuss the ramifications of online abuse of female journalists. This first expert meeting on this topic, hosted by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, showed the need for concrete actions from all sides of the international community.

“Freedom of expression and free media is at stake if we do not act to protect female journalists’ digital safety and online freedom in general,” the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, said at the opening of the meeting.

At the expert meeting several female journalists testified first-hand about online abuse which they experienced, because of their work as reporters. The participants stressed the fact that online abuse must be dealt with within the existing human rights framework, but that a different approach in terms of efficient law enforcement and implementation of media policies and strategies is called for. 

Among the participants at the meeting were Arzu Geybullayeva, freelance journalist; Gavin Rees, Director with Dart Centre Europe; Caroline Criado-Perez, Freelance Journalist; Maja Fjaestad, State Secretary to the Minister for Strategic Development and Nordic Cooperation Government of Sweden; and Becky Gardiner, Senior Lecturer in Journalism, Goldsmiths University.

During the meeting attendees put forward suggestions and proposals on what could and should be done to deal with the increasing number of digital threats targeting female journalists. Based on the discussions at the meeting, the Representative will issue her recommendations on how to counter online abuse of female journalists.