Safety of Female Journalists Online
SOFJO - Our Responsibility (OSCE)
Democracy thrives when a plurality of voices are heard both on- and offline.
Plurality is currently at risk.
Journalists are regular targets of online attacks and female journalists face a double-burden: being attacked as journalists and as women. Threats of rape, physical violence and graphic imagery show up in their inboxes and on their social media platforms as they go about their workday.
In extreme cases these attacks lead to self-censorship or worse: women retreating from the public sphere, leaving the male-dominated field of journalism with even fewer female voices.
Protect plurality.
Protect female journalists online.
It's our responsibility.
External resources on online harassment of female journalists
Online harassment of journalists hinders the free media from operating as it should, which negatively affects the democratic process. Silencing journalists stifles the free flow of information and our ability to exercise our democratic rights; a pluralistic media landscape needs to include women’s voices. Silencing women journalists therefore constitutes an attack on democracy itself. Below, you will find a number of external resources for further information and reading.