Women journalists face harassment online and off every day. The IWMF’s Attacks and Harassment: The Impact on Female Journalists and Their Work found that 70% of women journalists have experienced some form of harassment, threat or attack, and a third of women journalists have considered leaving the profession due to online attacks.
While the journalism industry has recognized the dangers of physical attacks, the same sense of urgency is needed to address online attacks. To bolster women journalists’ digital security and help the news media at large better support their employees’ online safety, the IWMF is building a coalition of individuals and organizations to address these issues.
Through funding from Luminate, the Knight Foundation, and the Craig Newmark Philanthropies, an advisory board of digital security experts will develop these resources, including online training modules, one-on-one support at industry events and emergency funding.
Among these resources is “Know Your Trolls,” a course on online harassment developed with digital security experts, journalists, and online education experts. The course helps journalists identify the abuse they are receiving online and who may be behind it, as well as offer some key strategies that may help journalists to be better prepared. Register and take the course here.
If you are a woman journalist experiencing an online attack and need immediate security assistance, contact our Emergency Fund.
