The MDDA called for action to create safer digital spaces for female and queer journalists.
Online harassment remains a significant threat to female and queer journalists, and these incidents are often met with inadequate intervention.
This was one of the main points highlighted at a workshop discussing online gender-based violence (OGBV) against journalists, hosted by the Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA) in Cape Town this week.
The MDDA’s research into the prevalence of OBGV found that a third (33%) of surveyed female journalists had experienced online harassment, yet only 11% reported receiving effective intervention from editors or media management.
Despite much of this harassment taking place on platforms like Facebook, X and WhatsApp, none of the victims reported any meaningful sanctions being taken against perpetrators when the incidents were reported, indicating a widespread lack of accountability for online abuse.
The research also found that journalists who deal with the “harder beats”, like politics and crime reporting, are more regularly targeted by online abusers, says MDDA research and outreach manager Lethabo Dibetso.
“As a country, we are quite intolerable of different views. If, for example, a political journalist, writes an article that does not necessarily paint a specific politician in a manner that’s desirable to that person’s followers, they are more likely to get attacked online,” says Dibetso.
These incidents have psychological and emotional effects, including depression, anxiety and self-censorship. Self-censorship, in particular, can have implications for media freedom and diversity if journalists feel compelled to alter or withhold their work due to online intimidation, he adds.
The research highlights the urgent need for robust policies and support systems within media organisations, and more broadly.
According to Dibetso, there is a clear lack of clarity about who is responsible for keeping female and queer journalists safe. For example, many editors and media owners think it is HR’s responsibility to put policies and mechanisms in place to help journalists who have fallen victim to online abuse. Similarly, the social platforms where much of this hateful rhetoric is shared typically delegate the task of moderating content to the creators themselves.
As part of the workshop, the MDDA outlined a Statement of Commitment and Call to Action, intended to create safer digital spaces for female and queer journalists.
The document calls on owners, media houses, media sector bodies, regulatory authorities and over-the-top platforms to acknowledge the escalating threat of online abuse and harassment faced by female and queer journalists.
It also challenges these entities to agree that this undermines the safety and dignity of individual journalists and poses a profound threat to press freedom, public interest journalism and democracy at large.
The statement also calls on the media and digital communication ecosystem to acknowledge and condemn all forms of online abuse, and implement and enforce zero-tolerance policies on online gender-based abuse by actively safeguarding and protecting the rights of journalists.
Further to this, the document encourages institutions to create reporting mechanisms, such as whistleblower services, which will enable victims to safely and confidentially report acts of online violence and provide legal assistance, psychosocial support and internal reporting mechanisms to those facing online threats.
The MDDA also encourages all online platform service providers to assist courts and the victims and/or complainants with providing the identity and the address or location of the perpetrators as and when lawfully required. Government and regulatory bodies must enact and promote legislation and policies related to protecting and preventing and/or reducing all forms of violence online.
“Based on our research, we see that OBGV is a real problem,” Dibetso concludes. “The goal of this workshop is to engage with the industry and ensure there are internal mechanisms and greater oversight in place to better support journalists if and when they are subjected to online abuse.”
