Female journalists self-censoring more than ever as online abuse grows more sophisticated warns UN report
UN Women report says that female journalists are silencing themselves both online and in the workplace.
The report found that 45 per cent of women journalists and media professionals now self-censor online, a 50 per cent increase from 2020 when the figure stood at 30 per cent.
More than one in five (22 per cent) said they self-censor in the workplace.
Karen Johnson, 25, a journalist at Bristol24/7, said online hostility has changed the way she approaches her work.
“Every time I write something, I am double thinking,” she said. "I'm thinking if I should say this, if I should have such a strong opinion, if people will accept my opinion.
“I don't think that is right, but at this point I am so afraid of how people are going to respond.
"I know it will affect my mood and my mental health.”
Karen Johnson, a journalist based in Bristol. Credit: Karen Johnson.
Karen Johnson, a journalist based in Bristol. Credit: Karen Johnson.
One respondent to the UN Women survey described how coordinated online harassment had forced her to step back from investigative reporting.
"As an Indian environmental journalist, I face constant attacks.
"When right-wing groups online brand me a ‘traitor,’ and thousands of WhatsApp forwards spread these false allegations, simply living in my own country becomes terrifying.
“We have begun to self-censor, withdrawing from investigative reporting... It is not easy to live freely; we are forced into silence.”
Fewer than 40 per cent of countries have laws in place to protect women from online abuse, leaving 44 per cent of the world’s women and girls, approximately 1.8 billion people vulnerable according to The World Bank.
The report also revealed 23.4 per cent of female journalists and media professionals said they had received unwanted or unsolicited sexual advances received via direct message.
Natalie Higgins, 28, a former radio journalist received hundreds of hate comments after sharing a video about Sarah Everard.
One user commented on Twitter (now X): "Nah, she's too ugly to get raped, she's probably safe."
Another said: “Looking at your pictures, you seem like a nice person and the type of person you want to take out to dinner, but then I read your tweet and if I was to f*** you, I'd do it with a gag in your mouth so I couldn't hear what you were saying.”
Higgins said she reported these comments, but they were never removed as Twitter claims they did not violate their guidelines.
Natalie Higgins pictured above as the Harrogate and Yorkshire Dales reporter for Greatest Hits Radio. Credit: Natalie Higgins
Natalie Higgins pictured above as the Harrogate and Yorkshire Dales reporter for Greatest Hits Radio. Credit: Natalie Higgins
Natalie Higgins is now a reporter for ITV border. Credit: Natalie Higgins
Natalie Higgins is now a reporter for ITV border. Credit: Natalie Higgins
Since moving into on-screen reporting for ITV, she said the abuse has shifted to "more kind of sleazy, unwarranted comments.”
“The comments are from people old enough to be my grandad,” she said. “I’ve had one person message me quite a few times after seeing me on TV with a pair of tights on and he wanted me to send him my tights”
The report found that while 25 per cent of respondents had reported online abuse to law enforcement, only ten per cent of those who had done so said that charges were successfully brought against their abuser/s.
More than 27 per cent of respondents who reported to law enforcement agencies said they faced reluctance or refusal from police to investigate their cases, while 24 per cent reported experiencing victim blaming attitudes from officers.
“What begins online doesn’t stay online. Digital abuse spills into real life, spreading fear, silencing voices, and—in the worst cases—leading to physical violence and femicide,” said UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous.
The organisation warned that misogynistic abuse online is being amplified by new and emerging technologies designed to maximise engagement.
“AI-assisted ‘virtual rape’ is now at the fingertips of perpetrators,” the report said, referencing generative AI apps that are capable of stripping clothes from photos of women or depicting them in sexual situations.
As the digital sphere grows increasingly dangerous for women, it prompts the question what more needs to be done to protect women and girls online.
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