Hateful speech. Threats. Cyber mobs. Doxing. These are just a few of the most common ways journalists are abused online. At a recent webinar organized by the National Press Club Journalism Institute, experts came together to equip journalists with tools to protect themselves.
“It goes without saying, but I will say it anyway because it’s important—journalists are under attack,” said Elliot C. Williams, training coordinator at the National Press Club Journalism Institute.
Williams, who hosted the webinar, was joined by PEN America’s Tat Bellamy-Walker, Program Manager, Digital Safety Training and Resources (Media), María Salazar Ferro, Director of Newsroom Safety and Resilience at The New York Times and Greg Lipper, a D.C.-based litigator with extensive experience in criminal defense and investigations, and First Amendment and media law.
Using the metaphor of a three-legged stool on which a journalist is sitting, Ferro explained that The New York Times looks at the three legs as physical safety, digital and online safety, and psychological safety. Any of the three not screwed in properly causes the journalist to wobble, affecting their work. Ferro added that online attacks transforming into physical attacks is very rare and that the intention is instead to get into your head.
“It’s trying to make you question who you are or to make you question the work that you’re doing, and ultimately succeed in silencing you,” she said.
Lipper suggested that journalists dealing with harassment take a step back and look at threats as if they were happening in a physical space. If someone said this to me at the library, how would I react and how would I expect other people to react?
“The internet is not a law-free zone,” said Lipper, adding that a threat of violence is not protected by the First Amendment.
Threats go beyond just attacking the work a journalist is doing and is heavily impacted by factors surrounding each case. There is no one-size-fits-all when approaching risk.
“In our trainings, we emphasize the point that it is not only what you cover that impacts the harassment you experience, but it’s also who you are and how you look,” said Bellamy-Walker. Women, LGBTQ+ communities, and people of color are known to face an increased risk for harassment.
“We are looking at the story, at the person, at the place, and the reporting,” said Ferro, echoing Bellamy-Walker. The threat matrix for each person changes depending on who is involved and their identity and how others might perceive them. However, this must be done without compromising on who is the best person or team to do the job, explained Ferro.
In navigating the online space safely, the experts suggested:
- Posting a screenshot of harmful messaging to address it rather than retweeting, to not give it fuel.
- Being liberal with the block and report function and familiarizing yourself with what each social platform offers in terms of safety.
- Practicing password hygiene—long, complex passwords, using a password manager, providing hard-to-find answers for security questions.
- Enabling 2 Factor Authentication.
- Turning on end-to-end encryption on messaging apps and cloud backups
- Auditing your online presence on apps such as music streaming services, Venmo, and exercising apps, as they might have information potentially valuable to attackers like your running routes and routine, bank account information, etc.
And for journalists not protected by their newsrooms and for freelancers, the panelists pointed to the resources available from organizations like PEN America and its Online Harassment Field Manual, Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Aegis Safety Alliance , ACOS Alliance and Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP).
Bellamy-Walker also highlighted the urgent care helpline, that is live through January 20, for journalists launched by PEN America in collaboration with the Knight Election Hub, leading digital safety advisors, and five journalistic freedom organizations.
“You are the best person to assess whether online abuse has made you feel unsafe, especially when it comes to physical safety,” said Bellamy-Walker, further suggesting that it is wise to pair up with a friend to evaluate if the harasser has made explicit threats naming you or including very specific details. It is also easier for law enforcement to take action if violent threats are named and directed at a specific person.
Threats can also ricochet off a journalist, especially if they have done good work and are well protected online, to other people close to the story like contributors, photographers, and even family members. Ferro suggested each journalist perform a risk analysis of themself and of the people in concentric circles around them. “Think about risk and make that a part of your news gathering work,” she said.
“In the same way that you can’t fend off various forms of assault by dressing in the right way, some of this transcends “individual responsibility,” said Lipper. “You should not expect yourself to make your career harder in order to make it harder for harassers. If you take it too far, you end up shooting your career in the foot, which is ultimately what the harasser wants.”
For more information on how to navigate online risks, visit PEN America’s Online Abuse and Digital Safety Program.
