Elodie Vialle
senior advisor digital safety & free expression PEN America
Viktorya Vilk
director digital safety and free expression PEN America
Online harassment is a pervasive and growing tactic, intended to intimidate journalists into self-censorship and silence. More and more reporters, especially women and minorities, are routinely subjected to abuse, hate, and threats online in response to their reporting. They are doxxed to make them feel unsafe and impersonated to discredit them and their stories. Perpetrators range from lone-wolf haters to synchronized armies of online mercenaries set in motion by political actors. They have turned social media platforms into battlefields, expanding hostile environments from war zones to offices. And yet the internet is now a critical part of the work of journalists and publishers. How can newsrooms better support and equip staff to push back?
This workshop is aimed at supporting newsrooms and employers to identify solutions to address this issue. What internal protocols can they set up? How do they balance engaging their audiences while ensuring the safety of their journalists?