Programs
Roundtable series on strengthening newsroom safety: A path forward for addressing online threats and harassment
Program overview
The program aims to support the critical role that journalists play in upholding democratic values by working to create a safer and more supportive newsroom environment for them to carry out their work. The objectives of these roundtables are to provide an effective plan forward for newsrooms to begin tackling these issues by strengthening existing newsroom processes and internal safety frameworks and facilitating the adoption of digital tools to enhance risk assessment and response capabilities that can more effectively address online threats and harassment. These roundtables are centered on leveraging existing processes, enhancing their implementation, addressing their shortcomings, and identifying viable alternative solutions. By focusing on viable solutions, these roundtables aim to drive practical change toward promoting a safer environment for journalists in the face of online threats and harassment.
At a glance
Media freedom is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy
Journalists play a vital role in upholding this freedom by investigating, reporting, and providing critical analysis on important issues of public concern. Increasingly, journalists are facing online threats and challenges which hinder their ability to carry out this essential work.
Online platforms have provided a breeding ground for digital harassment, online intimidation, and targeted attacks against journalists, with women journalists, journalists of colour and 2SLGBTQI+ journalists being the most vulnerable. These threats not only compromise their physical, psychological, and emotional safety, they also undermine the public’s access to reliable information.
