The International Press Institute (IPI) has launched two new video tutorial series providing support to enable journalists targeted by online harassment and attacks to combat them.
The first of the series, produced in cooperation with the Dart Centre Europe, describes measures that both newsrooms and journalists can take to prevent or minimize the emotional stress and trauma that online harassment can create. These measures include strategies to implement peer-support networks, reduce moderators’ exposure to violent content and devise a self-care plan for journalists, among other remedies.
These strategies aim to help journalists depersonalize and contextualize attacks as a means to prevent the potential emotional impact. The video is available online at https://newsrooms-ontheline.ipi.media/tutorials_category/coping-with-the-emotional-impact/.
The second series was produced in cooperation with the Digital Freedom Fund and highlights existing legal remedies to fight online harassment. The videos highlight not only the types of laws that may be used to defend targets of online harassment but also the pitfalls and unintended consequences that legal action itself can entail. This series is available online at https://newsrooms-ontheline.ipi.media/tutorials_category/legal-remedies-on-addressing-online-harassment/.
The two video series form part of IPI’s recently launched Newsroom Online platform, which offers tools and recommendations to help journalists and newsrooms develop defences against online harassments aimed at silencing independent journalists and discrediting their work.
The recommendations are based on best practices collected in newsrooms across Europe and provide specific strategies to address the emotional and professional toll that online harassment takes on journalists.
The International Press Institute (IPI) is a global network of editors, journalists and media executives who share a common dedication to quality, independent journalism. It promotes the conditions that allow journalism to fulfil its public function, the most important of which is the media’s ability to operate free from interference and without fear of retaliation. The mission of IPI is to defend media freedom and the free flow of news wherever they are threatened.
