Studie des Committee to Protect Journalists, 27.4.2016 (engl. Originalfassung)
A plurality of online voices is good for democracy, yet one group has come under attack in the most gruesome ways. Threats of rape, physical violence and graphic imagery are showing up in the inboxes and on the social media platforms of female journalists across the globe. Though online harassment of journalists is not new, it has become a particular cause for concern and a deterrent to free expression for many female journalists who have made valuable contributions to the news. I (Anm. d. Red: Dunja Mijatović) have had the privilege to work with many of them.
In February 2015, the Office of the Representative on Freedom of the Media, with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), undertook a qualitative survey to begin taking stock of the prevalence of online harassment of female journalists in participating states. I am the official representative on freedom of the media, and for all of us, the responses we received were a wakeup call, truly shocking in terms of the number and nature of threats most of the women had experienced on a daily basis.
For the sake of brevity, and out of sensitivity to those who have been subjected to such abuse, I will reduce the prevalent message that was being delivered to the journalists this way: "Women who talk too much need to get raped." The gender component of this harassment is clear, rearing its ugly head in the type of threats and language used, which goes beyond traditional vitriol to employ threats of rape and graphic (often sexual) violence with the aim of silencing women online. Though these journalists were attacked both as journalists and as women, this is not merely a "women's issue." Limiting the diversity of voices online hurts everyone, and without the recognition of men and their engagement in combating the attacks, little can be done to stop it.
Women who face this type of harassment have little recourse when it comes to reporting on this type of abuse in a way that will likely produce results, or receive support or legal redress. At best, they are encouraged to ignore the abuse and turn off the computer, and at worst, are blamed for the abuse or for undermining others' free speech. Obviously, turning off the computer is not an acceptable or realistic solution. While the vitriol may be limited to the virtual world, the threat to women's safety and reputation is real. In fact, many journalists claim that the very nature of the Internet-which enables complete anonymity and total access to information, including social, personal and financial data-makes it impossible to escape aggressors and multiplies the harmful effects of online harassment. One journalist who responded to our survey wrote, "When I go to the frontline, I choose to go and put myself... in a hostile environment. To feel this psychological stress in my house only because I give my opinion on Twitter or Facebook, it's unbearable." It is worth noting that this came from a war correspondent.
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