NUJ


Spotlight 08 Informed


43 individual incidents with most taking place between 2022 and 2025. Eleven of the journalists reporting cases to the Safety Tracker were female and 15 were male. Twenty-three provided details on their employment status: 14 were freelancers and nine directly employed – and 25 of the reports related to specific journalistic work or reporting. When asked who was responsible, 15


reports included an “organisation”, 10 blamed members of the public and five said it was anonymous. Some pointed to the police, public figures and politicians. Greater London was the area where most reported incidents occurred. One freelance journalist reported an assault at a protest in London in 2025. Tey said: “I was physically assaulted


“I hope you all get Hebdo’d”


Kathryn Torney analyses findings from the first year of the NUJ’s Journalists’ Safety Tracker.


Content warning: this article contains offensive language, references to suicidal thoughts, and descriptions of distressing incidents – including sexual violence. Disturbing reports of death and rape


threats, racism, sexual assaults, physical atacks and intimidation have been logged during the first year of the NUJ’s Journalists’ Safety Tracker. Te union launched the tracker on 1


November 2024 against a backdrop of growing online and in-person threats against journalists. By the end of 2025, 32 reports of abuse,


harassment and legal proceedings had been submited confidentially online by 26 freelance and staff journalists based in the UK and Ireland. Tey relate to at least


by several members of the public at a protest including punching, strangling and pepper spray, causing physical and psychological harm. I have struggled with PTSD since this atack, and it has caused me to be more cautious with what events I atend and report on.” A journalist from Northern Ireland


reported that a viable pipe bomb was thrown from a car at their house in December 2023. “Tis came three days aſter the Police


Service of Northern Ireland uncovered a death threat message to my house. Since then, the police have delivered seven further death threats as a result of intelligence that I was to be atacked by an armed gang.” A report published by Amnesty


International in June 2025 confirmed that journalists in Northern Ireland face regular deaths threats and atacks while living and working in the most dangerous place in the UK to do their job. Eighteen of the 32 reports related to online abuse with 13 saying the abuse occurred on Twiter/X.


One Dublin-based journalist said they


were “threatened by thousands” on X/ Twiter, Facebook and TikTok because of a court report on protesters being charged with public order incidents.


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