Informed 09


Te journalist said: “Tey threatened to find my home, threatened to burn me out of my home, threatened to follow me to and from work, threatened to expose my personal details and my family’s details. Te threats leſt me in real fear, unable to sleep or function, do my job as a journalist, or atend public events.” A female journalist reported receiving


daily rape and death threats over a fortnight. Images from her public platforms were doctored to make her look naked and sent to people including local councillors. A freelancer logged details of a message


sent to his website during the summer of 2024. “It said far-right people were searching for my address online. I took it not as a friendly warning but a veiled threat.”


Te UN Human Rights Commitee has said that a free, uncensored, unhindered press or other media constitutes one of the cornerstones of a democratic society. Criminal offences commited against journalists interfere with their rights to free speech and public service. Every employee has the right to feel


safe at work and employers have a general duty of care under common law to take reasonable care for the health and safety of their workforce. Te NUJ believes that the incidents


reported to the Safety Tracker are just the tip of the iceberg, reflecting only a fraction of the incidents of abuse and intimidation journalists face across the UK and Ireland. Te union set up a short online survey


for members to find out if all incidents of abuse were being reported to the Journalists’ Safety Tracker, and if not, why that might be the case. Tere were 150 survey responses with 70 journalists reporting they had experienced abuse as a result of their work. Fiſty-six cases involved verbal abuse, 45 reported online abuse, and 13 had been physically abused. Six had experienced all three categories of abuse. Te vast majority of journalists sharing these incidents (94%) said they had not reported them to the Safety Tracker. Tis


relates to 66 reports of abuse. Te most common reason was that


they didn’t know about the tracker. Some said they didn’t think what they had experienced was serious enough, they didn’t think it would make a difference, or the incident predated the tracker being set up. One person said they were too traumatised to revisit the experience. Tirty did report the incident to their employer and 15 to the police. Tese newly reported cases echo the


threats and atacks already logged with the Journalists’ Safety Tracker. A Scotish journalist said in response


to the survey that he had experienced spiting, people turning up at court and making threats, and numerous online threats. He informed his employer and the police.


One journalist reporting online abuse said: “Personal insults and threats online make me feel unsafe and humiliated.” Another female journalist said: “I put


trans and LGBTQ+ flags on X during Pride month. A person found a photo of my children on Facebook and copied it to X and posted, ‘You’re going to lose a lot more than your column by the time I’ve finished with you.’” A female journalist in England said she


had experienced threats, gender-based comments, shoving and had beer botles and a firework shot at her while reporting on a protest.


Online abuse of a female reporter included: “My personal details were shared on social media by a source I approached in good faith. Tis led to a series of intimidating phone calls. I frequently receive hate messages online from people accusing me of genocide because I oſten report on the Gaza war.” Eight incidents mentioned protests and six occurred when journalists were reporting from courts. A number of journalists reported abuse which had taken place outside the UK. One reporter said: “As a freelance oſten


covering courts, I am used to abuse while leaving the building. Oſten, I am the only reporter around.”


Another court reporter said a man was


convicted and jailed for three months aſter making verbal threats against them. “It has made me wary of taking photos of the accused outside court, of puting my byline on stories involving violent individuals and of keeping all my social media in any way publicly available,” they said. Te UK Government launched the National Action Plan for the Safety of Journalists in 2021. Te 2023 refresh of the plan includes a commitment to develop public order training for police officers which reflects the role of journalists. “It is always shocking to hear accounts


of sexual and physical abuse and serious online threats. Abuse should never be viewed as part of a journalist’s job,” said Laura Davison, NUJ general secretary. “It is important to say that these cases


are just the tip of the iceberg and reflect only a fraction of the incidents of abuse and intimidation we know journalists face across the UK and Ireland. “Some journalists who didn’t report the incidents may, worryingly, see threats and abuse as part of the job. We’re also considering ways to improve and increase awareness of the tracker. “Many journalists express a lack of faith that those responsible for abusing them will be held accountable. Some submissions even highlight harassment of journalists by police forces, particularly while covering protests. “We remind the police that bona fide


newsgatherers have the right to report freely and we call on the government to protect journalists from online and offline harassment, threats and physical atacks. “We hugely appreciate the time journalists have taken to submit information – including distressing personal testimonies that can be incredibly painful to recount - to the Journalists’ Safety Tracker.”


Submit an incident to the Journalists’ Safety Tracker.


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