02 Online Harms Bill T


he culture needs to change because the abuse of journalists was at risk of


becoming “normal”


and seen as part of the job, Michelle Stanistreet warned a cross-party House of Commons commitee hearing. Te NUJ’s general secretary described how journalists were being abused and threatened online and how this was also spilling into physical violence and stalking. She was giving


evidence to a Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) select commitee inquiry into the Online Harms Bill. She outlined the widespread atacks on members revealed in an NUJ survey and gave the example of a member who had to flee to a hotel for her own safety aſter receiving hundreds of death threats during the first lockdown. Te Bill aims to impose new legal duties on social media platforms and search engine operators to monitor and take down illegal and “legal but harmful” abusive and discriminatory content. Michelle said members


reported the platforms were too slow to remove the abuse or didn’t respond at all. She also spoke of the abuse heaped on journalists – disproportionately women and those from ethnic minority backgrounds – in comment sections below stories online. Tese should be included in the scope of the Bill, she said. When asked what the NUJ was doing to protect members, she said staff and freelances were encouraged to report all incidents to their employers and to notify the police. As part of the union’s work as a member of the National Commitee for the Safety of Journalists, the NUJ was collating a free online toolkit/ digital support pack for journalists with


the help of the Society of Editors. Te union also issued advice for members covering local and national events, including the protests at COP26 and the Million Masks marches. Michelle also said the tech giants should be made to pay for the damage they had inflicted on the media industry, particularly the local and regional press, and pay a levy to fund public-interest journalism.


Journalist targets


One-third of female journalists do not feel safe in their job, a UK government survey has found. Four in five of all media


workers also told an evidence- gathering exercise, organised by the Home Office and DCMS, that they had experienced threats and violence at work. Te incidents included abuse, intimidation, threats of violence, death threats, bullying, sexism, racism and homophobia. A growing number of protesters and activists were also now directly targeting and intimidating media film crews. Many respondents did not


report incidents to social platforms, police or employers because they weren’t confident they would be taken seriously. One in five said they saw receiving threats, abuse or violence as part of their job, and one in 10 because they felt it could harm their career prospects. Half of female respondents


experienced sexism and a third from ethnic minority backgrounds reported experiencing racism during work.


SAFETY


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