Newsroom structures and support mechanisms
Creating a culture of safety in the newsroom that encourages journalists to report online abuse, avoids stigmatization and victimization and provides support to the targets is essential to preventing the emotional and professional toll on journalists as well as self-censorship.
Communications
Media organizations must establish clear policies around online harassment and communicate them to all staff members.
Formal support mechanisms
Institutional measures to support targeted journalists and lessen the personal and professional impact.
Peer support mechanisms
Through both formal and informal means, colleagues can be as essential source of support for targeted journalists.
Training
Several different forms of training should be implemented to reinforce a culture of safety around online abuse.
Reporting systems
Communication channels that should be in place to allow journalists and other staff members to report online abuse.
Risk assessment
A thorough risk assessment of each case is important to determine which type of support is the most appropriate.
Audience moderation
A thorough, well-developed strategy to moderate user comments is necessary in order to ensure that attacks targeting journalists and news organizations are swiftly removed, alongside other unacceptable comments
The importance of user exchange and the need to moderate comments
Building and strategically moderating your community
Onsite comments: Rules of user engagement
Registration schemes, terms of use, community guidelines
Onsite comments: Moderation tools
Pre- and post-moderation techniques, comment removal, warning and blocking users, promoting a healthy conversation
Onsite comments: Moderation with limited resources
Tools for effective comment management for media with fewer resources
Useful software
Software, both for free and for purchase, recommended by experts to moderate audience conversations on comment sections and social media platforms
Audience moderation on social media platforms
This section explores the tools that moderators can use to steer an abuse-free public discussion on social media platforms.
Actors involved
Preventing and managing the impact of online harassment requires the cooperation of various actors within the newsroom. Everyone has a part to play.
Management
Adopt structural changes in the newsroom to create a culture of safety around online abuse.
Editor
Speak openly about online abuse and create an atmosphere in which journalists feel comfortable reporting attacks.
Journalist
Understand that online abuse is unacceptable and is not simply a characteristic of modern journalism.
Online Safety Expert
The point person in the newsroom for the issue of online harassment.
Head of Audience
Identify online threats and campaigns targeting staff members.