Distribute an anonymous survey within the newsroom to take stock of the impact of online harassment and the efficacy of measures in place to combat it.

Such surveys allow editors and management to understand the scope of the issue: How many journalists are targeted in online attacks, how their work has been affected, how strongly they trust the media outlet to supports them, etc. In itself, conducting the survey is a further indication that the media outlet takes the issue seriously. The survey should ideally be conducted once a quarter.

This survey should include questions that cover the following areas:
• Whether journalists have been targeted with online attacks and abuse
• What types of attacks journalists have faced
• Whether journalists feel that the media outlet adequately supports them
• Whether journalists feel that colleagues adequately support them
• How effective newsroom measures and protocols around online harassment are
• What role the media outlet should play when it comes to reporting attacks to the police or otherwise taking legal action against harassers

Actors: Head of Audience or Online Safety Expert.

Tools and Resources

Best Practices: Público.es

In Spain, online newspaper Público conducted an anonymous survey among its staff to explore whether the online abuse targeting some of their journalists was having an impact both professionally and personally. The survey delivered some interesting results: Most journalists said they expected to be targeted with online abuse when publishing an article on a sensitive topic. However, while they said such abuse would not deter them from publishing, they also suggested that the abuse shaped their behaviour on social media.