Editors should be encouraged to create opportunities to discuss the issue of online harassment in group settings. Examples can include:
– “Coffee talks” in which journalists from the newsroom or from other media outlets share their experience of coping with online harassment over coffee. These “experts-by-experience” can provide valuable insight and tips and further help “break the ice” when it comes to discussing online abuse openly.
– Knocking down the power of online harassment with humour. For example, the targets of attacks may want to consider putting the comments they receive on a wall. Reading them aloud with colleagues or laughing about them can have a cathartic effect. Newsrooms have reported that such measures can help relieve anxiety and tension and in some cases help put the attacks into perspective.