News organizations should create a database to keep track of incidents of online harassment and responses that have been taken. This database does not need to include every single instance of harassment, but should encompass at least those instances that are reported by staff members through formal reporting mechanisms or where a risk assessment has prompted the implementation of support measures.

The primary purpose of this database to follow up on reported instances of online harassment and allow for a regular (re)assessment of the support measures implemented, including whether new or different measures are necessary.

In addition to assessing the support measures themselves, newsrooms should also regularly re-evaluate the effectiveness of their overall response structures to harassment. This should include qualitative surveys to gauge the degree to which staff members and contributors feel the issue is being taken seriously as well as quantitative reviews of the number of cases in which some form of response is taken.

Actor: Online Safety Expert.