This block describes the potential impact of online abuse and harassment on targeted journalists. Gavin Rees, director of the Dart Centre Europe, describes the trauma-related effect from sustained exposure to online harassment, diminishing abuse, and attacks based on gender, race and ethnicity. This video covers the following topics:

What are the risks? The potential impact of online abuse and harassment

  • Derived from sustained, threatening harassment:
    • Elevated levels of hyperarousal
    • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
    • Depression
    • Substance abusive
    • Destructive behaviour
  • Derived from constant, high-volume diminishing abuse:
    • Negative thinking
    • Feeling useless
    • Derogatory self-talk
  • Derived from targeting a journalist’s personal context: Gender-based and racial or ethnic-based attacks
    • Aim to silence, discredit and destabilize
    • Attacks based on gender, race, ethnicity and/or other characteristics
    • Tactics mirror those used in real-life abuse

This series of video tutorials has been developed in cooperation with the Dart Centre Europe.