The OSCE’s Safety of Female Journalists Online- A #SOFJO Resource Guide (English)

Democracy thrives when a plurality of voices are heard both on- and offline. Plurality is currently at risk. Journalists are regular targets of online attacks and female journalists face a double-burden: being attacked as journalists and as women. Threats of rape, physical violence and graphic imagery show up in their inboxes and on their social media platforms as they go about their workday. In extreme cases these attacks lead to self-censorship or worse: women retreating from the public sphere, leaving the male-dominated field of journalism with even fewer female voices. Protect plurality. Protect female journalists online. It’s our responsibility. Silencing women journalists therefore constitutes an attack on democracy itself.

The #SOFJO Resource Guide aims to assist States and non-State actors across the OSCE region in taking real actions to improve the safety of female journalists online. The practices presented are all examples of ways in which international standards and commitments can be realized. It points at a systemic approach for actors that are central for creating a safe and enabling media environment, providing 40 proposed actions. It is available in English, Russian, Albanian and Serbian.