Voice of the Premium Publisher: Spotlight On… Dr Rebecca Whittington

Published: 09 Sept 2024

Female journalists face harassment and threats, both online and in the real world, at an alarming rate. This abuse is often shrugged off as “part of the job”, but Dr Rebecca Whittington, Online Safety Editor at Reach, has dedicated her career to proving otherwise. Her ‘Stop the Cycle’ campaign tackles the gendered abuse of journalists through demanding better reporting and support from the police.

Richard Reeves sat down with Dr Whittington to discuss the origins of the campaign, its next steps, and her wider work to protect journalists.

What’s the background behind the ‘Stop the Cycle’ campaign and what incidents or trends prompted it?

When I joined Reach as its Online Safety Editor in 2021, it was the first role of its kind in the industry, specifically created to address the persistent abuse faced by many journalists – particularly women. My colleagues were, and still are, on the receiving end of abuse that was not only misogynistic but also sexually violent, posing significant threats to their safety and mental health. To dig deeper into the issue and raise awareness, I conducted research for a report released on International Women’s Day 2023.

My research — a collaboration between Women in Journalism and Reach — found that a quarter of female journalists surveyed had experienced sexual harassment or sexual violence in connection to their work; a third had been threatened or intimidated in person; and half had reduced how much they promoted their work due to the threat of online harm. Most concerning, given the need for a diversity of voices in journalism, was that one fifth had considered leaving the industry as a result of online harm.

The following International Women’s Day, in 2024, Reach, Women in Journalism, and Reporters Without Borders teamed up to launch the ‘Stop the Cycle’ campaign via an open letter, authored by myself and Fiona O’Brien, UK Director of Reporters Without Borders. This was signed by over 100 leaders in media and journalism. Our core demands were to improve crime recording against journalists and reporting of this data to the government; provide national guidance and training for the police; and enhance dialogue between police and the industry.

The open letter focused on the inadequacy of police response to the harassment and abuse of female journalists. Has there been any progress since the letter? What would you like to see happen next?

On the police side, the most positive engagement has been with Police Scotland, who held meetings with us after the publication of the letter. They had already been doing work to create consistent documentation of threats to journalists, based on an existing template for members of Scottish parliament. It helps that — like The Police Service of Northern Ireland — Police Scotland is a single force across the country, which has allowed them to make progress towards the kind of unified backend structures that are so helpful in consistent crime reporting.

Outside of that, we’re still waiting on a response. However, with Fiona O'Brien sitting on the National Committee for the Safety of Journalists, which has MPs and senior police representatives among its members, I’m hopeful we’ll be able to spotlight the issue and make progress towards the full implementation of our recommendations. Releasing the letter on an election year was strategic on our part, so we could get our foot in the new government’s door early and take advantage of renewed political momentum.

Most encouraging is seeing how the rest of the industry has picked up the torch. A joint report from the Society of Editors, Crime Reporters Association, and Media Lawyers Association titled ‘The Police and the Media: Repairing the Relationship’ cited our letter and gave their full support to our recommendations. The report — authored by Rebecca Camber, Daily Mail’s Crime and Security Editor and chair of the Crime Reporters Association — was first shared at the Society of Editors’ 25^th Anniversary Conference in April and has since been presented to the National Police Chiefs’ Council.

The more people are championing the Stop the Cycle cause, the more likely it is we will make a breakthrough.

What safeguarding procedures does Reach have in place to protect the personal lives of its journalists?

Reach has implemented several measures to protect its journalists. We've removed journalists’ phone numbers from websites to prevent direct harassment and we encourage journalists to use work phones for all professional communication to maintain a boundary between their personal and professional lives. During the election period, we conducted digital hygiene workshops, educating journalists on how to secure their online presence and avoid personal information exposure. We've also developed an app that connects journalists directly to our security team, providing immediate support if they encounter threats while on the job.

However, the work can’t stop at Reach’s borders. A significant number of female journalists — a fifth of those surveyed for my research — are on freelance or temporary contracts. Training and supporting journalists to reduce the risks and effects of abuse requires significant resources, which means those outside of full-time employment are often left out.

Women in Journalism are doing great work on that front with online safety training workshops that are accessible to all journalists. This is particularly valuable for those joining the industry, providing support and guidance to absorb some of the shock that can occur from encountering online abuse for the first time.

Has harassment and abuse pushed female journalists who wished to pursue a public-facing role into more anonymised reporting positions?

While Reach hasn't seen a significant shift towards anonymised roles internally, the research indicates that many female journalists do restrict their visibility due to harassment. Personally, I've experienced the debilitating effects of online abuse (it’s why I always keep my Twitter notifications off) and I know it can lead to journalists considering less public roles. The fear and stress associated with constant online vitriol can make maintaining a public profile daunting, pushing some to prefer behind-the-scenes work where they feel safer.

The personality and reputation of individual journalists and columnists is a significant draw for publishers, but the more access the public has to them, the more risk there is of harassment. How can publishers balance platforming these unique voices while protecting them from harm?

It's a delicate balance. At Reach, we strive to support journalists who wish to build a public profile while ensuring their safety. Many are very passionate about building their personal brand, an aspect of modern media that women should feel as comfortable pursuing as men. Others prefer to remain less visible, and we respect their choices.

Training and support are crucial in helping journalists develop their online presence safely. We encourage journalists to create professional social media profiles distinct from their private lives, limiting the amount of personal information shared online. This doesn’t mean sanding off all personality, but rather being more cautious about which details are visible to the public.

How much responsibility lies in the hands of the platforms through which harassment and abuse is disseminated? What steps would you like to see them take to combat this?

Platforms hold significant responsibility, but their power and influence make it hard to hold them to account. I believe proper verification of identities setting up new accounts is crucial to curb anonymity-driven abuse, but I also understand that implementing such measures has its own risks in terms of privacy and free speech. Until these platforms take harassment seriously and implement stringent verification and reporting systems, tackling this issue will remain challenging, particularly when abuse occurs outside of the jurisdiction of local police forces.

We need robust legislation to hold these platforms accountable for protecting users, especially those in vulnerable professions like journalism. The Online Safety Bill and the ongoing clampdown on big tech in the EU shows that regulations can bring change when they have teeth, and I hope the new government isn’t afraid to take a bold stance against platforms that aren’t doing nearly enough to protect the individuals they monetise.