Death threats. Racist or misogynistic insults. Every day in Canada, media professionals face the constant onslaught of harassment and threats online. This has profound impacts on them and on their loved ones, but also on one of the foundations of our democracy: freedom of the press.
In early November, Radio-Canada / CBC invited experts and media professionals to participate in the #CestAssez forum on online harassment of journalists. The testimonies we heard there were as overwhelming as they were demoralizing. If criticism has its place, we cannot tolerate the worrying increase in racist and homophobic attacks, threats of rape and threats of assault on journalists and their families. All with the intention of silencing them.
Tristan Péloquin, journalist at Press, spoke during the forum about the stress associated with receiving threats on a regular basis, including a message suggesting that a bomb could be planted in his car. Joanna Chiu, from Toronto Star, said she had received so many death threats that she lost count of them. It makes you wonder who can still want a career in journalism today.
Harassment of journalists: a growing threat
These are no longer isolated incidents. A first Canadian online survey1 on journalism against hatred of Ipsos reveals the full extent of the phenomenon: 72% of professionals surveyed said they had experienced harassment in the past year, and 65% had been victims of it online. One in five respondents even said they experienced this type of harassment on a daily or weekly basis.
Among the preferred targets are women, people of color, Aboriginals and sexual minorities.
When we know that one in three journalists consider leaving the profession because of harassment, we see the risk that we run to lose some essential points of view in our newsrooms and our democracies.
At Radio-Canada / CBC, we have a task force that leads our anti-hate efforts online. We have increased the resources available to our employees and we react more quickly when an employee is targeted. We have also improved field safety and removed the logos from some of our vehicles.
Empower social media
In a recent column2, Patrick Lagacé was worried to see that the “trolls who are radicalized on the Internet are federating in reality”. This is also our observation. If we want to stop the evil at its source, we must get social media companies to take responsibility.
Social networks need to be more proactive in enforcing their own rules against hate speech. They must also intervene more quickly when a media reports an incident against one of its journalists. It is unacceptable that it takes days for a hateful or threatening post to be taken down.
Governments are able to demand more transparency from platforms, especially on the issue of algorithms, which often fuel aggression. David Kaye, a law professor at the University of California, Irvine, told the #CestAssez forum: “This transparency could be extremely embarrassing for many companies, once we see exactly how they operate. ”
Today, many law enforcement agencies are helpless in the face of online hate, even more so when it crosses borders. Police forces must develop an effective and coordinated response to these threats, standing ready to intervene when necessary.
An industry mobilized against online hate
The good news is that the mobilization has started. Journalists realize that they are not alone. We see an unprecedented surge of solidarity and collaboration between the media. In October, 37 Canadian media signed a joint statement3 against online harassment. Internationally, 46 public broadcasters and media associations have signed the Brussels Declaration4 in support of the safety of journalists and freedom of the press.
We thank all the media that support us in this effort in Canada and in the rest of the world. Together, we must stand up to this danger and protect media professionals. It is in the best interests of all of us.
1. CONSULT the results of the Ipsos poll 2. READ Patrick Lagacé’s column “The radicalized” 3. READ the declaration against online harassment 4. READ the Brussels Declaration What do you think? Express your opinion