New Guide Describes How to Protect Journalists from Online Abuse

Journalists covering controversial topics or debunking conspiracy theories face increasing threats and harassment, especially online. They face a Catch-22: Journalists have to be online to do their jobs, but their visibility and the nature of their work make them lightning rods for vitriol, abuse, or backlash.

In 2024, journalists who covered anti-immigrant conspiracy theories targeting Haitian immigrants in Ohio were doxed and swatted—tactics that could put their lives at risk. After the fatal shooting of right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk, some journalists were fired or doxed for remarks they made, questions they asked, or articles they posted online. Worldwide, journalists face digital and physical violence for their work.

A 2022 Pew study found that four out of 10 U.S. journalists experienced harassment or threats, and in the lead up to the 2024 election, 33 percent of journalists reported they experienced digital violence related to their work, according to the International Women’s Media Foundation. That abuse can result in anxiety, stress, and offline violence.

Female journalists are particularly at risk; 73 percent of women journalists globally have experienced online violence during the course of their work, according to UNESCO. Journalists of color in the United States are up to five times more likely to experience online harassment compared to their white colleagues, Pew research found.

“When journalists are attacked online, they not only fear but their safety, but they self-censor—changing what they write, how they write, and even stopping writing altogether,” according to PEN America, an organization for journalists and writers. “This creates an alarming chilling effect.”

In response, PEN America and the Coalition Against Online Violence developed a new guide, Best Practices for News Organizations: How to Protect and Support Journalists Harassed Online. The guide was developed in close consultation with newsrooms and civil society organizations, providing newsrooms of all sizes with actionable—and often inexpensive—strategies for improving employee security.

The guide broke down best practices based on cost and organizational size, as well as providing resources and examples.

“While putting some of these best practices in place may require a significant investment of time and resources, we can assure you that bolstering your organization’s capacity to navigate online harassment will ultimately save you time, money, and stress, help you hire and retain more diverse talent, and strengthen your reporting,” the guide said.

Fired for online speech. Doxxed and swatted for covering breaking news. Bombarded with death threats for exposing corruption. These are just a few of the safety concerns that U.S. journalists are now navigating. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/Hl3xLzR6sT

— PEN America (@PENamerica) November 13, 2025

Individual Efforts

Supervisors, editors, and newsroom managers have an outsized impact on their reporters’ safety. They should proactively reach out to staff and freelancers to discuss online abuse and any experiences or needs. Newsroom leaders should also regularly and clearly communicate policies, protocols, and resources around workplace violence and abuse.

Online abuse can be isolating and traumatizing, the guide said. Creating an environment of openness, trust, and safety ensures that staff feel comfortable reporting incidents and seeking support. Editors can schedule regular safety check-ins for relevant stories or projects (such as during reporting and after the story is published).

Editors can assess the risk that reporters, their colleagues, and their families face based on their identity, beat, and the sensitivity of different projects. The International Women’s Media Foundation provided an online violence risk assessment template that editors can use to help work through threat assessments.

Organizational Efforts

Any news organization can start by making it clear to staff and freelancers that organizational leadership recognizes the seriousness of online abuse and expects managers to do the same. This starts to build a workplace culture that addresses abuse, rather than handling it silently.

Within that culture, organizations can start surveying staff to map out how frequently abuse occurs and how it unfolds, as well as its emotional, psychological, and professional impacts. Organizations can set up an online abuse mitigation task force to provide support and build policies and protocols.

“Many news organizations lack policies and protocols to help journalists prepare for or respond to abuse,” the guide said. “Social media policies often omit abuse, focusing instead on governing journalists’ online activity. Clear protocols and policies, including proactive guidance on digital safety (particularly personal data and the secure use of social media/digital accounts), can foster a sense of safety and empowerment and minimize harm.”

Organizations can also sponsor journalists’ training on digital safety through training courses and improve the cybersecurity tools and software that they use, including adding encryption, changing data retention policies, and addressing confidentiality settings for digital platforms.

“Facilitating basic digital security hygiene is inexpensive and effective for all organizations, though changing individuals’ behavior can be time-consuming,” the guide said. “While password managers can be moderately expensive at the organizational level, some companies offer free or low-cost options. A comprehensive audit or revamp of organizational digital security practices is more costly, requiring in-house or external IT or cybersecurity expertise; however, civil society organizations offer subsidized support to under-resourced news organizations.”