Journalists are being urged to share their experiences of abuse and intimidation for a new study.

Research is being conducted at the University of Sunderland into the issue, seeking to compare the severity of the issue in the UK and Italy.

Investigative journalists are particularly being urged to give their feedback for the study, which is being conducted by PhD researcher Barbara Longo-Flint.

Barbara, pictured, is aiming to analyse the problem on an international level with a survey that can be filled out anonymously here.

She said: “In this context, comparative studies become key to understanding how professionalism is defined in different cultures and for identifying emerging transnational standards.

“In this study, we compare the traditional role of investigative journalists in the UK and Italy to assess the impact of abuse and intimidation – physical, digital, and legal – and if this translates into self-censorship.

“We also analyse how journalists relate to their employers and publishers and how organisational routines and autonomy differ.

“The first phase of the study will be based upon surveys conducted in both languages and adapted to the two different legal frameworks, followed by a second phase of qualitative interviews.”