One in four women journalists have experienced sexual harassment or sexual violence due to their work, a new study has revealed.

Fresh research into the abuse of females working in journalism also found around three-quarters of the 403 journalists surveyed had been threatened or had their safety challenged by a reader during their career.

In some cases, the abuse had led to journalists developing depression and one person admitted it has caused them suicidal thoughts, while the study by Reach plc and campaign group Women in Journalism found there was an inconsistency from employers and police in their responses to the threats reported.

One-fifth of respondents admitted the abuse they faced had prompted them to consider leaving the industry, with the same proportion revealing they had been subjected to harassment, abuse or even stalking because of their job.

One in three respondents had been threatened face-to-face.

Recommendations from the resulting report include that publishers should sign up to or create an online harms policy to support all staff, as well as identify a permanent staff member to lead their company’s policy on online harms.

WIJ has also pledged to create a policy for smaller organisations such as hyperlocal titles to sign up to, collate a list of resources and offer training opportunities for managers in connection with the issue.

The findings were presented by Reach’s online safety editor Rebecca Whittington, pictured, during a debate to mark International Women’s Day.

Rebecca, who herself received “misogynistic and sexually explicit” messages from men while conducting the research, raised during the discussion that 35 incidents were reported to the police by Reach last year, although only five were taken further.

Asked by HTFP whether she felt the threats faced by women working in regional journalism were a particular cause for concern, she said: “I do think that we have issues sometimes where journalists are easier to identify within smaller local communities or rural communities.

“That’s something organisations need to be considering when they send staff out, considering [the journalists’] health and safety.

“We do see a connection between online violence and physical violence definitely.”