Women are leaving journalism due to the continuing scourge of online and other forms of abuse, an open letter being sent to police chiefs warns today.

Research carried out by publisher Reach plc and Women in Journalism found that the “chilling” effect of online violence is negatively impacting diversity within the industry.

They found that women are leaving front-line journalism jobs and minimising their social media profiles in order to avoid online violence against them, while women from minority groups were significantly more likely to experience online hate.

Yet an investigation by Reach found “worrying inconsistencies” in police responses to such incidents, with freedom of information requests by the publisher revealing a lack of consistent documentation of the victims’ occupations.

As a result, Reach , WiJ and Reporters without Borders have now launched a campaign calling for better recording of crimes against journalists, national level police guidance on online violence against journalists and better police dialogue with the industry.

The campaign – called Stop The Cycle – is being launched today to coincide with International Women’s Day, with an open letter being sent to police chiefs which has been signed by 100 industry leaders.

As well as calling for a more consistent police approach to handling of online crimes against journalists, the letter highlights the frequency and impact of online violence against women in media industries, and warns of their damaging impact on diversity and press freedom.

It is being sent to the national police leads on the Committee for the Safety of Journalists, Chief Superintendent Sam Donaldson, Superintendent Joanne McEwan and Chief Constable Pippa Miils, and copied to culture secretary Lucy Frazer.

Regional press leaders who have signed the letter include Reach chief digital publisher David Higgerson, Newsquest editorial development director Toby Granville, Manchester Evening News editor Sarah Lester, Liverpool Echo editor Maria Breslin, Northern Echo editor Gavin Foster and Newsquest Cumbria editor Joy Yates.

Others signatories include Owen Meredith of the News Media Association, ITV political editor Robert Peston, Express editor Gary Jones, Times editor Tony Gallagher and Guardian editor Katherine Viner.

HoldtheFrontPage, which is also backing the campaign, has highlighted a number of examples of cases of women journalists who have suffered abuse over recent years including:

*Susie Beever, then of the Huddersfield Examiner, who was told she would pay “the ultimate price” for covering a far-right protest.

* Mansfield Chad reporter Katrina Taylor, who later died from a brain tumour aged 42, was subjected to “unkind, personal comments” and victim-blaming after speaking out about the harassment she had faced in the world of online dating.

* Laura Collins, then editor of the Yorkshire Evening Post, who said female journalists were “bearing the brunt” of online abuse aimed at those in the industry after herself being targeted in a social media attack.

* Hull Live digital editor Jenna Thompson, who was inundated with abuse on Twitter while recovering from an operation

Dr Rebecca Whittington, online safety editor for Reach and a member of the advisory committee for Women in Journalism, said: “We know from research that women in journalism are suffering in their professional and personal lives due to online harassment and often sexually violent threats.

“We also know online threats happen regularly and that the outcomes can be serious, but the response can be inconsistent and without reliable data we cannot hold those responsible to account. For too long women in journalism and media have been subjected to unacceptable online harm, we have to work with police to break this cycle and make our industry safer for women now and in the future.”

Fiona O’Brien, pictured, the UK director of Reporters Without Borders, said: “Online violence against women journalists – often sexualised or misogynistic – has risen alarmingly in recent years and can have a devastating impact, both on individual lives and on freedom of the press more widely.

“It’s vital that police step up and work with the industry to ensure victims are supported and perpetrators brought to account. No one should have to suffer abuse because of their job.”

The letter together with the list of signatories can be read in full below.

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Dear Chief Constable Pippa Mills, Chief Superintendent Sam Donaldson and  Superintendent Joanne McEwan,

Violence against women working in journalism in the UK has increased significantly over the past decade, much of it conducted online. While all journalists may be subject to online abuse, women are far more likely to experience gendered attacks: recent research showed that three-quarters of women working in the UK journalism and media industries had experienced rape or death threats, harassment, stalking, misogyny or sexual approaches online in connection to their work.

We are deeply concerned about the impact of online violence on media freedom and diversity. Research conducted by the UK’s largest commercial publisher Reach Plc and Women in Journalism (1) found women were leaving front-line jobs in journalism and minimising their online profiles in order to avoid online violence against them. There is also compelling evidence (2) to show that women of colour, women who openly share their faith, LGBTQ+ women, women with disabilities, and women from working class backgrounds are significantly more likely to experience violence and hate online. The chilling effect of online violence – likely to get worse as we head towards elections – stifles press freedom and creates spaces for disinformation to thrive; it also risks making journalism less diverse at a time it needs more than ever to be representative.

We are also worried about the impact on individuals. Women journalists who experience serious online violence, such as stalking, death or rape threats, or receiving unsolicited pornographic content from anonymous accounts, report long-term impacts on their professional and personal lives, including depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and post-traumatic stress disorder. There is a growing awareness of the link between online and physical violence; fear that online attacks may lead to ‘real-life’ attacks is palpable among those who experience violence online.

Yet despite the rise in online violence, there are worrying inconsistencies in the way police handle, record and respond to online crimes against women journalists nationwide. Women journalists reporting online crimes to police often feel their case is quickly dismissed, or that their fears are perceived as an overreaction – a fact which adds to their trauma and makes it all the more likely they will leave the profession.

We need to stop this cycle. The cycle of women feeling unsafe in their work. The cycle of women feeling unheard. We need to secure a safer future for women working in journalism in the UK.

So today, on International Women’s Day, we come together to ask you – as police representatives charged with working on the safety of journalists –  to work with us for change. We have four simple asks which could make a world of difference to our industry both now and in the future:

●    Improve the recording of crimes against journalists. Accurate reporting – including clearly recording when attacks are related to a journalist’s work – is essential if we are to understand the scale of the problem, formulate effective responses and hold social media platforms to account.

●    Provide national-level guidance for police on online violence against journalists, and training on the gendered nature of online violence, the connections between online and physical violence, and best practice in dealing with such crimes.

●    Report back to government. As police representatives on the National Committee for the Safety of Journalists, we call on you to regularly report back figures of crimes against journalists to the Committee.

●    Improve dialogue between police and industry. Police forces should establish direct and effective channels of communication with journalists and representative bodies to ensure attacks can be quickly reported and effectively dealt with and perpetrators held to account.

Today, we as journalists and media leaders join Reporters Without Borders UK, Women in Journalism and Reach Plc to ask you to do everything you can to break the cycle of abuse that risks sidelining women from journalism. Let’s work together to break the cycle and secure a safer future for women working in journalism.

Yours,

Alex Crawford    Foreign correspondent, Sky News
Alex Stepney    Policy and External Affairs Director, News UK
Alison Gow    Media consultant
Alison Phillips    Journalist
Andrew Colley    Regional Editor, Newsquest Cumbria
Anna Highfield    Senior News Reporter, Architects’ Journal
Anthony Baxter    Deputy Managing Editor, LBC Newsgathering
Anu Anand    Journalist
Benedicte Paviot    France 24´s UK Correspondent
Carole Cadwalladr    Journalist, The Guardian and The Observer
Caroline Waterston    Editor, Mirror
Catherine Philp    World Affairs Editor, The Times
Cathy Newman    Presenter, Channel 4 News
Chris Evans    Editor, The Telegraph
Christina Lamb    Chief Foreign Correspondent, Sunday Times
Clothilde Redfern    Director, Rory Peck Trust
Colin Hume    Head of Learning & Development, National World
Daisy Wyatt    Associate Editor, The Daily Express
Daniel Gorman    Director, English PEN
David Dick    Editor In Chief (Scotland), Reach Plc
David Higgerson    Chief Digital Publisher, Reach Plc
Dawn Alford    Executive Director, Society of Editors
Deborah Bonetti    Director, Foreign Press Association in London
Dhruti Shah    Freelance Journalist
Dominic Ponsford    Editor-in-Chief, Press Gazette
Donna Ferguson    Award-winning freelance journalist
Donna-Louise Bishop    Specialist reporter (obituaries), Newsquest
Dr Maja Šimunjak    Senior Lecturer in Journalism
Dylan Jones    Editor-In-Chief, Evening Standard
Eoin Brannigan    Editor-in-Chief, Belfast Telegraph and Sunday Life
Fiona O’Brien    UK Director, Reporters Without Borders
Fleur Launspach    UK correspondent Dutch national news NOS
Gary Jones    Editor, Daily Express and Sunday Express
Gavin Foster    Editor, Northern Echo
Gavin Thompson    Regional Editor, Newsquest Wales
Gemma Aldridge    Editor, Sunday Mirror and The People
Graeme Brown    Editor, Birmingham Mail and BirminghamLive
Hanna Geissler    Health Editor, Daily Express
Hannah Storm    Media Safety Consultant and Co-Director, Headlines Network
Helen Dalby    Audience and Content Director, Reach
Hilly Janes    Associate Lecturer, Media School, London College of Communication
James Brindle    Chief Executive Officer, The Journalists’ Charity
James Evelegh    Editor, InPublishing
James Harding    Editor and Founder, Tortoise Media
Jenny Kean    Writer and researcher
Jessica Ní Mhainín    Policy and Campaigns Manager, Index on Censorship
Jodie Ginsberg    CEO, Committee to Protect Journalists
John Crowley    Editor, FT
John Wilson    Editor, Hereford Times, Newsquest
Jonathan Paterson    Managing Director, The News Movement
Joy Yates    Regional Editor, Newsquest Cumbria
Julie Etchingham    Anchor, ITV News at Ten
Karin Goodwin    Co-editor and Journalist, The Ferret
Karyn Fleeting    Delivery Director, Reach Plc
Katharine Viner    Editor in Chief, Guardian News & Media
Katie French    Regional Editor, Newsquest
Leona O’Neill    Journalist
Liam Fisher    Head of talkSPORT
Lindsey Hilsum    International Editor, Channel 4 News
Lisa Bradley    Deputy Head of Journalism, University of Sheffield
Liz Green    Journalist, broadcaster
Liz Nice    Editor
Marcela Kunova    Editor, Journalism.co.uk
Maria Boyle    Luxury travel writer and PR director
Maria Breslin    Editor, Liverpool Echo
Marianna Spring    Disinformation and social media correspondent, BBC
Martin Little    Audience Transformation Director, Reach Plc
Mary Nightingale    Presenter, ITV Evening News
Michael Adkins    Senior Editor, Newsquest
Michela Wrong    Journalist and Author
Michelle Stanistreet    NUJ General Secretary
Natalie Fahy    Editor, Nottinghamshire Live
Nic Keaney    Managing Editor
Owen Meredith    CEO, News Media Association
Patricia Devlin    Investigative Journalist
Patrick Ward    Print ACE
Paul Caruana Galizia    Reporter, Tortoise Media
Paul Linford    Publisher, HoldtheFrontPage
Paul Webster    Editor, The Observer
Professor Julie Posetti    Global Director of Research, International Center for Journalists; Professor of Journalism, City, University of London.
Rachel Corp    CEO for ITN and Chair of Women in Journalism
Rana Rahimpour    Freelance Iranian-British journalist
Rebecca Whittington    Online Safety Editor, Reach
Richard Duggan    Regional Editor North West, Newsquest
Richard Porritt    Regional Editor, Newsquest
Richard Reeves    CEO, AOP (Association of Online Publishers)
Richard Wallace    Head of TV, News UK
Robert Peston    Journalist
Rodney Edwards    Editor, The Impartial Reporter
Ruth Hardy-Mullings    Head of Content
Sangita Myska    Journalist & LBC Radio Presenter
Sarah Collins    Editor at talkSPORT
Sarah Lester    Editor, Manchester Evening News
Sarah Macdonald    Founder/Director Make Waves Ltd
Sharmeen Ziauddin    Editor in Chief, She Speaks We Hear
Sheena McStravick    Editor, Belfast Live
Simon Murfitt    Senior Editor, Newsquest London
Simon Pitts    Chief Executive, STV
Sonya Thomas    Freelance Journalist and Writer
Sophia Smith Galer    Freelance Journalist and Content Creator
Steffan Rhys    Editor, WalesOnline
Tim Lethaby    Regional Editor, Newsquest South West
Tim Levell    Programme Director, Times Radio
Toby Granville    Editorial Development Director, Newsquest
Tony Gallagher    Editor, The Times
Victoria Macdonald    Health and Social Care Editor
Victoria Newton    Editor-in-Chief, The Sun
Wayne Ankers    Editor, YorkshireLive
Yasmin Alibhai-Brown    Journalist, Columnist, Author