Safety of Journalists
University of Liverpool

The University of Liverpool is one of the top UK universities, member of the prestigious Russell Group of 24 leading UK universities.

Worlds of Journalism

The Worlds of Journalism Study is a cross-national collaborative project assessing the state of journalism in the world through representative surveys with journalists.

In co-operation with UNESCO

UNESCO is the lead UN Agency for promoting freedom of expression and safety of journalists as part of its mandate to “promote the free flow of ideas by word and image”.

Elodie Vialle

Independent at PEN America / BKC Harvard

digital safety journalism online abuse online harassment crisis concierge escalation channel

Today, journalists are at the frontline of disinformation and online abuse attacks. These online campaigns target mainly marginalized groups and women journalists - 73% of them have been harassed online internationally, according to UNESCO and ICFJ. The Escalation Channel 2.0 is a system that allows journalists and human rights defenders facing severe online abuse (such as death threats, doxing, coordinated mobs, etc.) to escalate their case within social media platforms and access targeted, hands-on, trauma-informed support.

Definition of journalists' safety

The possibility for journalists to get access to the conditions to keep doing their job, from a physical, digital, psychologically, financial and legal perspectives. Safety can't go without the improvement of a global culture of safety within newsrooms, also for freelancers. It also requires a more holistic approach.

Future plans for research on journalists' safety

I need to keep working on this important project.
Research focuses:
Psychological, Physical, Digital
Methods used in research:
Focus groups, Interviews, Qualitative content analysis, Workshops
Countries of research focus:
France

Areas interested in collaborating with NGOs

I already collaborate with PEN America, IMS, CPJ, Internews, UNESCO, IREX, ARIJ, WAN IFRA, and others.

Areas interested in collaborating with other researchers

Absolutely, this is why I am here!
Elodie Vialle

Elodie Vialle