- I år ble den eskalerende nettvolden mot kvinnelige journalister et viktig tema og konferansedeltagere tok initiativet til et åpnet brev til Elon Musk som ny eier av Twitter der de tar til ordet for en kamp mot digital vold mot kvinner, skriver Oslo Met-professor Kristin Skare Orgeret til Journalisten.
Her er brevet, signert av flere titalls deltakere, også Oslo Met-rektor Christen Krogh:
«Dear Mr Musk,
We, the participants of the 8th International Conference on the Safety of Journalists, together with other experts, journalists, academics, legal professionals and researchers are writing to request that Twitter takes urgent action on attacks on journalists in general and female journalists in particular. At a point in history where lies and disinformation pollute our public spheres, and where female journalists in particular are exposed to hatred and prolific online violence, the role of the big technological companies such as Twitter is more important than ever.
According to a global survey from UNESCO, nearly three quarters of women journalists reported experiencing online violence during their work, self-censorship often being the result. The findings are emphasized in research by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Council of Europe (COE) and most recently in The Chilling: a global; study of online violence against women journalists. The latter also shows the nature of intersectional abuse - for example, where racism and bigotry overlap with misogyny as features of online attacks. Research shows how women journalists and journalists from marginalized groups in particular, are humiliated, threatened and bullied. The violence also radiates: 20% of female journalists have been targeted with offline abuse and attacks connected to online violence.
Twitter is a key source of news for people and it is an essential tool for journalists. Hate and harassment on Twitter work to silence voices reducing diversity and undermining freedom of expression. If Twitter is to be a place that welcomes all without resorting to violence, discrimination based on gender, sexualities, ethnicities, or religion cannot be accepted.
We the undersigned are worried about the complicity of the social media companies in the global disinformation crisis which undermines democracy and fuels attacks on the press. We call on you to act with urgency, to ensure that combatting online attacks against journalists is a key priority for your new team and that additional mechanisms are put in place to protect journalists from coordinated attacks that demean, humiliate, and threaten. As you work to establish a Content Moderation Council we request that key guidance and clear systems are established as a matter of urgency so that there can be a greater diversity of views and information. One of the critical issues you need to address is attacks on journalists and online gender-based violence.
Journalists must be able to share their stories, news and opinions without being subjected to hatred, threats of rape, threats to family and loved ones, or being bullied into silence by a virtual mob. Journalists are and should be challenged, critiqued and disagreed with. It is, however, unacceptable that merely for expressing their views on Twitter, journalists, and women journalists in particular, are subjected to horrific and ongoing abuse.
Mr. Musk, we stand ready to work with your teams and support any efforts to actively fight these threats to the safety of journalists and to democracy. Each day a woman is abused on Twitter we drift further from the possibility of a 'digital common town square' you described in your letter to the advertisers.
Instead, we may move towards a world of hate and division, of more shouting, less being heard, of the violation of our most basic rights to dignity and equality for all.»
Image-text:
Elon Musk er ny eier av Twitter, og oppfordres til å ta grep om digital vold mot kvinner.
Foto: Susan Walsh / AP / NTB
