The following resources are listed in alphabetical order and pertain to all digital security, preventative measures, online harm & harassment, legal and psychological support journalists might need. Additionally, we provide below resources related to reports, guides and papers written that may be useful in this area.
Access Now provides emergency digital security support 24/7 and they respond to all requests within two hours.
The Black Journalists Therapy Relief Fund provides Black journalists with financial support for mental health services.
This website for Canada Press Freedom Project provides educational resources for journalists and data on press freedom violations in Canada. The website also is a resource for logging and tracking specific incidences of press freedom violations, online hate, and harassment.
Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence and Trauma provides a trauma assistance fund for freelance journalists. This fund offers funding for confidential counseling.
The Forum’s Trauma Assistance Fund for Freelancers has now expanded its criteria to welcome applications from freelancers of any nationality with relevant Canadian journalistic connections, wherever they are based. Check out further details in their FAQs and don’t hesitate to contact Jane Hawkes, the Forum’s executive producer, at jane.hawkes4@gmail.com, if you’d like to discuss in more detail.
The CBC’s “Not OK” newsroom guide for managing online harm is a guide for newsroom leaders and editors focusing on what to do before, during and after online harassment incidents. This is a living guide that is being continuously updated.
The Coalition Against Online Violence is a group of organizations working to protect female journalist from online harassment and other digital attacks.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is an American independent non-governmental organization. It can help journalists with the cost of covering trauma support.
The Committee to Protect Journalists Guide to Legal Rights in Canada is a guide to legal rights in Canada and the type of risks journalists may face when covering protests.
The Freedom of the Press Foundation offers guides and training to news organizations, freelance and citizen journalists, and other at-risk groups. With education and advocacy, they aim to protect press freedoms through the adoption of the tools and practices included in their training.
Not Just Words: How Reputational Attacks Harm Journalists and Undermine Press Freedom is based on research conducted in 2022 when the Global Reporting Centre led an ambitious survey studying the effects of disinformation and harassment targeting journalists. The report is co-published by the Global Reporting Centre and the University of British Columbia’s School of Journalism, Writing and Media, and produced in partnership with the Committee to Protect Journalists, PEN Canada, and the Disinformation Project at Simon Fraser University.
The International Women’s Media Foundation is a nonprofit organization that focuses on female journalists. IWMF can provide journalists cover legal costs and connect them to lawyers.
Canadian Journalists For Free Expression provide legal and medical funding for journalists who have been traumatized by their work.
Media Defense is an international human rights organization that provides legal help to journalists and independent media around the world. Their lawyers provide support for: online threats, doxxing, hacking, deepfakes and more.
Nothing 2 Hide offers an emergency digital service in French and in English dedicated to helping journalists with cybersecurity threats. This service is available 24/7 and free of charge. They also provide training in digital safety.
The Poisoned Well Report is the result of a roundtable on online harassment faced by Canadian journalists. The event consisted of five sessions covering personal experiences, workplace experiences, journalists’ relationships with law enforcement and security, and self-care.
Reporters without Borders is an NGO that helps journalists cover legal costs resulting from your work as a journalist.
The Rory Peck Trust supports freelance journalists and can help cover legal feels.
The Taking Care: A report on mental health, well-being and trauma among Canadian media is a survey-based study looking at stress and trauma Canadian media workers are exposed to because of their work. Taking Care covers a wide range of topics including personal experiences, COVID-19 effects on mental health, workplace culture and support, harassment and trauma training amongst other issues.
This 313 page report surveyed over 1000 female journalists from all over the world on their experience with online harassment. It is the most geographically diverse study done on the subject. It is a three year study covering 15 countries, interviews from over 1000 and two data cases with 2.5 million online posts. This report looks at the impact of recent events, including COVID-19 and its impact on online harassment.
A CPJ study conducted in the US and Canada in 2019. This report has links to further studies on female journalists, freelancing, importance of newsroom protocols and a safety kit. The safety notes include articles such as Digital safety: Using online platforms safely as a journalist.
