Hundreds of journalists across the UK have anonymously said they are increasingly worried about their personal safety, with a third reporting that they have changed how or what they cover because of those concerns. The government-backed investigation found that some reporters are self-censoring stories on rightwing protests, Donald Trump’s administration and trans issues, contributing to “a narrowing of the public conversation”.
Why are journalists changing what they report?
Journalists said fears over intimidation and abuse were leading them to alter or avoid coverage of topics they believed were in the public interest. The concerns were set out in a government-backed investigation into the safety of journalists, ordered amid growing hostility to traditional media across the west.
“There have definitely been times where there’s been a story that’s maybe in the public interest, maybe worth reporting on, where we have had frank discussions about whether it’s ‘worth it’,” said one journalist.
“I was definitely looking over my shoulder and making sure I wasn’t being followed and making sure that people weren’t going to start shouting things at me.”
Investigators found a widespread belief that abuse linked to reporting has increased, especially online. They also reported newsroom cultures that treated the rise as inevitable given the polarised political environment, with journalists expected to be “thick-skinned”.
Who is facing the most abuse?
Female journalists said they faced the brunt of the abuse, describing gendered and sexualised harassment, explicit threats, inappropriate messages and online comments focused on appearance. The investigation said these experiences were common across the survey and interviews.
The topics most often described as causing safety concerns were rightwing anti-immigration protests, the Trump administration, including protests against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and trans issues.
“Anti-immigration protests were most widely referenced by journalists, both regarding the in-person risks of attending the marches and the backlash to any subsequent reporting,” the investigation found.
Similar findings have been recorded in the US, where the International Women’s Media Foundation found journalists were , declining public trust in the media and increasing exposure to physical and psychological risks.
There are numerous accounts of journalists in Northern Ireland facing intimidation from masked men while covering , disclosed to the UK’s National Union of Journalists.
In another case, footage of a journalist covering an anti-immigration protest was circulated in a Facebook group, with people working together to identify and locate them.
One respondent described seeing a female journalist subjected to misogynistic heckling at a “unite the kingdom” rally, with the footage later uploaded to social media.
What did the investigation find about newsroom culture?
With debates about the personal safety of reporters now a regular discussion point in newsrooms, ministers ordered an investigation by Alma Economics. It is one of the most comprehensive assessments of journalist safety ever produced in the UK, surveying 531 journalists and conducting 55 in-depth interviews.
Almost half of those surveyed said safety concerns influenced their willingness to report on certain stories, while about a third said they had changed how or what they covered.
The investigation also found that the shift to online and video journalism had made journalists more identifiable.
“Journalists used to be much more anonymous,” said one reporter. “Now, you’re expected to be live, presenting TikToks all the time … People talk about all sorts of things about like: ‘What’s the future of journalism?’ and ‘How can we adapt?’ But very rarely is it discussed, ‘What does that take from us?’ And especially from female journalists.”
Participants acknowledged that the UK remained a safer place to work as a journalist than many other parts of the world. However, reporters said the risks had intensified over time, driven by “declining public trust, narratives portraying the media as ‘fake news’, and blurred boundaries between journalists and the public” — including the rise of “citizen journalists” who have no journalistic training but have access to large online audiences.
What are journalists and officials saying?
Laura Davison, the NUJ’s general secretary, said the findings were concerning and that abuse should never be treated as part of the job.
“The research findings make for grim reading,” said Laura Davison, the NUJ’s general secretary. “Abuse should never be viewed as part of a journalist’s job. Not only does this behaviour have a hugely detrimental impact on people’s lives, it also has a chilling effect on journalists’ ability to do their jobs and freedom of the press.
“It’s also time for social media companies to finally recognise their responsibility in preventing the abuse and harassment.”
A Department for Culture, Media and Sport spokesperson said the government was working with the National Committee for the Safety of Journalists to tackle harassment and threats.
“It is crucial to create the conditions in which reporters feel supported and protected so that they can focus on telling the stories that matter most,” they said.
Key Facts
- A government-backed investigation surveyed 531 journalists and carried out 55 in-depth interviews.
- Almost half said safety concerns affected their willingness to report certain stories.
- About a third said they had changed how or what they covered.
- Journalists cited rightwing anti-immigration protests, the Trump administration and trans issues as common sources of concern.
- Female journalists reported gendered and sexualised abuse, explicit threats and appearance-based harassment.
